After a fantastic season in 2023, the Formula Regional Middle East Championship (FRMEC) is back for more in 2024. Following last year’s rebrand, the series has once again attracted competitive drivers and experienced teams that will battle it out over five different rounds. Feeder Series tells you everything you need to know ahead of the 2024 FRMEC season.

By Daniele Spadi

Since its impactful debut in 2023, the Formula Regional Middle East Championship has definitely become one of the best winter series in the single-seater world, partly since it’s the first chance of the season for the drivers to shine and start on the right foot and to get acquainted with their respective teams.

After Italian superstar Andrea Kimi Antonelli took home the title in spectacular fashion last season, the 2024 crown will be closely contested by some of the most talented drivers that are currently working hard to climb the feeder series ladder. From established F3 drivers to young prospects, everything points to an exciting championship that will tell its spectators a lot on what’s to come in 2024.

The calendar

Among the best features of the Formula Regional Middle East Championship is the presence of Grade 1 circuits that the drivers will likely find later on in their professional careers. It’s a great opportunity to learn both the tracks themselves and the racecraft needed to be competitive around them.

Compared to last season, the Kuwait Motor Town will not host any of the championship’s five rounds in 2024. The series will therefore be held on UAE soil only, with the Yas Marina Circuit and the Dubai Autodrome welcoming the series on three and two occasions respectively. Here’s the complete calendar:

• Round 1: Yas Marina Circuit (12-14 January)
• Round 2: Yas Marina Circuit (19-21 January)
• Round 3: Dubai Autodrome (2-4 February)
• Round 4: Yas Marina Circuit (9-11 February)
• Round 5: Dubai Autodrome (16-18 February)

The format

The format, which was part of the series’ huge success in 2023, has been left unchanged. Drivers will start off their race weekends with a 30-minute practice session, before diving into two 15-minute qualifying sessions that will decide the starting grids for race one and race three respectively. The starting order for race two, on the other hand, will be determined by the results of the first race with the top ten reversed.

It is important to note that all three races will award the same number of points, following the standard FIA scoring method – meaning each winner will get 25 points. Unlike other single-seater championships, no additional points will be awarded for taking pole position or setting the fastest lap of any of the three races.

Where to watch

Just like in 2023, every single race will be broadcasted on the official FRMEC YouTube channel, continuing the championship’s tradition of sharing their product with their fans for free. However, practice and qualifying will not be live streamed, yet everyone will be able to follow them through live timing provided by the championship.

Teams and drivers

Mumbai Falcons Racing Limited

Prema’s affiliate team Mumbai Falcons are set to be the team to beat in 2024. After winning the teams’ championship by 91 points last year, the Indian outfit will field four cars with the hopes that every single one of them will fight for race wins throughout the season.

Rafael Câmara (#8) is one of the few drivers returning to the series after his 2023 campaign, where he finished third. The Brazilian, who also went on to finish fifth in his rookie FRECA season, is definitely among the favourites in the drivers’ championship, being one of the drivers with the most on-track experience with the car as well.

Alongside him, Mumbai Falcons will give their cars to three graduates from Italian F4. The 2023 runner-up Arvid Lindblad (#23) will get his first and only taste of Formula Regional here in the Middle East, as he will make the step up to FIA F3 with Prema later this season. Lindblad proved to be a very fast learner in 2023, thus making him one of the main candidates for the title now.

Reigning Euro 4 champion Ugo Ugochukwu (#11) and last year’s F4 UAE champion James Wharton (#13) will complete the Indian team’s line-up. Both drivers are set to be competing in FRECA this year, and their FRMEC participation will be a very strong indicator as to what to expect from them in 2024.

PHM AIX Racing

After comfortably finishing in second place in the teams’ standings in 2023, PHM is gearing up for a very busy year, with FRMEC being their first big campaign of the season.

The team is retaining Taylor Barnard (#5) after his great debut in 2023, where the Brit ended up as the series’ runner-up with two wins and five additional podium finishes in fifteen races. Barnard will join forces with PHM in FIA F3 later this year as well, a series he knows well after his great rookie campaign last year, where he took an historic win and two further podium finishes in the final four races of the season.

Barnard will be partnered by three other drivers. One of them is Tasanapol Inthraphuvasak (#18), who finished 19th last year with Pinnacle VAR. The driver from Thailand is expected to be promoted to FIA F3 this year with PHM alongside Barnard, and the team is expecting a big step forward from him in 2024.

