Rashid Al Dhaheri added a second win to his 2026 FIA FREC campaign at Monza, following his maiden success at the Red Bull Ring. Starting from the fourth row of the grid, the R-ace GP driver produced an impressive comeback to take victory in a race affected by three Safety Car periods.
Sebastian Wheldon once again impressed with a superb drive to finish second for MP Motorsport. Salim Hanna also continued his strong form, securing back-to-back podium finishes after taking third place in Race 1.
Race report
With the top 12 drivers from Qualifying 1 reversed on the grid, Van Amersfoort Racing's Andrea Dupé started from pole position. The Frenchman immediately dropped to second and was involved in contact with MP Motorsport's Alexander Abkhazava at the first corner. This allowed Trident Motorsport's Maksimilian Popov to move into the lead. However, at the beginning of lap two he was hit by Rodin Motorsport's Alex Ninovic, who was later handed a 10-second penalty, sending Popov into a spin.
Dupé regained the lead, with Reza Seewooruthun running second. Abkhazava held third place but came under pressure from Al Dhaheri, who overtook him on lap three to move into third before later dropping back. Meanwhile, Hanna climbed to second, with Wheldon running third. Emanuele Olivieri emerged in the battle for fourth place, while Al Dhaheri recovered to fifth after overtaking Yuki Sano.
On lap five, Abkhazava found his car beached in the gravel, prompting the deployment of the Safety Car. Racing resumed with Dupé holding off Hanna into the first chicane. The Colombian tried again and moved into the lead, while Wheldon followed him through into second. Al Dhaheri also gained ground, overtaking Olivieri to climb to fourth.
Shortly afterwards, another incident at the Ascari chicane involving Andrija Kostić and Alexandre Munoz brought out a second Safety Car. The race resumed with six minutes remaining. Hanna ran wide at the first chicane, allowing Wheldon to draw alongside and pass him. Al Dhaheri moved up to third ahead of Dupé, while Olivieri lost a position to team-mate Sano, who would go on to set the fastest lap of the race.
On the following lap, Al Dhaheri overtook Wheldon to take the lead. Olivieri's race then came to an end after he became involved in a separate incident. A third Safety Car intervention followed, with the race ultimately finishing under neutralised conditions.
Rashid Al Dhaheri (R-ace GP, Race 2 winner): "I made a really good start, and I was immediately in the fight at the front. Then I lost a couple of positions after going through the gravel. But at Monza, these races are always unpredictable, and anything can happen. I think I was a little lucky with the Safety Car towards the end because leading at the restart is not always the ideal situation, especially in these temperatures. In the end, I managed to hold on and take the win. It was a fun race, and I'm very happy with the result."
Sebastian Wheldon (MP Motorsport, 2nd): "It was a pretty chaotic race. After a difficult Race 1, we knew we needed a strong result from the reverse-grid race. Starting seventh and finishing second is a good outcome and gives us valuable points for the championship. There was a lot going on throughout the race, and I had a couple of moments in the gravel, but I managed to stay calm and avoid any major issues. It's a bit frustrating to have lost the lead before the final Safety Car, but overall it's still a positive result and I'm looking forward to tomorrow."
Salim Hanna (PREMA Racing, 3rd): "It was a pretty chaotic race out there, but we managed to stay out of danger and remain at the front. Overall, it was a good race for us, and I'm pleased to come away with another podium."
Marcus Saeter (G4 Racing, Rookie winner): "It was a really tough race with a lot going on in front of me. I tried to stay out of trouble, but just before the final Safety Car, I had to take avoiding action and lost a few positions, which unfortunately meant missing out on the points. Still, I'm happy to finish as the top Rookie, and I want to thank the team for their hard work. We'll keep pushing and focus on tomorrow."
Attention now turns to Sunday, which will begin with Qualifying 2 at 08:30 CEST. The session will determine the grid for the final race of the weekend, scheduled to start at 13:00 CEST.