R-ace GP entered the 2026 FIA Formula Regional European Championship (FREC) as the defending Teams’ champion, but its second consecutive title did not come through immediate dominance. Instead, the French squad spent the opening rounds chasing MP Motorsport before gradually turning consistency across Emanuele Olivieri, Rashid Al Dhaheri and Yuki Sano into control of the championship.
The new FREC era also presented every team with a fresh technical challenge. The championship introduced the second-generation Tatuus T-326 and Toyota power for 2026, meaning R-ace GP could not simply rely on the advantage it had built with the previous generation of machinery. The team instead had to adapt alongside its rivals while fielding a completely revised driver line-up. R-ace GP began that transition as the reigning Teams’ champion, but MP Motorsport established the early benchmark as Sebastian Wheldon emerged as one of the season’s strongest drivers.
What ultimately separated R-ace GP was the contribution across all three cars. Al Dhaheri led the Drivers’ Championship at multiple stages and claimed three victories, Olivieri developed from a difficult opening weekend into the overall and Rookie champion, while Sano added important points before securing his maiden European victory at the Hungaroring. By Hockenheim, that combined strength had carried R-ace GP far enough clear to secure the Teams’ Championship before the final race of the season.
Spielberg: Al Dhaheri gives R-ace GP an early foundation
R-ace GP did not leave the Red Bull Ring at the top of the Teams’ Championship, but its opening weekend created the foundation for everything that followed. Al Dhaheri immediately established himself as the team’s leading scorer, finishing strongly in the opening race before inheriting the reverse-grid Race 2 victory after Dion Gowda received a jump-start penalty.
The Emirati’s consistency gave R-ace GP 43 points after the opening round, placing the team joint-third with CL Motorsport. MP Motorsport led on 54 despite not winning a race, while PREMA Racing sat second on 45. The margins therefore remained small, but R-ace GP already trailed the early leader by 11 points. The standings after Spielberg showed how competitive the new era had immediately become, with four teams separated by only 11 points.
Olivieri contributed only four points during a difficult opening weekend, while Sano also remained away from the major scores. That imbalance meant R-ace GP initially relied heavily on Al Dhaheri, something the team would need to change if it wanted to defend its title over an eight-round campaign.
Zandvoort: MP Motorsport opens the first meaningful gap
Zandvoort initially pushed the championship further away from R-ace GP. Wheldon dominated MP Motorsport’s home weekend by winning both races, while his teammates also contributed enough to lift the Dutch squad onto 126 points.
R-ace GP reached 88 and remained level with PREMA Racing in second, but the deficit to MP Motorsport grew to 38 points. The Round 2 standings therefore represented the first time one team appeared capable of taking meaningful control of the championship.
However, Zandvoort also contained an important development for R-ace GP. Olivieri responded to his difficult Spielberg opener with his maiden FREC podium, fastest lap and Rookie victory. His improvement reduced the team’s dependence on Al Dhaheri and offered the first indication that R-ace GP could eventually score heavily with more than one driver.
Al Dhaheri continued collecting points and left the Netherlands third in the Drivers’ standings. Even though the Teams’ gap had widened, R-ace GP now had two drivers regularly contributing near the front. That depth would gradually become more important than MP Motorsport’s early advantage.
Spa-Francorchamps: R-ace GP closes to within 10 points
Spa marked the first major shift in the Teams’ Championship. Al Dhaheri used two podium finishes to move into the Drivers’ Championship lead, while Olivieri scored in both completed races after showing strong pace throughout the weekend.
Al Dhaheri finished second in Race 1 before taking third and the fastest lap in Race 3. Olivieri added sixth and eighth, while Sano contributed further to R-ace GP’s total. The team moved from 88 to 147 points and reduced MP Motorsport’s advantage from 38 to only 10. R-ace GP’s Spa recovery transformed what had looked like an early MP advantage into a genuine two-team fight.
The contrast between the leading teams had also started to change. Wheldon remained MP Motorsport’s central figure, but his Spa weekend brought fifth and 10th. R-ace GP, meanwhile, benefited from Al Dhaheri’s two podiums and Olivieri’s continued development.
