Driving for Dutch squad MP Motorsport, the American became the first FIA FREC contender to triumph twice in 2026, a performance that has put him 12 points in front of erstwhile leader Reno Francot (CL Motorsport) in the provisional standings.

Briton Kean Nakamura-Berta (Prema Racing), the Race 2 pole-sitter, finished second to Wheldon with Dutchman Francot completing the podium. Emanuele Olivieri took a Rookie win double for R-ace GP.

Wheldon said: “It was a pretty good race. We knew we had to replicate yesterday’s qualifying performance, and we managed to secure pole position in our group. I got a good start and had a nice battle with Nakamura for the lead. Compared to the Red Bull Ring, the team has made a lot of progress with the car, which is really encouraging. We’re heading to Spa full of confidence and looking forward to the next round.”

Nakamura-Berta made a strong getaway from pole position, fending off Wheldon as Francot held third ahead of Rashid Al Dhaheri and Zhenrui Chi. Tomass Štolcermanis gained one position on the opening lap to move up to sixth, closely followed by Olivieri.

The race was red-flagged at the completion of the opening lap following a multi-car incident involving Saqer Almosaherji, Kai Daryanani, Andrija Kostić and Giovanni Maschio before action resumed behind the safety car.

Nakamura-Berta controlled the pace at the restart, with Wheldon remaining in second. Behind them, Francot successfully defended third place from an attack by Al Dhaheri.

At the end of lap five, Wheldon overtook Nakamura-Berta to seize the lead, with the top four covered by less than one second. Further down the order, Olivieri passed Štolcermanis to move into sixth.

Wheldon then began to pull away, extending his advantage over Nakamura-Berta to more than one second. With four minutes remaining, Al Dhaheri tried to pass Francot, but the Dutchman from CL Motorsport successfully held his third place.

Shortly afterwards, Nakamura-Berta set the fastest lap of the race. At the same time, Maksimilian Popov missed his braking point at the end of the straight, making slight contact with Andrea Dupé before coming to a halt at the side of the track.

A second safety car period followed, setting up a final restart with just one lap remaining. Nakamura-Berta immediately attempted to challenge Wheldon for the lead, but the MP Motorsport driver expertly defended his position to secure victory by just 0.749s. Nakamura-Berta crossed the line in second, with Francot third at his home event.

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.

Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps hosts round three of the inaugural FIA FREC season from 29-31 May.

Click HERE for all results. Results remain provisional.