The Ultimate Cup Series’ Formula Cup is a single-seater series aimed at new drivers and focused on affordability, with the older Formula Regional–spec Tatuus F3 T-318 chassis being used to reduce entry costs. For the first time ever, Feeder Series provides a season guide telling you all you need to know about the French series, which begins its 2026 season this weekend at Le Castellet.
By Julien Thoinet
The UCS Formula Cup initially launched in 2019, taking place alongside the European Endurance Prototype Cup, which is a stepping stone towards the European Le Mans Series and Le Mans Cup. Current F2 drivers Tasanapol Inthraphuvasak and Laurens van Hoepen both participated in the first few editions of the series and gained valuable single-seater experience.
The chassis used since last season are the Tatuus F3 T-318 and its Renault configuration, formally labelled the FR-19. Famously used in FR series and the defunct W Series, the cars are powered by either Alfa Romeo 1.7-litre or Renault 1.8-litre engines, each producing 270 horsepower. The Alfa Romeo–powered version was introduced to the series last season. All cars run tyres made by Hoosier, the series’ title sponsor.
By racing on an older platform, the UCS Formula Cup aims to reduce competitive costs for new drivers while providing wheel-to-wheel experience. This series being open to both young drivers and gentlemen drivers, there are two distinct classes, which are the rookie class and gentleman driver class. The rookie champion is granted a €100,000 cash prize that can be used to participate in any UCS-sanctioned series next year.
In total, there are three separate standings: an overall or ‘scratch’ ranking with no distinction between both classes, a rookie ranking, and a gentleman driver ranking.
Nineteen-year-old Argentine driver Nano López is the reigning champion in the rookie class, taking four wins and nine podiums in 18 races to finish ahead of Belgian Aaron Ferrazzano and Frenchman Dylan Estre. López has now made the jump to the Le Mans Cup for 2026 and Estre has gone to Porsche Carrera Cup France, but Ferrazzano remains in single-seaters, competing in Euroformula Open.
Laurent Wuthrich is the reigning champion in the gentleman drivers’ class, having won 12 races out of 18 and taken the class title in dominant fashion.
The calendar
The 2026 race calendar differs slightly from last season. The Aragón round has been replaced by Navarra, and the series added an event at Spa, the longest circuit the series will ever have visited. The last round, which took place on a second race weekend at Le Castellet last year, will happen in Portimāo this time. Earlier this week, that round was postponed by three weeks as a consequence of schedule changes in international racing championships, among them MotoGP.
- Round 1: Circuit Paul Ricard (23–26 April)
- Round 2: Circuit de Nevers Magny-Cours (28–31 May)
- Round 3: Autodromo Internazionale del Mugello (9–12 July)
- Round 4: Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps (17–20 September)
- Round 5: Circuito de Navarra (15–18 October)
- Round 6: Autódromo Internacional do Algarve (26–29 November)
The format
Each driver is required to participate in at least one of the two testing sessions, which happen on Thursday or Friday depending on the race schedule. Each session lasts 30 minutes.
Two 15-minute qualifying sessions are held afterwards, on Friday or Saturday depending on each weekend’s schedule. The first session determines the grid for race one, while the second session shapes the grid for race two. For race three, positions on the grid from both sessions are added together.
Each race lasts 20 minutes. The points system is similar to that of F1 except that there are no points awarded for fastest lap or pole position and each driver after 10th place receives 0.5 points. Points only count towards the rookie and gentleman drivers’ standings, as there is no teams’ championship.
Where to watch
The UCS Formula Cup has an official YouTube broadcast for its races, with French and English commentary. Live timing is available on It’s Live.
Teams and drivers
The grid is set to be similar in size to last season’s. Notable missing teams are Graff Racing and Krafft Racing. Plantier Racing Team, an all-new team, has joined the grid for 2026.
Winfield Racing
Winfield Racing have been a staple of the grid since 2023. The racing school, in operation since 1963, dominated the first five rounds of 2025, with Australian driver Hugh Barter winning seven races out of 12. Runner-up Aaron Ferrazzano was also part of the team’s line-up, proving Winfield is a force to be reckoned with.
Rookie Stepan Suslov (#41), 17, made his single-seater debut last year in Spanish F4, with a 28th-place finish in the overall standings and a 15th-place finish in the rookie standings. The Russian-born Swede has already tasted victory in 2024, when he competed in Supercars Endurance Series, an Iberian-based series, in which he won race two in the Estoril round in the GT4 Bronze class.
Fellow rookie Alan Orzynski (#21) is the 2025 Skip Barber Formula Race Series runner-up. The 24-year-old Mexican-Spaniard has already driven an FR-spec car during one Eurocup-3 round last year.
Another rookie is Bulgaria’s Martin Stoyanov (#12), a race winner in the 2025 Carbonia Cup in the F4 class. Entering the final round at Autodrom Most leading the championship, he suffered from a gearbox problem and ultimately finished second in class. The 17-year-old tested second-generation F4 machinery over the winter with the Henry Morrogh Racing Drivers School.
The fourth driver in the line-up is gentleman driver Craig McLatchey (#10), who has extensive experience in the series. The Australian has competed in Formula Cup since 2022, scoring two podiums last season in the gentleman driver class.
Race Motorsport
Race Motorsport have announced an all-French line-up with three drivers, including a rookie. This marks the first time since 2022 that gentleman driver Boillot will not race alone for the team.
