FRME | 2026 | Round 4 | Lusail

Spread the love

The 2026 FRME Trophy finale at the Lusail International Circuit began in unusual circumstances after technical issues with the new Tatuus T-326 forced organisers to halt Thursday’s running and revise the Round 4 schedule. Despite the disruption, the championship battle between Kean Nakamura-Berta and Rashid Al Dhaheri intensified across two dramatic qualifying sessions. Ultimately, Nakamura-Berta seized control of the weekend by securing pole position in both sessions, while Al Dhaheri struggled to respond under pressure.

An adjusted format for Round 4

The final race weekend of the season got off to a troubled start when engine issues with the new Tatuus T-326 forced organisers to suspend running after Thursday morning’s free practice session. As a result, officials postponed the remainder of Thursday’s programme until Friday to allow new parts to arrive from Europe.

Consequently, organisers added a second free practice session to the schedule. However, they reduced the number of races from three to two and scrapped the reverse-grid race to accommodate the changes. Although the revised timetable compressed the weekend, the championship fight remained firmly in focus.

2026 FRME Round 4: Lusail International Circuit: Qualifying 1

Following the disrupted build-up, Qualifying 1 began in relatively calm fashion. As in previous rounds, the drivers spent the opening minutes bringing their tyres and brakes up to temperature before pushing for competitive lap times.

With just over ten minutes remaining, MP Motorsport’s Alexander Abkhazava set the early benchmark with a 1:52.909. Soon after, team-mate Jesse Carrasquedo improved to a 1:51.870 to move to the top, while ART Grand Prix newcomer Tasanapol Inthraphuvasak slotted into third with a 1:53.358.

As the session approached its midpoint, the pace intensified. Abkhazava reclaimed provisional pole with a 1:49.083, placing himself ahead of ART Grand Prix’s Kabir Anurag and Van Amersfoort Racing’s Francisco Macedo.

However, the session soon faced interruption. Van Amersfoort Racing’s Yuhao Fu spun into the barriers, prompting a red flag and temporarily halting proceedings. After several minutes, officials resumed the session with six and a half minutes remaining, leaving drivers little time to recover lost ground.

In the closing stages, Pinnacle Motorsport’s Alex Powell surged to the top with a 1:48.630, while Sebastian Wheldon moved into second with a 1:48.793. Nevertheless, title contender Kean Nakamura-Berta delivered a decisive blow moments later. The Mumbai Falcons Racing driver set a commanding 1:48.461 to secure provisional pole.

Meanwhile, championship leader Rashid Al Dhaheri endured a difficult session and found himself down in P19 with one final lap to improve. Although he set the fastest times in the first two sectors on his last attempt, he failed to match Nakamura-Berta’s benchmark and ultimately secured fifth place.

Qualifying 1 Top 10

Kean Nakamura-Berta
Alex Powell
Sebastian Wheldon
Alexander Abkhazava
Rashid Al Dhaheri
Jan Przyrowski
Kabir Anurag
Alex Ninovic
Emanuele Olivieri
Yuki Sano

2026 FRME Round 4: Lusail International Circuit: Qualifying 2

After topping the opening session, Nakamura-Berta returned to the circuit determined to strengthen his title bid in the final 15-minute qualifying session of the season.

Once again, drivers used the opening laps to generate tyre and brake temperature. With around 11 minutes remaining, Carrasquedo set the early pace with a 1:52.304 before improving to a 1:51.104 to reclaim the top spot after a brief challenge from Abkhazava.

Soon afterwards, Matteo Giaccardi broke into the 1:49s with a 1:49.951 to lead the session, while Inthraphuvasak and Anurag followed closely behind. The order continued to shuffle as Jules Roussel, Maximilian Popov and Kai Daryanani each enjoyed brief spells at the top.

Then Abkhazava delivered a 1:48.472 to seize provisional pole. However, with just under six minutes remaining, Nakamura-Berta produced a stunning lap of 1:48.057 to move decisively into first place. Wheldon and Powell slotted into second and third respectively as the intensity increased.

At the same time, Al Dhaheri struggled to extract pace and remained down in ninth position. With Nakamura-Berta only 24 points behind in the standings, the situation placed significant pressure on the championship leader.

The tension escalated further when Abkhazava stopped on circuit and triggered another red flag with just over three minutes remaining. Although officials resumed the session with less than three minutes left, the interruption denied most drivers a meaningful opportunity to improve.

As a result, Nakamura-Berta held firm to secure pole position once again, ahead of Wheldon and Powell, and placed himself in a commanding position for the title decider.