FRME | 2026 | Round 2 | Yas Marina

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Qualifying for Round 2 of the 2026 Formula Regional Middle East (FRME) Trophy delivered a tightly contested and eventful morning at the Yas Marina Circuit, with two different drivers emerging on top across the twin sessions. Mumbai Falcons Racing’s Kean Nakamura-Berta secured pole position in Qualifying 1 for Race 1, while Sebastian Wheldon claimed pole in a disrupted Qualifying 2 to line up first for Sunday’s Race 3.

Championship leader Rashid Al Dhaheri arrived as the pre-session favourite after a strong opening round and dominant pace in testing and Free Practice. However, despite remaining firmly in the fight throughout both sessions, he fell short of pole on each occasion. Nakamura-Berta controlled the closing stages of Qualifying 1 with a late benchmark lap, while Wheldon capitalised on a red-flag-interrupted Qualifying 2 to convert a standout lap into pole position.

Both sessions featured intense midfield battles, rapid swings in the order, and late improvements that reshuffled the top ten. While Qualifying 1 ran cleanly and rewarded late execution, Qualifying 2 hinged on timing, tyre management, and track position after a crucial red flag halted momentum for several contenders.

Together, the two sessions underlined the competitive depth of the 2026 FRME field and set up a compelling weekend of racing at Yas Marina, with multiple front-running drivers showing genuine pole-winning pace.

2026 FRME: Round 2: Yas Marina Circuit: Qualifying 1

At 09:55 local time, 31 drivers took to the track for Qualifying 1. CL Motorsport’s Michael Belov remained absent after sustaining heavy damage in a Round 1 Race 2 incident. Although the team planned to field Reno Francot as his replacement, the damage forced CL Motorsport to run a car short.

Unlike the opening qualifying session of Round 1, which suffered an early Full Course Yellow, this session ran cleanly. As a result, drivers spent the opening phase building tyre temperature and refining their racing lines.

Early pace setters emerge

As the pace increased, Nakamura-Berta initially set the benchmark with a 1:52.304. However, the session quickly intensified. With roughly ten minutes elapsed, Trident’s Andrija Kostic surged to the top with a 1:47.667, ahead of teammate Kai Daryanani and Rodin Motorsport’s Reza Seewooruthun.

Soon after, Van Amersfoort Racing’s Francisco Macedo moved into P1 with a 1:46.260. ART Grand Prix’s Kabir Anurag and Pinnacle Motorsports’ August Raber followed him into the top three.

Mumbai Falcons take control

With nine minutes remaining, Mumbai Falcons Racing seized control of the session. Nakamura-Berta claimed P1 with a 1:43.667, while teammates Salim Hanna and Sebastian Wheldon locked out the provisional top three.

Meanwhile, Alex Powell struggled with track limits and remained without a lap time at the halfway point. Nevertheless, he soon recovered and posted a 1:44.305 to climb to P13.

Battle for provisional pole intensifies but final runs decide the order

As lap times continued to tumble, Raber briefly topped the session with a 1:41.003. However, Nakamura-Berta responded immediately with a 1:40.765. Shortly afterwards, Al Dhaheri moved into second with a 1:40.785.

Powell then delivered a surprise by jumping to the top with a 1:40.200. Despite this, Nakamura-Berta quickly reclaimed provisional pole with a 1:39.825, just over five minutes from the end. At that stage, Wheldon sat third ahead of Al Dhaheri and Anurag.

During the final third of the session, drivers pushed for their fastest laps. Al Dhaheri improved to second with a 1:39.990, while Nakamura-Berta strengthened his hold on pole by lowering the benchmark to a 1:39.822, thanks to a standout Sector 2.

Further back, Maximilian Popov climbed to sixth, while Wheldon improved to third with a 1:40.154 after Powell abandoned his final lap. Ninovic recovered to 12th, with Round 1 Race 1 winner Alexander Abkhazava in 14th, just ahead of Christian Ho.