Frenchman Frédéric Boillot (#4) is the 2024 gentleman drivers’ champion. He attempted to defend his crown in 2025 against Laurent Wuthrich, who ultimately won. Boillot has extensive experience in the UCS Formula Cup, having raced in the series as far back as 2019.
Rookie Eros Gioannini (#69) is one of the two rookies competing for Race Motorsport. The 18-year-old Lyon native started his motorsport career late and spent the last two years gaining karting experience in the IAME Series France, in which he finished 96th in the X30 Senior class in 2024 with a best result of 22nd. He has also competed in endurance racing, and during his stint in Fun Cup, he finished second in the rookie class at the eight-hour race at Zolder.
Lucas Valkre (#23) is a French 28-year-old already experienced in GT series. He raced in Lamborghini Super Trofeo Europe last year and participated in the Aragon and Paul Ricard rounds of the UCS GT Endurance Cup with Krafft Racing. There, the Corsican managed to finish eighth in Aragon. Finally in 2022, he finished as the overall and Pro-Am class runner-up in GT Cup Open Europe, racing alongside current Porsche Supercup driver Dirk Schouten.
Formula Motorsport
Formula Motorsport are the oldest team on the grid, having participated in all seasons since 2020 with gentleman driver Walter Rykart. In 2025, Swiss driver Laurent Wuthrich won the gentleman driver’s championship in dominant fashion.
Walter Rykart (#2) is one of the most experienced competitors on the 2026 grid. The Swiss driver is the 2023 gentleman driver class champion, climbing to the third spot in the overall standings. Last season, he won race two at the Mugello round and earned three podiums in the gentleman driver class, putting him third in class and ninth overall.
Alexis Størksen (#7) is a French rookie with extensive experience in karting. Last year, the 18-year-old from Nantes participated in the French National Series Karting championship, finishing 34th in the Rotax Max class, with a best result of 20th at the Laval round, and in the Senior Max class of the Rotax Max Challenge France.
TS Corse
Italian team TS Corse helped Nano López win the 2025 rookie championship, with four race wins and nine podiums. Their drivers have claimed four wins in the FR class in the UCS Formula Cup since 2024.
TS Corse’s sole driver is rookie Daniella Oré, who comes from a season in Fórmula Nacional Argentina in which she scored three podiums and one pole last year. The 19-year-old hailing from Lima, Peru, is making her FR debut in the UCS Formula Cup. She has not participated in any sessions yet in the opening round.
KRT
KRT, formally Kennol Racing Team, have announced a double programme in UCS’ Formula Cup and GT Sprint Cup for the 2026 season. Kennol is most known as a motorsport lubricant manufacturer, having collaborated on the renowned Peugeot 905, which dominated the 1993 24 Hours of Le Mans. The company is also the historical title sponsor of the UCS GT Endurance Cup series, and last year, they fielded Philippe Daric, who entered two rounds aged 81.
Frédéric Morihain (#49) joined the UCS Formula Cup in 2024 in the gentleman driver class. The 49-year-old Frenchman, the younger brother of Kennol CEO Olivier Morihain, finished in the top 10 five times last season from eight starts.
Plantier Racing Team
Plantier Racing Team are a new addition to the grid with experience in the Mitjet 1300 and Mitjet 2L series from the Trophée Tourisme Endurance.
Lining up with the team is Alexandre Botella (#28), a rookie hailing from Nîmes in France. He makes the move to single-seaters this year with Plantier as the reigning champion of the Peugeot 208 Racing Cup on the TTE package.
Rever’Team
Rever’Team have been competing in the UCS Formula Cup since 2021 with gentleman driver Gilles Depierre (#18), a former hillclimb driver hailing from Jasseron in eastern France. The 53-year-old finished fifth in the 2025 gentleman drivers’ standings, taking two class podiums in Portimāo, and 11th in the overall standings.
Lamo Racing Car
Lamo Racing Car have been competing in the UCS Formula Cup since 2019, making them one of the oldest racing teams in the series. They also race in the UCS Endurance Prototype Challenge. Last season, Lamo Racing Car’s Solenn Amrouche stood on the podium at the Aragon round, making her the first-ever female driver to score an overall podium in the UCS Formula Cup.
Bordeaux native Thierry Malhomme (#33) is the oldest driver on the grid at 68 years old. The Frenchman, an accomplished water skier, finished seventh in the gentleman drivers’ standings and 13th in the overall standings last season.
The grid at a glance
| Team | # | Driver |
| Formula Motorsport | 2 | Walter Rykart (G) |
| 7 | Alexis Størksen (R) | |
| Race Motorsport | 4 | Frédéric Boillot (G) |
| 23 | Lucas Valkre | |
| 69 | Eros Gioannini (R) | |
| Winfield Racing | 10 | Craig McLatchey (G) |
| 12 | Martin Stoyanov (R) | |
| 21 | Alan Orzynski (R) | |
| 41 | Stepan Suslov (R) | |
| Rever’Team | 18 | Gilles Depierre (G) |
| Plantier Racing Team | 28 | Alexandre Botella (R) |
| Lamo Racing Car | 33 | Thierry Malhomme (G) |
| KRT | 49 | Frédéric Morihain (G) |
| TS Corse | TBA | Daniella Oré (R) |
Header photo credit: Davy Delien / Pro-Photos-Sport.com
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