Brando Badoer (#15) is also joining PHM for the 2024 FRMEC season. The Italian, son of former F1 driver Luca, had some good performances in Italian F4 and Euro 4 last year, finishing sixth in both series and showing great pace on occasion.

Last but not least, PHM will give their fourth car to Ruiqi Liu (#66), who also competed in Italian F4 and Euro 4. The Chinese driver has already been announced by Trident as one of their drivers for the 2024 FRECA season, and a full FRMEC season could definitely help him learn the car ahead of the rest of the year.

MP Motorsport

After partnering with Hyderabad Blackbirds in the championship’s maiden season, MP Motorsport is back for more in 2024, this time as its own team. The Dutch outfit has grown to be one of the most versatile teams in the feeders series world, taking part in many different championships and getting some great results in every one of them. FRMEC is being a clear example, with the team taking home three wins last season thanks to both Mari Boya and Sami Meguetounif.

Reigning Eurocup-3 rookie champion Bruno Del Pino (#6) is going to be behind the wheel of one of MP’s cars in the 2024 FRMEC season. The Spaniard made his Formula Regional debut last year in FRECA, where he raced in the seventh round of the series around the Red Bull Ring and could be one of the top performers of the season in 2024.

The same can be said for Nikhil Bohra (#47), as the soon-to-be 19-year-old has one year of experience with the car after finishing 12th in the Formula Regional European Championship. Not only that, Bohra also partook in FRMEC last year with R-ace GP, scoring a win in the second race of the season en route to ninth in the drivers’ standings.

Talking about FRECA experience, Emerson Fittipaldi Jr. (#77) will also be on this year’s FRMEC grid after a full season of Formula Regional racing with Saintéloc in Europe. The Brazilian will join the MP family for his entire 2024 season. In fact, not only is he set to race in FRMEC with the Dutch outfit, but he will do so in Eurocup-3, too.

The fourth car will be driven by Valerio Rinicella (#55), who enjoyed a very successful season in Spanish F4 last year, finishing third in the drivers’ standings with two wins and ten additional podium finishes to his name. The 16-year-old will try and make the most out of this FRMEC opportunity, since he will stay with MP for his maiden FRECA campaign later this year.

Pinnacle Motorsport

After winning twice in the 2023 FRMEC season thanks to Pepe Marti’s efforts, Pinnacle Motorsport is set to come back to the series this year with a four-car entry.

FRMEC race winner and FIA F3 podium finisher Mari Boya (#64) will likely going to the one setting the benchmark for the Manila-based team. The Spaniard knows the car quite well and enjoyed a very good run of form in the final months of 2023, finishing fourth in the Macau Grand Prix as well. Provided that the car is there, he could be a dark horse for the championship.

Boya will race alongside FRECA competitor Giovanni Maschio (#99), who makes his return to the series after finishing 30th in 2023. The Italian is expected to make big strides forward in 2024, thanks to his on-track experience gathered in 2023 which gained him a contract with RPM for the 2024 FRECA season.

Graduating from Spanish F4 is Alexander Abkhazava (#12). The 17-year-old is among those drivers to make the step up from F4 UAE, where he finished 28th with two points to his name. He is also set to race in Eurocup-3 with Saintéloc later this year, making this season a very important one for his future.

Lastly, a 2024 FRMEC campaign with Pinnacle Motorsport marks the return to single-seater racing for Finley Green (#69), with the Brit coming back after three years out of competition.

R-ace GP

After a breakout season in FRECA last year, R-ace GP will definitely draw more attention compared to previous outings. The French outfit enjoyed a fantastic time in the Formula Regional European Championship by Alpine in 2023, missing out on the teams’ championship by just two points. R-ace will be looking to improve on their fifth place from last year’s FRMEC campaign, and their line-up is one of the most exciting of the series.

Ahead of his FIA F3 debut with Hitech Pulse-Eight in March, Martinius Stenshorne (#34) will be driving for R-ace GP in one last championship, after missing out on the FRECA title last year despite one of the best rookie seasons of the championship’s short history. His experience with the team and his tremendous speed make the Norwegian talent an instant favourite to win the title.

Joining Stenshorne will be Tuukka Taponen (#1). Member of the Ferrari Driver Academy, the Finn showed promising signs last year in F4 machinery, finishing second in F4 UAE and fifth in both Italian F4 and Euro 4 and giving him the opportunity to sign with the French team for a dual campaign in 2024, competing in both FRMEC and FRECA.

