One of 30 young drivers preparing for action at the Hungaroring this weekend (3-5 July), American racer Wheldon (MP Motorsport) holds a seven-point advantage over Prema Racing’s British driver Kean Nakamura-Berta with UAE’s Rashid Al Dhaheri eight points further back for R-ace GP.
In the Rookie classification, Italian Emanuele Olivieri (R-ace GP) – who banked a breakthrough overall victory in Race 3 at Monza earlier this month to become the seventh outright winner of 2026 – leads ART Grand Prix’s Alexandre Munoz, from France, in the provisional order followed by Rodin Motorsport’s Brazilian Gabriel Gomez.
The fifth of eight rounds, Hungaroring is one of five active FIA Formula One World Championship venues on the calendar, which provides FIA FREC drivers with crucial experience as they prepare to climb the FIA Single-Seater Pyramid in the future.
“It’s the most competitive championship, the new car has brought a lot of excitement, and the FIA is running the series,” said 17-year-old Wheldon. “The car is more challenging compared to the old one, so you have to be more on it, and with the Race Mode [push-to-pass system] you have to be more strategic about everything. But I love the car, and I can’t wait to drive it for the rest of the season. It’s a great way to learn.”
Wheldon has claimed two wins and three podiums so far in 2026 but faces a mission of discovery when he tries out the 4.381-kilometre Hungaroring for the first time this weekend.
“It’s a new one for me but I’m really looking forward to it as it’s a track that relies on driving itself,” he said. “Spa and Monza are tracks where tow and track position matter more than actual speed, but Hungaroring is one of those tracks that requires pure driving, like Zandvoort [where I won twice].”
Despite leading the provisional standings heading into part two of the season, Wheldon insists he’s not focusing on the title chase.
“I’m not focused on the championship, I’m just focused on every corner, every straight, how I can be better and how I can improve in each race,” Wheldon said. “After Zandvoort we had some momentum going into Spa, but Spa did not go the way we wanted. The penalty at Monza was unfortunate but to bounce back in Race 3 with second place was good.”
FIA Single-Seater Commission President Emanuele Pirro said: “With seven different winners so far, we can certainly be proud of the fact the competition is very strong, and the field is closely matched based on the lap times we see. But we want our drivers to make themselves and their teams proud by always racing strongly, but also smartly, by observing the rules and showing respect to each other. Monza, partially due to its characteristics, brought too much excitement with some avoidable incidents. I know ‘my boys’ can do much better than that, as they showed on previous occasions, and I am expecting great racing at Hungaroring this weekend.
“At the same time, we are very satisfied with the progress the drivers are making and the high standards the teams are working to. Throughout the field we are seeing drivers working really hard to develop and improve and it’s clear that FIA FREC is a very effective platform for drivers aiming to take the next step.”
Track time maximised in FIA FREC
FIA FREC drivers can once again count on significant track time at Hungaroring with two two-hour test sessions up first tomorrow (Thursday). Two Free Practice sessions follow on Friday ahead of Qualifying 1 and Race 1 on Saturday. Qualifying 2 and Race 2 complete the Hungaroring weekend on Sunday. Drivers are split into two groups of 15 for Qualifying 1 and Qualifying 2 to make both sessions as productive as possible.
All three FIA FREC races from Hungaroring will be streamed live on YouTube as well as being broadcast by 70 networks across 200 territories worldwide.
FIA FREC explained
Organised and promoted by FIA Member Club Automobile Club d’Italia (ACI) and having taken over from the Formula Regional European Championship by Alpine (FRECA) for 2026, the FIA Formula Regional European Championship (FIA FREC) enjoys the full support of the Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile, the global governing body for motor sport and the federation for mobility organisations worldwide.
Positioned one step above Formula 4 in the FIA Single-Seater Pyramid, FIA FREC caters exclusively for the second-generation Formula Regional Tatuus T 326. All-new for 2026, the Pirelli-equipped car has been developed by the Italian constructor in partnership with the FIA and follows the aerodynamic philosophy deployed in Formula 1 to encourage closer racing. Its design also represents another step in terms of performance and safety.
The second-generation Formula Regional Tatuus T 326 features the new Race Mode push to pass system, which allows drivers to trigger full engine performance for a period of time when activated by a button pressed from inside the cockpit. The amount of time depends on how many times the button is pressed but each driver has a total of 100 seconds available per race. Race Mode’s introduction for the 2026 FIA FREC season is the result of extensive research and development managed by the FIA.
Where and when?
The 2026 FIA Formula Regional European Championship calendar takes place over eight weekends as follows: Red Bull Ring, Austria (24-26 April), Zandvoort, Netherlands (22-24 May), Spa-Francorchamps, Belgium (29-31 May), Monza, Italy (19-21 June), Hungaroring, Hungary (3-5 July), Paul Ricard, France (17-19 July), Imola, Italy (4-6 September) and Hockenheim, Germany (11-13 September). Pre-season tests took place at Hockenheim, Paul Ricard and Red Bull Ring.
Who’s in it to win it?
Click HERE for the 2026 FIA Formula Regional European Championship line-up.
FIA FREC round five at a glance
Thursday 2 July
09:42-11:12: Collective Test 1
13:56-15:56: Collective Test 2
Friday 3 July
11:38-12:28: Free Practice 1
16:41-17:31: Free Practice 2
Saturday 4 July
11:35-11:50: Qualifying 1 (Group A)
11:55-12:10: Qualifying 1 (Group B)
18:20: Race 1 (30 minutes plus one lap)
Sunday 5 July
08:30-08:45: Qualifying 2 (Group B)
08:50-09:05: Qualifying 2 (Group A)
15:55: Race 2 (30 minutes plus one lap)
How they score?
1st = 25 points; 2nd = 18 points; 3rd = 15 points; 4th = 12 points; 5th = 10 points; 6th = 8 points; 7th = 6 points; 8th = 4 points; 9th = 2 points; 10th = 1 point; pole Position = 2 points; fastest lap = 1 point. FIA Driver, Team and Rookie titles will be awarded.
FIA FREC winners so far in 2026
Red Bull Ring Race 1: Kean Nakamura-Berta
Red Bull Ring Race 2: Rashid Al Dhaheri
Red Bull Ring Race 3: Reno Francot
Circuit Zandvoort Race 1: Sebastian Wheldon
Circuit Zandvoort Race 2: Sebastian Wheldon
Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps Race 1: Alexandre Munoz
Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps Race 2: Maksimilian Popov
Autodromo Nazionale Monza Race 1: Kean Nakamura-Berta
Autodromo Nazionale Monza Race 2: Rashid Al Dhaheri
Autodromo Nazionale Monza Race 3: Emanuele Olivieri
Provisional FIA FREC standings after round four
1 Sebastian Wheldon (USA), MP Motorsport, 121 points
2 Kean Nakamura-Berta (GBR), Prema Racing, 114
3 Rashid Al Dhaheri (UAE), R-ace GP, 106
4 Emanuele Olivieri (ITA), R-ace GP, 85
5 Reno Francot (NLD), CL Motorsport, 74
6 Salim Hanna (COL), Prema Racing, 59
7 Zhenrui Chi (ITA), MP Motorsport, 47
8 Alexander Abkhazava (KAZ), MP Motorsport, 44
9 Maksimilian Popov (ITA), Trident Motorsport, 41
10 Alex Ninovic (AUS), Rodin Motorsport, 41
Click HERE for the full provisional standings after round four.
Click HERE for more on the FIA Formula Regional European Championship.
