Emanuele Olivieri admitted it still felt strange to call himself a champion after securing the 2026 FIA Formula Regional European Championship (FREC) title in the final race of the season at Hockenheim.
The R-ace GP driver entered the finale at the head of a four-way championship fight and finished second behind Sebastian Wheldon to secure the overall crown, having already wrapped up the Rookie title at Imola. His success completed a strong final weekend for R-ace GP, which had also secured the Teams’ Championship on Saturday.
Wheldon ended the season on a high by converting his second pole position of the Hockenheim weekend into victory for MP Motorsport. His fourth win of the campaign, more than any other driver achieved during the season, lifted him to second in the final championship standings.
Olivieri ‘speechless’ after securing 2026 FREC title
Olivieri arrived at Hockenheim with the championship advantage but faced considerable pressure throughout the final weekend. Kean Nakamura-Berta reduced his deficit to just seven points after finishing second in Race 1, while Wheldon and R-ace GP teammate Rashid Al Dhaheri also remained mathematically in contention heading into Sunday’s finale.
The championship leader qualified second in Group B and started fourth, while Wheldon and Nakamura-Berta occupied the front row. Olivieri therefore entered the race needing to balance the opportunity to move forward with the importance of avoiding unnecessary risks.
He initially ran fourth behind Wheldon, Nakamura-Berta and Race 1 winner Jan Przyrowski. When Przyrowski and Nakamura-Berta made contact while fighting for second, Olivieri took advantage and moved into the position he needed to secure the championship.
From there, the 18-year-old resisted the temptation to chase Wheldon and instead managed the remainder of the race, knowing that second place would be enough to deliver the title.
“It still feels strange to say that I’m champion. I’m honestly a bit speechless. The start of the season was very difficult, but R-ace GP believed in me and supported me throughout. I owe the team so much, and I’m incredibly proud of what we’ve achieved together. The race today was tense, with four of us still in contention for the title. I knew I had the pace, so I focused on staying calm. I made a good start, then took advantage of the incident ahead to move into second. From there, I managed the race. I felt I might have had the pace to catch Sebastian, but there was no need to take that risk. Once again, the team gave me a brilliant car.”
Olivieri chooses championship over challenging Wheldon
Olivieri’s approach after moving into second reflected the championship situation. Although he believed he potentially had enough pace to close the gap to Wheldon, doing so offered little reward compared with the risk involved in fighting for the victory.
Instead, he opened a comfortable margin over Alexander Abkhazava in third and concentrated on completing the race. Wheldon ultimately crossed the line 0.895s ahead, but Olivieri’s second place was enough to settle the championship in his favour.
The title also completed a significant turnaround from the difficult beginning to the season that Olivieri referenced after the race. With the Rookie Championship already secured at Imola, he arrived at the finale with the opportunity to complete the double and ultimately delivered when the title was decided under pressure.
His success added to an already productive weekend for R-ace GP. The French team had secured the Teams’ Championship one day earlier, meaning Olivieri’s result completed both major championship objectives before the Hockenheim weekend came to an end.
Wheldon ends season with fourth victory
Wheldon, meanwhile, produced the strongest possible response to a frustrating Race 1. After taking pole on Saturday, his race was compromised during the opening stages and he left the penultimate contest without the points haul his pace had suggested was possible.
Sunday began differently. The MP Motorsport driver again topped qualifying, securing his fourth pole of the season with a 1:34.271 and keeping his championship hopes alive heading into the final race.
From pole, Wheldon retained the lead at the start and remained ahead through an early Safety Car period. While the title battle developed behind him, he controlled the race and eventually took the chequered flag to record his fourth victory of the campaign.
Although the win was not enough to deny Olivieri the championship, Wheldon’s result moved him ahead of Nakamura-Berta and secured second in the final standings.
“It’s a great way to end the season. We had some very good weekends and some difficult ones, so I’m happy to finish with a win. Of course, I’m disappointed to miss out on the championship. I made mistakes in the middle of the season, and I know things could have turned out differently. Overall, though, it’s been a valuable learning experience. I feel I improved as the season went on, and that’s what you always want as a driver. I’m pleased with what we achieved this year, and I’m already looking ahead to next season.”
Wheldon reflects on mistakes after runner-up finish
Despite ending the campaign with more victories than any other driver, Wheldon acknowledged that opportunities lost earlier in the season ultimately contributed to him falling short of the championship.
Rather than focusing solely on the disappointment of missing the title, the MP Motorsport driver viewed the season as part of his development. He felt his performance improved as the year progressed, culminating in a Hockenheim weekend where he demonstrated significant outright pace by topping both qualifying sessions and winning the final race.
His fourth victory ensured that a difficult Saturday did not define his final weekend. Having entered Race 2 with only an outside championship opportunity, Wheldon maximised everything within his control by taking pole and victory.
It ultimately secured him championship runner-up honours, leaving him ahead of Nakamura-Berta after the PREMA Racing driver was caught in the collision with Przyrowski during the finale.
Olivieri and Wheldon leave Hockenheim with contrasting rewards
The final race therefore produced contrasting emotions for two drivers who had entered Sunday still capable of winning the championship. Wheldon delivered the race victory and ended the year with the highest win total in the field, while Olivieri prioritised the result required to secure the larger prize.
For Olivieri, a challenging start to the season ultimately gave way to both the Rookie and overall Drivers’ titles, with R-ace GP’s support featuring prominently in his immediate reflections on the achievement.
Wheldon was left to consider where points had been lost during the middle of the campaign, but his response at Hockenheim demonstrated the progress he felt he had made. Two poles and victory in the season finale allowed him to end his year with both momentum and second place in the championship.
The title, however, belonged to Olivieri. Faced with a final race involving four championship contenders, the R-ace GP driver remained composed, took advantage when the opportunity arrived and resisted the temptation to chase a victory he did not need.