Taponen will share his exact 2024 plans with Zachary David (#20). The two of them shared exciting on-track battles in Italian F4 last year, where the Filipino driver with Maltese license finished a brilliant seventh with US Racing. It is safe to say that David and Taponen will be each other’s benchmarks throughout the year, and it will be exciting to see who comes out on top out of the two.

Another driver set to take part in both Formula Regional championships in 2024 is Jesse Carrasquedo Jr. (#2). The Mexican took part in selected rounds of Eurocup-3 and FRECA last season and is ready to step up from Spanish F4 where he finished 19th. Carrasquedo will race with R-ace GP in FRMEC before switching to G4 Racing for his first full FRECA season.

R&B Racing

Chinese team R&B Racing finished bottom of the table in the 2023 FRMEC season, scoring 10 points along the way thanks to a good performance by Nikola Tsolov in the only round of the championship he raced. The team is set to come back in 2024, although with only two cars for the opening round of the season.

The first car will be driven by Wang Zhongwei (#22). The Chinese driver has already raced with R&B in his career, as he recently took part in the 2023 F4 South East Asia Championship known as F4 SEA, where he finished 11th.

Yujia Gao (#29) is also set to race alongside Zhongwei throughout the season. In 2023, Gao raced with GT machinery in Porsche Carrera Cup Asia after a short history in single seaters, where he finished seventh in the 2021 Chinese F4 season with one win and two podiums in four races.

Evans GP

Evans GP is one of three exciting new entries to the Formula Regional Middle East Championship. The GB4 team has decided to expand its operations in 2024, joining other important championships such as Eurocup-3. This marks the team’s return to Asian motorsport championships, this time with a two-car entry.

John Bennett (#27) will be behind the wheel of one of the two cars. The Brit, fresh off his second season in GB3 where he ended up 10th with Rodin Carlin after a slightly disappointing campaign, will be looking to make an impression in FRMEC with Evans GP.

The second seat has been awarded to Bennett’s former teammate Costa Toparis (#43). The Australian also competed in GB3 last year, finishing the season in 15th position. The two of them will once again drive for the same outfit, and their collaboration might prove to be crucial in order to help Evans GP make the best out of its maiden FRMEC campaign.

Saintéloc Racing

Another new entry is Saintéloc. The French outfit has steadily improved on its 2022 results with a good FRECA campaign last season, aided by the lights of Esteban Masson and Emerson Fittipaldi Jr. After competing in F4 UAE last season, the team will expand its operations to FRMEC as well, doing it with a very interesting line-up made up of three Spanish F4 race winners, one of them being the reigning champion.

Théophile Naël (#44) will be behind the wheel of a Saintéloc car for the full FRMEC season. The Frenchman won it all in Spanish F4 after a remarkable season that saw him win eight races out of 21. There are a lot of expectations on Naël, who is also set to compete in FRECA with the French outfit later this year, and it will be interesting to see how quickly he will adapt to the new car.

Instead, future FRECA teammate Matteo De Palo (#14) will contest only the first two rounds of the 2024 FRMEC season. De Palo ended up fifth in Spanish F4 in 2023 after taking home one win and three additional podiums, and he also took part in various rounds of other championships such as Italian F4, British F4 and Formula Winter Series.

The third and final Saintéloc car will be driven by Pedro Clerot (#7), who crossed the line in first place twice in his 2023 Spanish F4 campaign en route to sixth in the drivers’ standings. Clerot is also ready for a dual Formula Regional campaign in 2024, but the Brazilian will switch to VAR in FRECA.

Xcel Motorsport

After focusing on F4 UAE recently, where they finished in ninth in the 2023 teams’ standings and finished second in both Trophy Races at the end of the season with Federico Al Rifai, Xcel Motorsport will also race in FRMEC in 2024. The team is set to enter two cars with the hopes of fighting for points every single weekend.

The first car will be driven by Noah Lisle (#4), who recently finished sixth and fourth in the two trophy races held at Yas Marina last November. Lisle finished 10th in British F4 last season with three wins and three additional podiums. He also competed in Spanish F4, finishing 11th despite missing one of the eight rounds.

Yaroslav Veselaho (#96) will complete Xcel’s line-up in Yas Marina. The Ukrainian drift champion made his single-seater debut in the 2023 French F4 series, finishing 21st with a fifth place in Pau as his best result of the season, and he will look to learn as much as he can in his maiden FRMEC campaign.

Header photo credit: FRMEC