Setting the pace in Group B of Qualifying 1 on his final flying lap, the ART Grand Prix-run Frenchman – who won the French F4 title in 2025 – will be joined on the front row of the grid for Saturday’s opening race by UAE driver Rashid Al Dhaheri, who headed the Group A qualifying order on the 7.004-kilometre layout.

Munoz, 17, edged out Prema Racing’s British driver Kean Nakamura-Berta by 0.014s with his closing effort of 2m14.070s. Rodin Motorsport-run Australian Alex Ninovic finished third in Group B, just 0.037s adrift of Munoz, with Brazilian team-mate Gabriel Gomez close behind in fourth. Dutch racer Reno Francot (CL Motorsport) rounded out the top five.

Following his maiden FIA Formula Regional European Championship (FIA FREC) pole position, Munoz said: “This morning and yesterday were quite tricky in terms of pace, but the team worked really hard to give me a strong package for Qualifying 1 and to make sure we could put everything together over a single lap. That’s exactly what we managed to do on the final run. We delivered when it mattered and came away with pole position, so I’m really happy. I kept learning and gathering information throughout the session. The first couple of laps were quite difficult as we had to manage traffic during the warm-up laps, which made it challenging to get the tyres into the right operating window. But the final lap was a good one, and we managed to put everything together when it counted.”

Having headed Group A with a time of 2m14.559s, Al Dhaheri cemented top spot with a late effort of 2m14.523s. MP Motorsport’s Sebastian Wheldon – fresh from his win double at Circuit Zandvoort last weekend – was unable to respond and remained second.

Al Dhaheri said: “Honestly, it came as a bit of a surprise. Free Practice definitely didn't go the way we wanted, but we managed to put everything together when it mattered. Spa is always a very challenging track because positioning and tyre warm-up are crucial, so getting the lap right is never easy. I think we learned a lot as a team from Zandvoort, and I also learned a lot from Free Practice this morning. In the end, we got the job done and secured pole position, which is an amazing feeling.”

Japan’s Yuki Sano secured third place, ahead of R-ace GP team-mate Emanuele Olivieri. The Italian climbed to fourth in the closing stages after having his first lap time deleted for exceeding track limits. Briton Reza Seewooruthun finished up fifth for Rodin Motorsport.

The first of tomorrow’s two FIA FREC races, which are scheduled for 30 minutes plus one lap, is set to begin at 10:05 local time. Race 2, featuring a reversed grid for the top 12 drivers from Qualifying 1, will follow at 14:16. Both races will be streamed live on YouTube as well as being broadcast by 70 networks across 200 territories worldwide.

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 1 results remain provisional.