Oleksandr Bondarev finished second on his FIA FREC debut for Van Amersfoort Racing and also claimed top Rookie honours, while CL Motorsport’s Reno Francot took third, his first podium since his home race at Zandvoort in May.
MP Motorsport’s Sebastian Wheldon finished eighth, gaining one point on provisional championship leader and recently crowned Rookie champion* Emanuele Olivieri. The R-ace GP driver from Italy, who moved to the top of the standings after winning Race 1 earlier today, crossed the line in ninth and now heads American Wheldon by just two points prior to Sunday’s Race 3.
Prema Racing’s Kean Nakamura-Berta and R-ace GP’s Rashid Al Dhaheri finished 10th and sixth respectively and are now third and fourth in the standings – and firmly in contention for the overall title.
After winning in FIA FREC for the first time, Hanna said: “I’m extremely happy to have finally taken my first victory in this championship. It took a little time, but today was certainly very positive. Even though it was the reverse-grid race, we made a very good start and the car felt better than it did in qualifying. There is still plenty of room to improve both the car and my driving, but we had an opportunity to win today and we made the most of it. We executed everything well, and now we will work hard ahead of tomorrow’s qualifying to find more pace. I want to thank the team, God, my family and everyone supporting me.”
FIA FREC newcomer Bondarev added: “I knew that stepping up to Formula Regional would be the right choice for me [but] I didn’t expect to be on the pace so quickly. We were near the front in every session, including practice, and we were also quite fast in qualifying. During the race, we were constantly applying pressure and I managed to complete an overtake. I’m extremely happy with the result. I have very little experience in this car compared with my rivals, so to be on the pace immediately is very encouraging. I can’t thank Van Amersfoort Racing enough for welcoming me into the team and helping me prepare as thoroughly as possible.”
The FIA FREC action at Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari in Imola continues tomorrow (Sunday) with Qualifying 2 from 08:45 to 09:20 local time live on YouTube. Race 3, which is scheduled for 30 minutes plus one lap and due to get under way at 16:30, will be broadcast in more than 200 territories and streamed as it happens on YouTube.
FIA FREC explained
Taking over from the Formula Regional European Championship by Alpine (FRECA) for 2026, 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, which is organised by FIA Member Club Automobile Club d’Italia (ACI), 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.
*Subject to confirmation of the results by the FIA
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