Emanuele Olivieri has already shifted his attention towards Saturday’s opening FREC race after claiming his second pole position of the 2026 season at Imola, while Tomass Štolcermanis celebrated one of his strongest Qualifying performances of the campaign.
Olivieri followed his morning Free Practice benchmark by topping Group B with a 1:39.227 and securing two valuable championship points. Štolcermanis led Group A for PREMA Racing with a 1:39.493, giving the Latvian rookie second on the Race 1 grid and an opportunity to challenge from the front row.
Olivieri enjoys ideal return from summer break
Olivieri immediately established himself as one of the drivers to beat after FREC returned from its summer break. The R-ace GP rookie topped Free Practice before controlling much of Group B and improving repeatedly until his 1:39.227 secured overall pole.
The Italian also highlighted the confidence his car gave him around Imola, a circuit he rates among his favourites. With the championship entering its penultimate round, the combination of home support and a competitive package has provided Olivieri with an ideal start to the weekend.
“I’m very happy. After such a long break, I couldn’t have asked for a better way to return. The team and I worked really hard, and Imola is honestly one of my favourite circuits so it is great to have a car that gives me the confidence to push through every corner.”
His pole continues an increasingly strong run of form and gives him a clear opportunity to convert Friday’s pace into a major points result when Race 1 begins.
Olivieri focuses on championship opportunity
The two points awarded for pole reduced Olivieri’s deficit to Nakamura-Berta to 18, while Al Dhaheri and Wheldon remain only five points ahead of him. The Race 1 grid also favours the Italian, with Wheldon starting third, Al Dhaheri sixth and Nakamura-Berta facing a recovery drive from 14th.
Olivieri nevertheless knows the championship cannot be transformed through Qualifying alone. With substantially more points available across Saturday’s two races and Sunday’s finale, he has already turned his focus towards converting pole into a strong result.
“Looking at the championship, it was obviously a very good qualifying session for us. I only scored two points today, though, and the big points will be awarded tomorrow. I’m very happy with today, but I’m already looking forward to the race.”
His position at the front gives him the strongest immediate opportunity of the four leading championship contenders, but Štolcermanis will start alongside and could present an early challenge into Tamburello.
Štolcermanis delivers one of his strongest Qualifying performances
Štolcermanis produced the decisive Group A lap shortly before the Red Flag ended the session, recording a 1:39.493 to beat ART Grand Prix rookie Alexandre Munoz by 0.087s.
The PREMA driver admitted that he entered the weekend without firm expectations after the month-long summer break. Instead, he focused on physical preparation and ensuring he arrived ready to immediately resume competition.
“We had a good qualifying session, although there is always more performance to find. Tomorrow we will find out how well prepared we are. I didn’t have any expectations coming into the weekend because everyone had a month off during the summer break. I trained a lot and did plenty of preparation to make sure I was ready for this race.”
The result gives Štolcermanis an opportunity to translate a major Qualifying improvement into one of his strongest race results of the season.
Štolcermanis encouraged by progress over one lap
Qualifying has not always proved straightforward for Štolcermanis during his rookie campaign, particularly when he has needed to immediately put together a complete lap. His Group A performance therefore represented an encouraging step in an area he has specifically identified for improvement.
The Latvian also credited PREMA for giving him a car that allowed him to attack with confidence. With the Red Flag ending the group early, his ability to produce the lap when the opportunity arose became even more valuable.
“Qualifying has not always been easy for me, particularly putting the lap together and being immediately up to speed. Today we did a good job and the result was a little unexpected. The team did an amazing job in giving me a car that allowed me to drive with confidence and put together a good lap”.
Štolcermanis will now share the front row with a driver carrying significant championship ambitions. For Olivieri, the objective is to convert Friday dominance into the larger points haul he believes will ultimately matter far more than the two earned for pole.
