Race Report: Formula Regional Middle East Trophy - Round 1
Round 1 - 17th January - 18th January 2026 - Yas Marina Circuit
Last weekend marked the inaugural round of the Formula Regional Middle East Trophy at Yas Marina Circuit. I arrived in Abu Dhabi earlier in the week, giving myself a few days to acclimatise before jumping straight into testing with Rodin Motorsport in the brand-new Tatuus F3 T-326 chassis.
This is the first-ever three-cylinder Formula Regional car, and with F1 personnel in attendance, the event truly felt like a showcase for the next generation of talent. The new Tatuus has already earned a reputation as a “baby Formula One car”, visually striking with an assertive design and sitting somewhere between an old Formula Nippon car and an Indy Lights machine.
A Weekend of Unknowns
Teams and drivers only got their first real taste of the new car on Tuesday, leaving just a handful of test days before the opening round. With a full grid of 32 drivers, everyone went into the weekend facing plenty of unknowns, from car behaviour to tyre degradation and race craft in such a tightly packed field.
The FRMET format consists of two back-to-back qualifying sessions and three races across two days. Qualifying took place at 14:00 local time. I qualified P17 in Qualifying 1 and P16 in Qualifying 2. Qualifying 1 set the grid for Race 1, and due to penalties for other drivers, I lined up P14 for the opening race of the season.
Credit: © Dutch Photo Agency
Race 1
The entire 32-car grid was covered by just 1.2 seconds, highlighting the intensity of the competition this series attracts. I made a solid start, holding P14 after lap one and moving up to P11 by lap two as the field settled. From there, the focus was on staying clean and consistent in the middle of a very competitive pack, while trying to close the gap to the top ten.
At one point, all three Rodin Motorsport cars were running within the same section of the circuit, separated by less than a second, a clear sign of just how close the racing was. With 18 minutes remaining, I found myself defending hard from Kostic and Gowda, balancing aggression with discipline to avoid mistakes.
Midway through the race, I received a black-and-white flag for track limits with seven minutes to go, so the focus shifted fully to precision and consistency. When Dion Gowda ran into trouble later in the race, it allowed me to consolidate my position and bring the car home cleanly.
Overall, Race 1 was about discipline, learning the car in race conditions, and extracting consistent lap times in an incredibly tight field.
Credit: © Dutch Photo Agency
Race 2
Race 2’s grid is determined by the Race 1 results, with the top 12 reversed. After finishing 11th, I lined up P2 for Race 2, a great opportunity.
Unfortunately, it wasn’t the start I had hoped for. I stalled on the grid in P2, and while staying calm and running through the restart procedure, I was a sitting duck as the rest of the field launched. While many cars managed to avoid me, Michael Belov, running in the slipstream of a Pinnacle car, collided with my stationary car.
I’m extremely sorry to Rodin Motorsport and the other drivers affected, as the incident impacted multiple races on Sunday. Most importantly, I’m very grateful that both of us were able to walk away unharmed, a true testament to the safety standards in modern motorsport.
Thank you to everyone who reached out over the past few days, it means a lot.
Credit: © Dutch Photo Agency
Race 3
The Rodin Motorsport and CL Motorsport teams worked tirelessly to repair both cars in time for Race 3, but due to the tight turnaround, it wasn’t possible to get back on track. From the sidelines, I supported my new teammates, Ninovic and Rehm. Unfortunately, Alex Ninovic also stalled at the start, a reminder of how challenging a brand-new car can be, especially with less than 1,000 km on the clock.
Credit: © Dutch Photo Agency
Looking Ahead
Round 1 wasn’t the weekend of success I had worked towards, but there were plenty of lessons learned. We go again next weekend as we return to Yas Marina Circuit for Round 2, with more experience, more data, and unfinished business.
Tune in for the next round - Saturday 24th January-Sunday 25th January 2026.
Thank you to my sponsors and supporters!