Spa therefore represented more than a numerical gain. The weekend showed that R-ace GP could close the gap even without winning a race because two of its drivers consistently scored near the front. That pattern became central to the team’s title defence.
Monza: R-ace GP takes the championship lead
R-ace GP finally moved ahead at Monza, where all three drivers played a significant role in the team’s strongest collective weekend of the first half.
Olivieri immediately added a major score by finishing second in Race 1 behind Kean Nakamura-Berta. Al Dhaheri then won Race 2, while Olivieri completed his breakthrough weekend by taking pole and converting it into his maiden FREC victory in Race 3. Sano joined him on the podium, ensuring R-ace GP ended the weekend with two cars inside the top three.
Those results added 73 points to the team’s total and moved R-ace GP onto 220. MP Motorsport reached 212, meaning R-ace GP transformed a 10-point deficit entering Monza into an eight-point advantage. The Teams’ standings after Round 4 therefore placed the defending champion back at the top for the first time in 2026.
Monza also demonstrated the value of having three drivers capable of producing major results. Al Dhaheri remained firmly involved in the overall title fight, Olivieri had become a race winner and Sano provided another podium. R-ace GP no longer needed one driver to carry the bulk of its Teams’ Championship challenge.
The eight-point advantage remained small, but the momentum had shifted. MP Motorsport had led after every previous round, while R-ace GP now headed to Hungary with control of its own championship campaign.
Hungaroring: The weekend that changed the Teams’ Championship
If Monza put R-ace GP in front, the Hungaroring established its first commanding advantage.
Sano began the weekend by taking his maiden pole position and converted it into his first European victory in Race 1. Al Dhaheri followed him home in second, while Olivieri finished fourth and again took Rookie honours. The result gave R-ace GP three cars inside the top four and immediately produced one of the season’s largest single-race points swings.
The team repeated the strength of that performance in Race 2. Al Dhaheri converted pole into his third victory of the year, while Olivieri moved into second following Alexander Abkhazava’s penalty. The one-two completed a weekend in which every R-ace GP driver delivered at least one major result.
R-ace GP consequently jumped from 220 to 322 points. MP Motorsport remained on 212 after Wheldon endured a double retirement, while PREMA Racing closed to 210. The defending champion had therefore increased an eight-point lead to 110 in a single round. The Hungaroring Teams’ standings showed R-ace GP firmly in control for the first time.
The weekend also underlined why R-ace GP’s driver combination proved so effective. Al Dhaheri left Hungary leading the Drivers’ Championship, Olivieri had moved firmly into the overall title fight, and Sano had converted his own progress into victory. Each driver now had a clear role in a championship campaign that no longer depended on one standout scorer.
Paul Ricard: Olivieri protects the advantage during a difficult round
Paul Ricard halted R-ace GP’s momentum without seriously threatening its championship lead.
Al Dhaheri arrived as the Drivers’ Championship leader but endured a difficult opening race after contact with teammate Olivieri. He eventually finished outside the points, while Nakamura-Berta won for PREMA Racing and reclaimed the Drivers’ Championship lead. The opening Paul Ricard race therefore represented one of R-ace GP’s rare weekends in which its two title contenders directly cost one another points.
Olivieri nevertheless prevented the Teams’ Championship from suffering similar damage. He finished second in both races, continuing the run of consistency that had steadily moved him into the Drivers’ title fight. Al Dhaheri recovered to sixth in Race 2, giving the team another useful contribution.
R-ace GP moved onto 366 points, but MP Motorsport produced its strongest response since the early rounds. Wheldon scored in both races and won the finale, while Abkhazava and Zhenrui Chi also contributed. MP reached 289, cutting the deficit from 110 to 77 points. The championship picture after Paul Ricard therefore showed the gap narrowing substantially.
Yet the round also highlighted R-ace GP’s underlying strength. Even with Al Dhaheri enduring his weakest weekend of the season, Olivieri’s two second-place finishes ensured the team still scored heavily enough to retain a sizeable advantage.
