Round 3 - 31st January-1st February 2026 - Dubai Autodrome

Dubai Autodrome

Round 3 at the Dubai Autodrome was a tough one. Overall, luck wasn’t on my side this weekend, with two DNFs from three races due to technical failures and a lost lap in qualifying because of track limits. It felt more like a weekend of resilience-building than results, and while it was disappointing not to leave with more to show on paper, every race was a proper fight.

Qualifying

Qualifying was mixed across the two sessions in a 32-car grid. Qualifying P16 for Race 1 and P22 for Race after a mistake in qualifying meant my fourth lap was disqualified for track limits. With margins so tight, losing that lap made a big difference to our starting positions for the races.

Race 1

I started P16 and settled in quickly, running behind Powell and Hanna in the early laps. By lap three I was holding position and defending hard, including some close racing with Wheldon through Turn 10. A safety car came out with around 15 minutes to go, bunching the field back together.

Unfortunately, with 11 minutes remaining, I suddenly lost all power in P13 and was forced to pull over before Turn 10 on the back straight. A failed fuel sensor ended my race on the spot, with no way to recover. It was frustrating, but it was a known issue that also affected other cars and has since been resolved.

Race 2

With Race 2’s grid set by Race 1 results, I lined up 30th, making it a race focused purely on progress. The opening laps were chaotic, with an early safety car following an incident involving Gowda, Giaccardi, and Olivieri.

After a restart, further contact between teammates Sano and Al Dhaheri brought out another safety car, and Alex Powell also stopped on track during this phase. With recovery ongoing, we were routed through the pit lane, and I restarted P22 with just nine minutes left.

I made progress into P20, but soon felt something wasn’t right with the car. With six minutes to go, I had to pit and retire due to a suspension failure, ending another race early. It was incredibly frustrating, especially as it was something completely out of our control. Credit to my teammate Alex Ninovic, who finished second and thank you to the team for rectifying quickly to ensure I could compete in Race 3.

Race 3

Race 3 was the highlight of the weekend. Starting P21, I immediately began moving forward, overtaking Daryanani and Ahurag on the opening lap and locking onto the battle ahead. Despite briefly losing a place, I regrouped and pulled off some really strong overtakes — including a great move on Francot and another on the pit straight.

A safety car came out with 19 minutes to go, and on the restart with nine minutes remaining, I was able to launch forward into P16. The pack was incredibly close, and I continued pushing right to the flag, finishing P15 after a fun and hard-fought race.

Final Thoughts

It was a disappointing weekend results-wise, and the teething issues of a brand-new car heavily impacted results. That said, there’s not much more enjoyable than a proper hack through the pack, and this championship is so close that no matter where you start, the racing is intense.

Race 3 was a strong way to finish, and with a short break ahead, we head to Qatar in two weeks to close out the series. Thanks again to all the team at Rodin Motorsport, they really have put in some incredible hours over the past few weeks to keep us racing.

Tune in for the next round - 11th-13th February 2026 - Lusail International Circuit

Race Report: Formula Regional Middle East Trophy - Round 3

Race Report: Formula Regional Middle East Trophy - Round 2