The first day of FRMET cancelled in Losail

It's an unfortunate situation the drivers could certainly have done without. On the sidelines of the fourth and final round of the Formula Regional Middle East (FRMET), several mechanical problems disrupted the initial plans. On Thursday, February 11th, the final free practice session had already been canceled by the competition after Autotechnica, the series' engine supplier, decided to make parts changes at the start of the event. While Jules Roussel had set the fastest time in the practice sessions preceding qualifying, the Frenchman will have to wait to confirm his performance. Indeed, Thursday's official sessions, including qualifying and the first of the weekend's three races, will not take place.

In return, Friday should include one or more additional free practice sessions, a qualifying session, and two races instead of three. This particularly busy Friday will nevertheless be decisive in many respects. Indeed, the Junior Mercedes Benz – Rashid Al Dhaheri – as well as Junior Williams Kean Nakamura and Berta are still battling for the championship. Although 24 points separate them, the hierarchy emerging from the first tests hasn't allowed the favorites to distinguish themselves as easily as usual.

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It's worth noting, however, that the FRMET support category, UAE4, will indeed take place as planned. The two qualifying sessions over the weekend, which determine the starting order for races 1 and 3, ran smoothly. Even better, Frenchman Andy Consani managed to secure two pole positions, giving him a real chance of a second, if not a third, victory in the category. Second in the championship standings, the driver, who is also being monitored by Mercedes, could very well be in contention for the title under these circumstances.