That ability to absorb one driver’s difficult weekend became another defining element of the championship. Earlier in the season, Al Dhaheri had carried more of the scoring while Olivieri developed. By Paul Ricard, Olivieri could assume the leading role when his teammate struggled.
Imola: Olivieri puts R-ace GP within touching distance
R-ace GP entered the summer break 77 points clear in the Teams’ Championship but with the Drivers’ fight far less settled. Nakamura-Berta led Olivieri by 20 points, while Al Dhaheri and Wheldon remained between them. The Imola title picture therefore placed two R-ace GP drivers among the four still fighting for the overall crown.
Imola then became Olivieri’s championship-changing weekend. He took pole, fastest lap and victory in Race 1, mathematically securing the Rookie Championship and moving into the overall lead for the first time. After limiting the damage in the reverse-grid contest, he finished second behind debutant Oleksandr Bondarev in Race 3.
Al Dhaheri endured a more difficult weekend, but Olivieri’s haul alone allowed R-ace GP to continue extending its advantage. By the end of the penultimate round, the team had accumulated 420 points compared with MP Motorsport’s 326. The 94-point margin left R-ace GP on the verge of retaining the Teams’ Championship heading into Hockenheim.
More importantly, R-ace GP arrived at the finale with two separate objectives within reach. Olivieri led the Drivers’ Championship by 20 points, Al Dhaheri remained mathematically capable of taking it, and the Teams’ title required only a controlled final weekend.
That position represented a remarkable turnaround from Zandvoort, where MP Motorsport had led R-ace GP by 38 points. Across the following five rounds, the French team had transformed that deficit into an advantage approaching 100.
Hockenheim: Teams’ title secured before Olivieri completes the sweep
R-ace GP entered Hockenheim with a commanding advantage, although the Drivers’ Championship remained far more volatile. Olivieri led Wheldon by 20 points, Nakamura-Berta by 25 and Al Dhaheri by 35, leaving all four capable of becoming champion. The Teams’ battle, however, had reached a stage where MP Motorsport required an exceptional weekend simply to keep the contest alive. The Hockenheim finale preview reflected that contrast between the two championship fights.
Race 1 immediately complicated Olivieri’s individual title bid when contact with Wheldon eliminated him at Turn 1. Nakamura-Berta finished second and Al Dhaheri third behind Jan Przyrowski, while Wheldon failed to score after penalties.
For R-ace GP, however, the result delivered what the team needed. Al Dhaheri’s podium and the wider points situation mathematically secured the Teams’ Championship on Saturday, ensuring the squad successfully defended the title it had brought into the new 2026 era. FIA FREC confirmed that Thibaut de Mérindol’s team had already sealed the Teams’ crown before Sunday’s finale.
The final race then completed the championship sweep. Wheldon won for MP Motorsport, but Olivieri finished second and secured the Drivers’ title on 218 points. Sano took fourth, adding another strong result to close the season. Olivieri’s title-clinching finale left R-ace GP with the Drivers’, Rookie and Teams’ Championships from the same campaign.
Three drivers, three different contributions
R-ace GP’s championship cannot be reduced to Olivieri’s eventual success. The team won because each of its drivers carried the challenge at different points of the season.
Al Dhaheri provided the early foundation. He won at Spielberg, moved into the Drivers’ Championship lead after Spa and returned to the top after his dominant Hungaroring weekend. His three victories and 180 final points kept R-ace GP scoring heavily even before Olivieri had developed into an overall title contender. He ultimately finished fourth in the Drivers’ standings, giving the team two drivers inside the championship top four.
Olivieri then became increasingly important as the season progressed. His breakthrough victory at Monza helped move R-ace GP into the Teams’ lead, his consistency protected that advantage at Paul Ricard and his Imola performance pushed the championship close to mathematical completion. By Hockenheim, he had transformed from a rookie who scored four points at Spielberg into the driver capable of completing the team’s title sweep.
Sano’s season brought fewer points than his teammates, but his contribution became crucial at several moments. His Monza podium strengthened the weekend in which R-ace GP first took the championship lead, while his Hungaroring victory helped turn an eight-point advantage into a 110-point margin. His fourth place in the Hockenheim finale then provided another strong finish after the Teams’ title had already been secured.
