Race 2 of the opening round of the 2026 FRME Trophy delivered a dramatic and heavily interrupted contest at Yas Marina. Multiple Safety Car periods, several collisions and a decisive penalty shaped the outcome, while tyre management and restart execution proved crucial. Despite the chaos, MP Motorsport’s Christian Ho emerged victorious after seizing the lead following a pivotal restart and controlling the closing stages of the race.
Grid and pre-race build-up
The 32-car field rolled out for the formation lap with tyre preparation already at the forefront of every driver’s strategy. With the top 12 finishers from Race 1 reversed on the grid, Trident’s Andrija Kostic started from pole position alongside Rodin Motorsport’s Reza Seewooruthun.
Behind them, RPM’s Miguel Costa and Rodin Motorsport’s Maxim Rehm lined up on the second row, followed by MP Motorsport’s Christian Ho and Rodin Motorsport’s Alex Ninovic on row three. Pinnacle Motorsport’s Alex Powell and ART Grand Prix’s Taito Kato started seventh and eighth, while Mumbai Falcons Racing Limited’s Kean Nakamura-Berta and Race 1 winner Maksimilian Popov occupied ninth and tenth. R-ace GP’s Rashid Al Dhaheri and MP Motorsport’s Alexander Abkhazava completed the top 12. Abkhazava arrived with confidence after winning Race 1.
Early drama on the formation lap
However, the formation lap quickly disrupted proceedings. Kostic spun at the final corner on his way to the grid but avoided contact with the barriers and rejoined his pole position. Race Control later placed the incident under investigation.
At the same time, Maxim Rehm returned to the pit lane after his team detected a rear light issue, immediately compromising his race.
Seewooruthun stalls at the start; Belov brings out the red flag
When the lights went out, Kostic launched cleanly and surged into an early lead. In contrast, Seewooruthun remained stationary on the grid, forcing drivers behind to take evasive action. Mihael Belov, unsighted and tucked closely behind another car, collided with the stranded Rodin entry.
As a result, debris scattered across the grid and Race Control immediately red-flagged the race. Marshals recovered the damaged cars, while both drivers emerged unharmed.
Early incidents define the restart
Following a lengthy stoppage, the Safety Car led the field back onto the circuit. Officials restored the original grid order, except for Rehm, who dropped to the back after his rear light issue proved unfixable under red-flag conditions.
With 25 minutes remaining, drivers weaved behind the Safety Car to rebuild tyre temperature. Eventually, with just under 19 minutes on the clock, Kostic controlled the restart and led the field back to green flag conditions. Costa stayed firmly on his gearbox, while Ho followed closely in third.
Shortly afterwards, Kostic received a drive-through penalty for his formation lap spin, effectively ending his chances of a strong result. Almost immediately, further chaos unfolded. Alex Powell and Kean Nakamura-Berta collided at Turn 6, leaving one car stranded and the other facing the wrong direction. Moments later, Jan Przyrowski and Artem Severiukhin also made contact.
Although Powell, Przyrowski and Severiukhin rejoined at the back, Nakamura-Berta retired from the race.
Ho takes the lead as Kostic penalised
Kabir Anurag later executed a clean pass on Gerrard Xie, but with 15 minutes remaining, Race Control deployed the Safety Car once again. This development increased pressure on Kostic, who could only serve his penalty under green flag conditions.
Once racing resumed with around 11 and a half minutes left, Kostic dived into the pit lane to serve his drive-through. Consequently, Costa inherited the lead, but Ho immediately capitalised on a strong restart to take first place.
Behind them, Ninovic attempted to challenge, while Taito Kato forced his way into third. However, during a battle with Costa for second, Kato launched into the barriers and retired, prompting yet another Safety Car period.
Late-race battles define the order
With Kato out, Ho led Costa and Ninovic, while Salim Hanna climbed to fourth amid the turmoil. Al Dhaheri, Abkhazava and Popov followed closely, while Kostic eventually retired after rejoining at the back.
The race resumed with just over four and a half minutes remaining. Ho judged the restart perfectly and opened a small gap to prevent immediate attacks from Costa and Ninovic. Further back, Al Dhaheri pressured Hanna for fourth, but Hanna defended well.
Meanwhile, Abkhazava attacked Al Dhaheri aggressively, and the pair ran side by side. Al Dhaheri eventually forced his way back through, sending Abkhazava off the road. This invited pressure from Francisco Macedo, who narrowly avoided the wall after a lock-up.
In the final minute, Ho set the fastest lap of the race with a 1:49.1, underlining his control at the front. He crossed the line more than a second clear of Costa to secure a well-earned victory. Ninovic completed the podium after a measured and opportunistic drive.
Race 2: Standings: 2026 FRME: Round 1: Yas Marina (Provisional)
- Christian Ho
- Miguel Costa
- Alex Ninovic
- Salim Hanna
- Rashid Al Dhaheri
- Alexander Abkhazava
- Francisco Macedo
- Maksimilian Popov
- Kai Daryanani
- Chi Zhenrui
- Gerrard Xie
- Andrea Dupé
- Dion Gowda
- Yuki Sano
- Sebastian Wheldon
- Kabir Anurag
- Giovanni Maschio
- Artem Severiukhin
- Jules Roussel
- Jan Przyrowski
- August Raber
- Enea Frea
- Yuhao Fu
- Alex Powell
- Maxim Rehm
- Matteo Giaccardi
- Alceu Feldmann Neto
- Taito Kato (+6 laps)
- Andrija Kostic (+6 laps)
- Kean Nakamura-Berta (+10 laps)
- Reza Seewooruthun (+12 laps)
- Mihael Belov (+12 laps)
Pole Position: Andrija Kostic
Fastest Lap: Christian Ho
Winning Driver: Christian Ho
Winning Team: MP Motorsport
Rookie Winner: Miguel Costa
