After Maksimilian Popov and Trident Motorsport became the sixth different FIA FREC winners of 2026 at the 7.004-kilometre Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps last month, the series reconvenes in Italy from 18-21 June.

Commonly referred to as the Temple of Speed, Monza’s long straights and sweeping curves make the 5.793-kilometre layout an intense challenge and another gilt-edged opportunity for the 30 FIA FREC drivers to learn and develop behind the wheel.

One of five active FIA Formula One World Championship circuits on the FIA FREC calendar, Monza is the third venue so far that’s scheduled to host three races although heavy rain resulted in two races only going ahead at Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps.

FIA Single-Seater Commission President Emanuele Pirro said: “We are at round four of the FIA Formula Regional European Championship and, so far, we couldn’t be happier how things are going, how teams are performing and how drivers are growing and learning.

“I feel they are mature enough to race on such a challenging and historical circuit and I cannot wait to see them in action. Monza is a circuit that requires strategy, even more so considering the Race Mode push-to-pass system that we have implemented for this season. It means they will have to be even smarter than usual to make the best use of it.

“Monza is even more challenging than Spa in terms of finding a good track position for qualifying so I am once again counting on the maturity of our drivers to do the best job possible for themselves, without creating traffic jams prior to starting their lap, which nobody would like to see. With the 30 drivers split into two groups of 15 for 15 minutes of running there is a good opportunity for productive track time. Also, the tyres Pirelli provides for FIA FREC allow more than qualifying run, so the drivers don’t have to try to find a good track position for only one shot.

“We must also remember that Monza is another Formula One circuit which will be instrumental for the evolution of the FIA FREC drivers.”

Track time maximised in FIA FREC
FIA FREC drivers and their teams will acclimatise to Autodromo Nazionale Monza during two two-hour test sessions tomorrow (Thursday). They’re followed by a 50-minute Free Practice on Friday morning ahead of Qualifying 1, when drivers will once again be split into two groups, Group A and Group B, as part of efforts to make track time as productive as possible. The first of three races is scheduled for 10:30 local time on Saturday with the reverse-grid Race 2 due to get under way at 16:30. Sunday’s timetable consists of Qualifying 2 from 08:30 and Race 3 from 13:00. All races are scheduled for 30 minutes plus one lap.

All three FIA FREC races from Autodromo Nazionale Monza 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 four at a glance
Thursday 18 June
09:00-11:00: Collective Test 1
14:00-16:00: Collective Test 2

Friday 19 June
08:30-09:20: Free Practice
16:25-16:40: Qualifying 1 (Group A)
16:45-17:00: Qualifying 1 (Group B)

Saturday 20 June
10:30: Race 1 (30 minutes plus one lap)
16:30: Race 2 (30 minutes plus one lap)

Sunday 21 June
08:30-08:45: Qualifying 2 (Group B)
08:50-09:05: Qualifying 2 (Group A)
13:00: Race 3 (30 minutes plus one lap)

How they score?
Race: 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. Reverse grid race: 1st = 10 points; 2nd = 9 points; 3rd = 8 points; 4th = 7 points; 5th = 6 points; 6th = 5 points; 7th = 4 points; 8th = 3 points; 9th = 2 points; 10th = 1 point; fastest lap = 1 point. FIA Driver, Team and Rookie titles will be awarded.

Provisional FIA FREC standings after round three
1 Rashid Al Dhaheri (UAE), R-ace GP, 94 points
2 Sebastian Wheldon (USA), MP Motorsport, 93
3 Kean Nakamura-Berta (GBR), Prema Racing, 81
4 Reno Francot (NLD), CL Motorsport, 70
5 Alex Ninovic (AUS), Rodin Motorsport, 41
6 Emanuele Olivieri (ITA), R-ace GP, 40
7 Alexandre Munoz (FRA), ART Grand Prix, 37
8 Maksimilian Popov (ITA), Trident Motorsport, 35
9 Alexander Abkhazava (KAZ), MP Motorsport, 32
10 Zhenrui Chi (ITA), MP Motorsport, 32

Click HERE for the full provisional standings after round three.

Click HERE for more on the FIA Formula Regional European Championship.