The competition in this year’s Formula Regional European Championship (FREC) series has ended. The only representative of Poland, Jan Przyrowski, finished 12th in the final standings, won one of the races, and was the clear leader of his team RPM.
Read more Formula 1 Calendar in 2027
Last weekend, the drivers of the Formula Regional European Championship (FREC) series competed in the final round at the Hockenheimring circuit. In 2026, several interesting drivers raced in this series, including members of F1 team academies. The champion was Emanuele Olivieri from Italy, who is not yet associated with any F1 team. Second place in the final classification went to Sebastian Wheldon from the USA, who is a member of Andretti’s development program. He is worth watching as he could potentially be a candidate for driving in F1 with the Cadillac team. Third place was taken by Williams junior Kean Nakamura-Berta, and fourth by Mercedes junior Rashid Al Dhaheri. Jan Przyrowski finished the season in 12th place overall, winning one of the races during the final round, which was his greatest achievement. Below, see what Jan Przyrowski said about this victory in a submitted statement. At the end, you can read my commentary.
Jan Przyrowski the first Pole to win in Formula Regional European Championship
Jan Przyrowski opened the race weekend at the Hockenheimring excellently. The 18-year-old from Rossoszyca came close to pole position in qualifying, and in the first race, he moved up from 3rd on the grid to first place. The protégé of the ORLEN Motorsport Academy showed great pace, pulling away from the entire field and earning a bonus point for the fastest lap. At the same time, he became the first Polish driver in history to win in the Formula Regional European Championship.
The German track, 4.574 km long, already appealed to the Polish driver during the FREC preseason tests at the turn of March and April. At that time, Jan Przyrowski was second and liked Hockenheimring. Before the weekend, despite the challenges of the 2026 season, the 18-year-old was very positive and, together with the RPM team, hoped for a breakthrough. Already in the Friday practice sessions on September 11, he held second and first positions. On Saturday, the entire field accelerated even more. Ultimately, Jan was only 0.075 seconds away from pole position. Group A, to which our compatriot was assigned, was the faster one, which ultimately gave 3rd place on the grid in the second row.
The first race brought a lot of excitement from the very start. At the start, Jan Przyrowski was close to gaining a position before the first corner. Then there was a clash at the front, in which two rivals made contact and almost eliminated the 18-year-old from Rossoszyca along the way. A clear assessment of the situation allowed him to recover, and the ORLEN Motorsport Academy protégé found himself in 2nd place. Shortly after, he attacked Kean Nakamura-Berta and took the lead. That was when he showed he was in control, gradually distancing himself from the rivals. Even the safety car did not change the situation; in fact, it showed that Jan felt great at the front and managed the restart “like a pro.”
Until the very finish, no one was able to threaten the RPM driver. He fully controlled tire wear and tried to fight for the bonus point for the fastest lap in the race. Ultimately, he improved his time right at the finish line. A victory in such a style showed the great potential of the ORLEN Motorsport Academy protégé. Jan Przyrowski became the first Pole to win in the Formula Regional European Championship and at the same time the first representative of RPM to achieve this.
Read more Ugochukwu champion, Gładysz 12th – end of the 2026 Formula 3 season
“Already yesterday I felt very good in the car and was happy with the chosen setup direction. Nevertheless, before qualifying, I remained fully focused on the task and wanted to use our potential. Already during the first runs, I felt we could fight and were very close to pole position. I missed it by only 0.075 seconds, but I had 3rd on the grid and intended to fight. The start of the race brought a lot of emotions, but after the first lap, I was executing the plan and felt I could win.” – said Jan Przyrowski after the Saturday FREC race at Hockenheimring.
“I am very happy that together with the team we achieved this. I gave myself, the team, and Poland the first victory in the Formula Regional European Championship. Taking this opportunity, I thank my Partners for their support: ORLEN, ORLEN Motorsport Academy, PZM, Geothermal Solutions, Łódź Special Economic Zone, Repiński Transport, Samarite, ENEXA, WTC System, Dopingujemy, Stilo, and Ansite!” – added the 18-year-old protégé of the ORLEN Motorsport Academy.
Source: Submitted information
Additional information and my commentary
Jan Przyrowski raced in 2026 in the FREC series with one of the weakest teams, RPM. He was the clear leader of this team, scoring 58 points, while the entire team (three drivers) scored 74, so the other drivers had 16 points. The RPM team was among the weakest in the field, finishing eighth out of ten teams. The potential of this team largely influenced his results in the concluded season. The Pole’s form was inconsistent; most often, he finished outside the points. The victory in the last round, as well as very good results in the winter regional series in the Middle East, show that Przyrowski had potential but did not fully utilize it.
Przyrowski will make a guest appearance next weekend at the Poznań circuit in the final round of the Polish Racing Car Championship. He will sit behind the wheel of a Radical SR3 prepared by Aquaflame Racing Team, so it will be a completely new experience for him. This will be a guest start, unrelated to his plans for the 2027 season. Przyrowski will continue competing in single-seater cars next year, but we do not yet know where. Information about what he will do in 2027 will appear later. I am curious about Jan Przyrowski’s plans for the next season. Continuing in the FREC series would make sense only if he signs with one of the top teams to avoid a repeat of this year. Ideally, he would move up to Formula 3, but that requires more funding and there is strong competition.
Many different Polish drivers compete in junior series on the road to Formula 1. The most important information about them can be found in the article category: Polish racing drivers on the blog.
Read more A handful of F1 Circus statistics after the 2026 Spanish GP
