Emanuele Olivieri claimed his maiden victory in the FIA Formula Regional European Championship on home soil at Monza. The R-ace GP driver racing under the ACI Team Italia banner converted pole position into a commanding victory in the third and final race of the weekend. The result also marked the first victory for an Italian driver at Monza since Andrea Kimi Antonelli's triumph in 2023.
MP Motorsport’s Sebastian Wheldon secured second place following a dramatic final lap and returned to the top of the standings. The American took advantage of the retirement of Kean Nakamura-Berta, winner of Race 1, who now sits seven points adrift of the Championship lead. Rashid Al Dhaheri, winner of Saturday's reverse-grid Race 2, also dropped from the top spot.
Completing the podium was R-ace GP's Yuki Sano. Starting from 14th on the grid, the Japanese driver produced a remarkable recovery drive to secure his first podium finish of his Formula Regional European Championship campaign.
Race report
Starting from pole position, Olivieri made a strong launch to cover the inside line into the opening chicane to retain the lead. Nakamura-Berta slotted into second, ahead of Gomez, Popov and Przyrowski. However, on the opening lap, Kai Daryanani was sent into the gravel following contact with Marcus Saeter, prompting the deployment of the Safety Car. Elsewhere, Francisco Macedo pitted for a front-wing change.
After just one lap, racing resumed with Olivieri successfully fending off an attack from Nakamura-Berta. On Lap 3, the PREMA Racing driver launched another challenge on the run into Lesmo, but slight contact with Olivieri's car sent him off the track and into retirement.
The Safety Car was deployed once again, with Olivieri leading the field at the restart ahead of Gomez and Popov. Meanwhile, Miguel Costa was also forced to retire following an earlier incident. On Lap 6, Olivieri set the provisional fastest lap of the race with a 1:49.571. Further behind, Wheldon overtook Przyrowski to move up to fourth place.
A third Safety Car intervention followed on Lap 9 after Saeter came to a halt. Racing resumed with less than six minutes remaining. Olivieri once again maintained the lead and opened a small gap over Gomez, who, in turn, was busy defending from Popov.
Another incident then occurred at the second chicane involving Rashid Al Dhaheri, who had started from 13th on the grid after a difficult Qualifying 2 session, and Alexander Abkhazava. The latter was forced to retire, bringing out the fourth Safety Car of the race.
With time almost expired, the field was released for one final lap. Olivieri produced yet another excellent restart to retain the lead. Behind him, Gomez and Popov made slight contact, allowing Wheldon to move into second place. Olivieri crossed the finish line first, taking victory by 1.9 seconds over Wheldon. Gomez initially held third, but was passed in the closing moments by Yuki Sano, who secured third place and celebrated his maiden podium finish in the championship.
Emanuele Olivieri (R-ace GP, Race 3 and Rookie winner): "Honestly, winning here is something I will remember for many years to come. After a very difficult start to the championship, this is a great way to score some important points. It was a tough race because of the heat. With all the Safety Car periods, it was difficult to build a gap and get into a comfortable rhythm. I had to keep pushing all the time because the drivers behind were always close. Overall, I'm very happy with the race. The restarts were particularly important, and I think I managed them well. The only tricky moment was the one with Kean. I felt some contact from behind, but I didn't really see what happened to him afterwards. I hope he's OK. In the end, I'm really happy with the result and with the way we managed the race."
Sebastian Wheldon (MP Motorsport, 2nd): "I started from P7. We knew qualifying hadn't been as strong as we wanted, so we needed a good start to move forward. Throughout the race, I was able to make up positions, especially on the restarts, which proved to be very important. On the final lap, I was a little fortunate when the two drivers ahead made contact. I had a good run on the car in front and moved to the outside, forcing him to defend. That situation ultimately led to the contact between them, and I was able to take advantage and move up to second place. Overall, I'm very happy with the result and with the progress we made during the race."
Yuki Sano (R-ace GP, 3rd): "I'm very happy with this result. Starting from P14, I didn't expect to finish on the podium, so it's a great outcome for the team and me. I was able to manage the race well and gradually make up positions. The final lap was particularly challenging because there were several incidents ahead of me, especially at the chicanes, and I had to be careful to avoid the cars involved. In the end, everything came together, and I'm delighted to secure my first podium finish."
The FIA Formula Regional European Championship returns in just two weeks' time for Round 5 of the season, taking place at the Hungaroring on 3-5 July.