Jan Przyrowski concluded the 2026 winter season in the Formula Regional Middle East Trophy (FRMET) series. The 17-year-old from Rossoszyca finished third in the first race and fifth in the second at the Lusail circuit in Qatar. A solid points haul allowed the ORLEN Motorsport Academy protégé to secure third place in the rookie standings and sixth overall.
Top Qualifying and Competitive Race Pace
The final round of FRMET took place unusually, as it was held midweek (11th-13th February). Less than a week and a half after the Dubai Autodrome, where Jan Przyrowski and the RPM team had their best weekend of the season, everyone was hoping for progress. Two test sessions were scheduled for Wednesday, but instead one was quite chaotic. During the Rossoszyca driver’s quick tests, yellow and red flags were issued, or competitors were slowing down. Despite this, the feeling was good, and the real test was scheduled for Thursday. However, it turned out that some of the issues couldn’t be resolved, and after interrupting practice (Jan was in 4th place at the time), the organizers suspended the round. All sessions were postponed until Friday, and unfortunately, one of the three races was canceled.
Friday, 13th February , began with a 40-minute morning practice session, which didn’t reveal much. This promised to be an exciting qualifying session. It wasn’t easy to get the tires working, and it often took several laps before everyone decided to push. In Q1, Przyrowski set the sixth fastest time. He finished Q2 in eighth place. The qualifying session was also plagued by red flags. One was triggered by Alexander Abkhazava, who was ahead of the Pole. It turned out that the Kazakhstan representative didn’t have a fault, but simply ran out of fuel, which is why he stopped on the track. In this situation, the regulations clearly stipulated that the driver would be disqualified from the entire session. Qualifying ultimately ended with him finishing fifth and seventh, his highest finishes across all four rounds of the FRMET.
At the start of the first race, the ORLEN Motorsport Academy protégé made a strong start from fifth on the grid and immediately gained two positions. The 17-year-old then battled with Sebastian Wheldon, who was ahead of him, and Alex Powell, who was pressing him. Przyrowski had the pace of the frontrunners and posted competitive times, finishing safely in 3rd place. After his third podium finish of the season, the Pole wanted to put in a strong performance in the final event as well. In the night race, he also had a dynamo start and quickly gained two positions. Later in the race, he narrowly missed gaining another place. The pace of his rivals was very close, and ultimately, there was no reshuffle, which meant 5th place for Jan.
Jan Przyrowski with a podium finish and finish 3rd in the Rookie Cup
In total, the first Pole in Formula Regional Middle East history (Championship and Trophy) scored 25 points in two races, missing out on a repeat of his Dubai tally by just three points. However, it’s worth noting that this time, the Pole needed only two races, not three, to achieve almost the same result. Overall, Jan Przyrowski is pleased with his round at the Lusail International Circuit. Before traveling to Qatar, the 17-year-old was in 8th place with 46 points. This significant gain increased his total to 71 points, ultimately allowing him to move up to 6th in the overall standings. It’s worth noting that Sebastian Wheldon, who was in 5th place ahead of him, earned the same number of points, but the difference in second place was decisive. Alex Powell, who finished 4th, scored only 5 points more. This only shows how tight the field was and how much changed almost every race.
The driver from Rossoszyca finished 3rd in the Rookie Cup standings, which recognizes rookies. Only Kean Nakamura-Berta (this year’s FRMET champion) and Maximilian Popov finished ahead of the Pole. Przyrowski was runner-up in the Formula Regional Middle East Trophy Rookie Championship. The Pole significantly helped his team.
Before the final round, RPM was in 5th place in the teams’ standings with 72 points. Trident, who were behind them due to their slightly poorer podium record, had the same number. 4th-place ART Grand Prix was just 17 points ahead of them. After the first race in Qatar, Jan had already made up most of the ground lost and distanced his team from the rivals immediately behind. The second race was decisive, as the deficit was two points, but the highest-ranking ART driver was ahead of the Polish driver. Ultimately, Kabir Anurag held off the pressure of the RPM leader and ultimately narrowly missed out by three points.
However, viewed from the perspective of the entire FRMET season, Jan Przyrowski’s sixth place and RPM’s fifth place in the overall standings are a major success. The Polish driver was debuting on new tracks, while some of his rivals had previously competed in the Middle East in FRMEC or at the F4 level (UAE4 or Formula Trophy). The Irish-Italian team also lacked the experience of previous years, which, despite significant changes with the arrival of the new Tatuus T-326, could have helped with the setup of the machine. Furthermore, Jan experienced engine problems in the first round, limiting his chances of scoring points. Ahead of Europe, on familiar ground, the RPM team’s development bodes well for the fight for race wins.
Jan Przyrowski has a positive outlook on the Middle East races.
“I just finished the last weekend of the Formula Regional Middle East Trophy winter series. I’m happy; it was getting better and better all the time, and the pace improved. We worked hard on this with the team. I’m very happy that we can finish the season with such high results, because fifth and third place in Qatar are really something. Of course, I’m not giving up, I’m still pushing to make things a little better. I believe that, step by step, victory will come. Thank you for your support, and I hope you’ll continue to keep your fingers crossed for me,” said Jan Przyrowski after the conclusion of the 2026 FRMET season.
“I’m glad I can count on your support. I owe thanks to my Partners, who help me realize my potential and improve my skills on the track. Thank you to my Partners for their support: ORLEN, the ORLEN Motorsport Academy, PZM, Geothermal Solutions, the Łódź Economic Zone, Samarite, ENEXA, Elektro-miz, and Ansite!” – concluded the RPM team driver.
Return to Racing in Over Two Months
Jan Przyrowski didn’t have to wait long for the 2026 season to begin. The first test day took place in Abu Dhabi on 13th January, followed by the first round of the FRMET from 16th to 18th January. The drivers and teams competed three weekends in a row. This marathon was interrupted only by the break between the rounds in Dubai and Lusail, Qatar. Ultimately, however, on February 13th, the ORLEN Motorsport Academy protégé concluded his winter season of racing. Now he has to wait until 24th-26th April for the Formula Regional European Championship (FREC) round at the Red Bull Ring.
The break between the winter and main seasons will be used for practice, simulator preparation, and a few on-track test sessions. In the meantime, Jan will be active on his social media accounts, where he will try to share his story and the behind-the-scenes of his work.