Jan Przyrowski got off to a brilliant start to the race weekend at the Hockenheimring. The 18-year-old from Rossoszyca came agonizingly close to pole position in qualifying and fought his way from third on the grid to victory in the first race. The ORLEN Motorsport Academy protégé demonstrated impressive pace, pulling away from the rest of the field and securing the bonus point for the fastest lap. In doing so, he became the first Polish driver in history to win a race in the Formula Regional European Championship.
The Hockenheimring showed its full potential
The Polish competitor liked the 4.574 km long German facility already during the pre-season FREC tests at the turn of March and April. At that time, Jan Przyrowski was second and he liked the Hockenheimring. Before the weekend, despite the difficulties of the 2026 season, the 18-year-old was in a very good mood and was counting on a breakthrough together with the RPM team. Already in Friday’s training sessions, on September 11, he took 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 us 3rd place in the second row.
The first race brought a lot of emotions from the very beginning. At the start, Jan Przyrowski was close to gaining position before the first corner. Then there was a clash from the front, as a result of which two rivals came into contact and almost eliminated the 18-year-old from Rossoszyca. A conscious assessment of the situation allowed him to find his way and the protégé of the ORLEN Motorsport Academy took 2nd place. Shortly thereafter, he attacked Keanu Nakamura-Bert and took the lead. It was then that he showed that he was in control of the situation, gradually moving away from his rivals. Even neutralization did not change the situation, in fact it showed that Jan felt great at the front and played the restart “like a professor”.
Until the very finish, no one was able to threaten the RPM driver. He fully controlled tire wear and tried to fight for a bonus point for the fastest lap in the race. Ultimately, he improved his time at the finish line. A victory in this style showed how much potential the protégé of the ORLEN Motorsport Academy has. Jan Przyrowski became the first Pole to win the Formula Regional European Championship and at the same time the first representative of RPM to do so.
Jan Przyrowski delighted after maiden FREC victory
“I felt really good in the car yesterday and was happy with the setup direction we chose. Even so, I remained fully focused on the task at hand before qualifying and wanted to make the most of our potential. I could feel during the initial runs that we were in the fight, and I came very close to pole position. I missed out by just 0.075 seconds, but I secured third on the grid and was determined to battle. The start of the race was action-packed, but after the first lap, I stuck to the plan and felt I could win,” said Jan Przyrowski after Saturday’s FREC race at the Hockenheimring.
“I am thrilled that the team and I achieved this. I’ve secured the first Formula Regional European Championship victory for myself, the team, and Poland. I’d also like to take this opportunity to thank my partners for their support: ORLEN, the ORLEN Motorsport Academy, PZM, Geothermal Solutions, the Łódź Special Economic Zone, Repiński Transport, Samarite, ENEXA, WTC System, Dopingujemy, Stilo, and Ansite!” added the 18-year-old ORLEN Motorsport Academy protégé.
Schedule for Sunday’s action at the Hockenheimring
The 18-year-old from Rossoszyca aims to continue his progress and fight for top positions on Sunday. Saturday’s victory sets a positive tone for tomorrow and builds confidence ahead of the next challenge closing out the 2026 season.
Sunday, 13th September:
09:40–09:55 – Qualifying 2, Group B (15 minutes)
10:00–10:15 – Qualifying 2, Group A (15 minutes)
16:15 – RACE 2 (30 minutes + 1 lap)
Broadcasts of the Formula Regional European Championship qualifying sessions and races at the Hockenheimring are available for free on the series’ YouTube channel and on my website.