This weekend marks the start of Formula Regional’s new era, with the second-generation Tatuus car making its competitive debut at Yas Marina. Feeder Series previews the action in FR Middle East, FR Oceania and the rebranded UAE4.

By Feeder Series

The wintertime single-seater rounds in the Middle East always generate significant attention during a quieter period, but rarely has there been as much anticipation as this year. FR Middle East’s season opener this weekend will be the first event featuring the Tatuus T-326 car, the first chassis built to meet the new specification of FR cars.

There’ll be plenty of valuable mileage accumulated for Tatuus from the series’ 32 drivers. The 38 drivers in UAE4, formerly known as F4 UAE and most recently F4 Middle East, will cover even more ground collectively, with recent frontrunners R-ace GP and Mumbai Falcons Racing Limited set to face a strong challenge from rivals new and old.

The least change seems to have come to FR Oceania, which was already overhauled with its conversion to the FIA Regional Trophy format. For its second round in as many weekends, the New Zealand series will take its six teams and 19 drivers to Taupō, the circuit where the first FR Oceania champion, Charlie Wurz, was crowned three years ago. Keep reading to find out what’s at stake in all three series.

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1. FRegional Middle East: Round 1, Abu Dhabi
2. UAE4: Round 1, Abu Dhabi
3. FRegional Oceania: Round 2, Taupō

FRegional Middle East: Round 1, Abu Dhabi

Circuit: Yas Marina Circuit, 5.281 km

Schedule: All times local (UTC+4)

Friday 16 January

• 12:25–13:25: Test session 1
• 16:35–17:35: Test session 2

Saturday 17 January

• 10:45–11:45: Free practice
• 14:00–14:15: Qualifying 1
• 14:25–14:40: Qualifying 2
• 17:50–18:25: Race 1

Sunday 18 January

• 11:30–12:05: Race 2
• 15:25–16:00: Race 3

How to follow: Qualifying sessions and races will be live-streamed with English commentary on the series’ official YouTube channel, while test sessions and free practice can be followed through RaceResults.

Weather forecast: Sunny on Friday and Sunday; partly cloudy on Saturday.

What to know: The rebranded FRegional Middle East Trophy – formerly known as the FRegional Middle East Championship – kicks off its 2026 season at the Yas Marina Circuit.

The series is set to adopt the new FIA Regional Trophy format, thus switching to a more compact four-round schedule. Moreover, the new Tatuus T-326 will make its official racing debut in the series, with the second-generation FR car marking the start of a new chapter for the category.

A total of 11 teams and 32 drivers are expected to be on the starting grid in Abu Dhabi. Reigning teams’ champions Mumbai Falcons Racing Limited will face some stiff competition, with their 2025 rivals R-ace GP and ART Grand Prix keen to change last year’s outcome. Seven new teams are set to bring the heat to the Middle East too, including established outfits such as MP Motorsport, Van Amersfoort Racing and Rodin Motorsport.

ART’s Taito Kato set the fastest overall time of the two days of pre-season tests, topping the timesheets on day one. Francisco Macedo brought Van Amersfoort to the top the following day. For more on the drivers and teams who make up the 2026 FR Middle East grid, read our season guide here.

Report by Daniele Spadi

From the press: Dominant GB3 champion Alex Ninovic will not follow in the footsteps of his title-winning predecessors by moving up to F3. Instead, he’s moving across to FRegional, joining Rodin Motorsport on their official debut in the category with a double campaign in FR Middle East and FR Europe. Read his explanation for why he made the move here.

UAE4: Round 1, Abu Dhabi

Circuit: Yas Marina Circuit, 5.281 km

Schedule: All times local (UTC+4)

Friday 16 January

• 11:15–12:15: Test session 1
• 15:25–16:25: Test session 2

Saturday 17 January

• 9:35–10:35: Free practice
• 13:10–13:25: Qualifying 1
• 13:35–13:50: Qualifying 2
• 16:45–17:20: Race 1

Sunday 18 January

• 10:25–11:00: Race 2
• 14:20–14:55: Race 3

How to follow: Qualifying sessions and races will be live-streamed with English commentary on the series’ official YouTube channel, while test sessions and free practice can be followed through RaceResults.

Weather forecast: Sunny on Friday and Sunday; partly cloudy on Saturday.

What to know: UAE4 kicks off its 2026 season around the Yas Marina Circuit this weekend, and it’s the perfect place to get to know the single-seater stars of the future before they head to their main campaigns later this year. 

The series no longer has the FIA certification it enjoyed under its previous F4 Middle East and F4 UAE monikers, but it remains largely identical structurally save for the switch to a four-round trophy-style competition, one round fewer than last year. All nine teams from last year’s championship will return to the same three circuits, joined by Hitech and X-GP, who re-enter the fold, and Trident Motorsport, who make their first venture into F4-level competition. 

There are a whopping 38 drivers on the round one entry list, and pre-season testing has marked a few names to keep an eye on. Scott Kin Lindblom – who made his single-seater debut in October in Saudi Arabian F4 – topped three of the eight pre-season test sessions, setting the fastest overall time on Tuesday afternoon. F4 returnees Oleksandr Bondarev and Andy Consani were tied-fastest on Wednesday. Top karting talent Christian Costoya looked competitive throughout the test, as did Alp Aksoy and Niccolò Maccagnani, who finished first and second in Formula Trophy at the same circuits just last month.

To get to know the full grid, read our 2026 guide for the UAE4 Series here.

Report by Calla Kra-Caskey

FRegional Oceania: Round 2, Taupō

Circuit: Taupo International Motorsport Park, 3.321 km

Schedule: All times local (UTC+13)

Thursday 15 January

• 12:20–12:50: Test session 1
• 15:30–16:00: Test session 2

Friday 16 January

• 9:30–10:00: Free practice 1
• 12:15–12:45: Free practice 2
• 14:45–15:15: Free practice 3

Saturday 17 January

• 10:11–10:26: Qualifying 1
• 13:24–13:52: Race 1 (18 laps)
• 16:18–16:46: Race 2 (18 laps)

Sunday 18 January

• 9:54–10:09: Qualifying 2
• 12:50–13:18: Race 3 (18 laps)
• 15:16–15:50: Race 4 (23 laps)

How to follow: Sessions will be streamed on Sky Sport New Zealand and on the Toyota Gazoo Racing NZ YouTube channel. Live timing is available on Speedhive. 

Weather forecast: Showers possible Friday and Saturday. Cloudy on Sunday. 

What to know: M2 Competition’s Ugo Ugochukwu heads into the second round of FR Oceania at Taupō with an 18-point lead over Hitech’s Jin Nakamura. 

Ugochukwu had a standout weekend in Hampton Downs, and he is expected to continue his strong form. Nakamura took two podiums last weekend, both of which were second-place finishes, while his teammate Kanato Le, who sits third in the standings, also performed strongly and took three podiums.

M2’s Freddie Slater, who entered the championship as a title favourite and currently sits fourth overall, will look to take his first victory in the series this weekend. 

Mtec Motorsport’s Zack Scoular scored his first win in single-seaters here in Taupō last year, and he will be expected to deliver a strong performance. Scoular currently sits sixth in the standings with one win, one place behind compatriot and teammate Louis Sharp, who won the first race of the year. 

Report by Kaylene Lau

Read the previous round’s report here.

All times and forecasts listed above are subject to change. For the most up-to-date information, follow each series’ websites or social media pages.

Header photo credit: Connor Botha