The Italian’s lap of 1m57.350s for R-ace GP in Group A is an unofficial Formula Regional record at the French track and ensured he outpaced Sebastian Wheldon for pole position after the MP Motorsport driver had topped Group B with a 1m57.429s best.

However, Olivieri was handed a three-place grid drop after the Stewards determined that Article 28.16 a of the FIA FREC Sporting Regulations V5 had been breached when it was reported by the FIA Race Delegate that Olivieri’s car was worked on before it was positioned at an angle of 45 degrees in the pitlane during Qualifying 2.

Prior to the decision, leading Rookie contender Olivieri said: “It was not an easy session for me, I really hate making things easy for myself. The first push was great, I knew I had the pace, the team did an amazing job with the car. But then I had an issue, I went too wide and broke the front wing, so I had to stop. I just tried to calm down myself, the team helped me, I knew I had one more push and I had the pace. The last lap was not the perfect lap, but it was enough to make pole and I’m really happy.”

American Wheldon (below), who had led Race 1 on Saturday until he dropped back to fifth with a damaged rear-left wishbone, inherits pole position for Race 2 following Olivieri’s penalty, subject to confirmation of the final results.

He said: “Overall I think we found a bit more compared to yesterday which was good, and I thought I was driving quite solid as well. I just missed pole by a little but still [it was] really good and a good last qualifying. We’ll just see how well we can do in the race. The lap was alright, definitely areas where we can improve, traffic was fine, no traffic and I was able to put the lap in on the last lap.”

Behind Olivieri in Group A, Kazakhstan’s Alexander Abkhazava was second quickest for MP Motorsport after 15 minutes of action in a time of 1m57.667s. Race 1 winner Kean Nakamura-Berta (Prema Racing) was third fastest in 1m57.680s followed by team-mate Salim Hanna, the Colombian clocking a best effort of 1m57.798s. Poland’s Jan Przyrowski rounded out the top five for RPM after he posted a 1m57.935s best.

With a time of 1m57.600, Dutch driver Reno Francot (CL Motorsport, below) was second to Wheldon in the 15-minute Group B session followed by Chi Zhenrui, who recorded a 1m57.704s for MP Motorsport. Brazil’s Gabriel Gomez (Rodin Motorsport) was fourth quickest with a time of 1m57.733s, while a late effort of 1m57.805s from erstwhile points leader Rashid Al Dhaheri was enough for fifth for the R-ace GP-run Emirati.

Race 2 is due to get under way at 16:25 local time and is scheduled for 30 minutes plus one lap. Watch the action live 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.

Click HERE for results. Qualifying 2 results remain provisional.