That distribution of results separated R-ace GP from several rivals. MP Motorsport possessed the season’s most prolific winner in Wheldon, while PREMA Racing regularly benefited from Nakamura-Berta’s Qualifying speed and three victories. R-ace GP instead placed two drivers inside the championship top four and extracted enough from its third car to repeatedly maximise its Teams’ score.
From 38 points behind to 83 ahead
The progression of the Teams’ Championship captures R-ace GP’s season particularly clearly. The defending champion sat 11 points behind MP Motorsport after Spielberg and 38 behind after Zandvoort. Spa reduced the gap to 10 before Monza finally moved R-ace GP eight points ahead.
Hungary created the decisive swing. R-ace GP’s combination of Sano’s victory, Al Dhaheri’s win and podium, and Olivieri’s consistent scoring increased the lead from eight to 110 points. Paul Ricard briefly brought MP back within 77, but Imola effectively put the championship beyond reach before Hockenheim formally settled it.
The final standings placed R-ace GP on 465 points, 83 ahead of MP Motorsport on 382. PREMA Racing finished third on 323.
That final margin makes the title look more comfortable than the first half of the season actually was. R-ace GP spent three rounds chasing MP Motorsport and did not take the championship lead until Monza. The eventual advantage came from what happened afterwards: five consecutive rounds in which the team either increased its lead substantially or limited the damage when its rivals enjoyed stronger weekends.
Successfully adapting to FREC’s new era
The 2026 title also carried additional significance because every team entered the season with a new technical package. R-ace GP had won the previous Teams’ Championship, but the introduction of the Tatuus T-326 and Toyota engine meant the team had to re-establish that position rather than simply continue with a proven combination.
Its opening rounds showed that process was not immediate. MP Motorsport adapted quickly enough to take control through Wheldon, while PREMA Racing remained a constant threat through Nakamura-Berta. R-ace GP needed several rounds before its three-driver structure began producing the collective results required to lead the championship.
Once that happened, the team became increasingly difficult to outscore. Monza provided the first clear demonstration, with a victory for Al Dhaheri, another for Olivieri and a podium for Sano. The Hungaroring then amplified that strength through a victory for Sano, victory and second for Al Dhaheri, and another podium for Olivieri.
Those weekends ultimately defined the Teams’ Championship more than any isolated individual result. R-ace GP did not simply have the eventual Drivers’ champion; it repeatedly created rounds in which multiple cars scored heavily at the same time.
A complete title defence
R-ace GP’s road to the 2026 Teams’ Championship therefore differed considerably from Olivieri’s individual journey. Olivieri built his challenge gradually before seizing control late, whereas the team’s campaign depended on shifting responsibility between three drivers across the entire season.
Al Dhaheri carried much of the early challenge and twice led the Drivers’ standings. Olivieri developed into the team’s most consistent scorer and eventually its champion. Sano supplied the third component, with his Monza podium and Hungaroring victory proving particularly valuable during the period when R-ace GP transformed a narrow advantage into a commanding one.
The team also demonstrated resilience when weekends did not unfold perfectly. Paul Ricard brought contact between its title contenders and allowed MP Motorsport to cut 33 points from the Teams’ deficit, but Olivieri’s two second places still prevented the round from becoming a genuine crisis. At Imola, Al Dhaheri struggled, but Olivieri produced his best weekend of the season.
By Hockenheim, R-ace GP had built enough of a margin to secure the Teams’ crown before the Drivers’ Championship reached its conclusion. One day later, Olivieri’s second place completed a sweep of the overall Drivers’, Rookie and Teams’ titles.
R-ace GP therefore began 2026 as the defending champion in a championship entering an entirely new technical era and initially found itself chasing a faster-starting MP Motorsport. It ended the year 83 points clear, with two drivers inside the championship top four, three different race winners across its line-up and every major title in its possession.
The final margin demonstrated the team’s strength, but the path to it explained the achievement more clearly. R-ace GP did not dominate from the opening round. It adapted, developed its three-driver line-up and gradually turned a 38-point early deficit into another championship.