As the chequered flag approached, several late improvements reshuffled the midfield. Artem Severiukhin rose to fifth, Francisco Macedo climbed to tenth, and Abkhazava advanced to eleventh. In the final moments, Yuki Sano delivered the last major improvement, securing fifth with a 1:40.353.

Nakamura-Berta secures pole position

Ultimately, no driver displaced Nakamura-Berta at the top. Al Dhaheri failed to improve on his final attempt, while Wheldon aborted his last lap. Consequently, Nakamura-Berta claimed pole position for Race 1, continuing his strong form at Yas Marina.

Qualifying 1 Top 10

Kean Nakamura-Berta
Rashid Al Dhaheri
Sebastian Wheldon
Alex Powell
Yuki Sano
Artem Severiukhin
Kabir Anurag
Maximilian Popov
Andrija Kostic
Francisco Macedo

2026 FRME: Round 2: Yas Marina Circuit: Qualifying 2

Following a clean Qualifying 1, Qualifying 2 began at the scheduled time of 10:20 local time. All 31 drivers returned to the Yas Marina Circuit for another 15-minute session, with pole position for Sunday’s Race 3 at stake.

As before, the opening phase focused on tyre preparation rather than outright pace. During the first five minutes, drivers circulated conservatively, with Rehm setting the early benchmark with a 1:45.528. However, with lap times well off competitive pace, the order remained provisional.

Competitive lap times quickly emerge

As the session entered its second third, the pace intensified. With just over eight minutes remaining, Maximilian Popov briefly moved to the top with a 1:45.442. Nevertheless, that position quickly changed hands as drivers began to deliver representative lap times.

Kabir Anurag set the first truly competitive lap with a 1:40.586, edging ahead of Francisco Macedo on a 1:40.683. Soon after, Taito Kato improved further to lead with a 1:40.435. Moments later, Kean Nakamura-Berta raised the benchmark to a 1:39.835, moving ahead of Sebastian Wheldon, who followed closely with a 1:40.286 as the session reached its halfway point.

Rashid Al Dhaheri then climbed to third with a 1:40.367, as rapid improvements caused frequent changes throughout the order.

Red flag disrupts critical momentum

The midfield battle intensified as Artem Severiukhin advanced to fourth with a 1:40.407. However, further improvements from Anurag, Alex Powell, and Alexander Abkhazava quickly pushed him back.

Next, Wheldon delivered a standout lap. He surged to the top with a 1:39.787, displacing Nakamura-Berta after an exceptional final sector. Just as Nakamura-Berta prepared to respond, Race Control halted the session with a red flag after Rehm stopped near the Formula 1 pit entry.

For Rehm, who had already qualified at the back in Qualifying 1, the stoppage marked another setback in a difficult weekend. Meanwhile, the interruption frustrated the remaining drivers, who now faced the challenge of extracting performance from already-degraded tyres.

Late restart limits improvements as final attempts decide the grid

After several minutes under red flag conditions, the session resumed with approximately five and a half minutes remaining. The field rushed out of the pit lane, hoping to squeeze at least one competitive lap from their tyres.

However, the hurried restart created heavy traffic, which further compromised lap preparation. As a result, despite the urgency, most drivers struggled to improve meaningfully as the clock continued to tick down.

In the closing moments, Al Dhaheri briefly improved to third with a 1:40.133 and immediately began another flying lap in a final bid for pole position. However, he ran wide during the lap and placed his effort under scrutiny.

At the same time, R-ace GP’s Yuki Sano climbed into the top ten with a 1:40.325, securing seventh position. As most of the field returned to the pit lane, Al Dhaheri pressed on with his final attempt. Ultimately, he fell short at the line.

Further disappointment followed when officials deleted his earlier lap for a track limits violation, dropping him from third to sixth.

Wheldon claims pole position

With Al Dhaheri’s time removed, Sebastian Wheldon remained at the top of the timesheets. He secured pole position for Race 3, ahead of Kean Nakamura-Berta in second. Kabir Anurag completed the top three after a strong and consistent session.