---
title: "Ukrainian at the Top: 17-Year-Old Bondarev Claims Historic First Victory in the Formula Regional European Championship"
description: "17-year-old Ukrainian driver Alexander Bondarev won a race at the Imola circuit in his debut FREC weekend, beating championship leader Emanuele Olivieri by 0.443 seconds and bringing Ukraine its first-ever victory in the series."
date: 2026-09-06T16:58:01.000Z
lang: en
url: https://xab.info/en/posts/bondarev-historic-frec-imola-victory
tags: [formula-racing, ukraine, bondarev, frec, imola, van-amersfoort-racing, motorsport, fia]
publisher: "XAB.info"
---

# Ukrainian at the Top: 17-Year-Old Bondarev Claims Historic First Victory in the Formula Regional European Championship

![17-year-old Ukrainian driver Bondarev in Williams Driver Academy suit lifts trophies on the podium after winning the Formula Regional European Championship](https://xab.info/media/2026/09/06/bondarev-istoricheskaya-pobeda-frec-imola/bondarev-istoricheskaya-pobeda-frec-imola-1.webp)

## 🎯 Key Points

- Alexander Bondarev claimed Ukraine's first-ever victory at a FREC round in Imola during his debut weekend in the series
- The Ukrainian won qualifying, held the lead for 15 laps, and finished 0.443 seconds ahead of Emanuele Olivieri
- The victory was the first for Van Amersfoort Racing in the current season and lifted Bondarev to 14th place in the standings with 37 points
- A discrepancy in the naming of the series has been noted in the sources: FREC versus "Formula 3"

17-year-old Ukrainian driver Alexander Bondarev, competing for the Dutch team Van Amersfoort Racing, has etched his name into motorsport history by securing Ukraine's first-ever victory at a round of the FIA Formula Regional European Championship (FREC). The triumph took place at the famous Italian circuit of Imola, where the Ukrainian made his debut weekend in the series, and he did so with maximum effectiveness: pole position in qualifying, consistent leadership across all 15 race laps, and a finish 0.443 seconds ahead of his nearest pursuer.

### A Debut Weekend That Exceeded All Expectations

For Bondarev, the Imola round was his first in his career in FREC — a series that, in the FIA hierarchy, is regarded as the next step after Formula 4 and serves as a bridge to higher levels of racing. The debut was truly triumphant: in the first race of the weekend the Ukrainian finished tenth, in the second — second, and in the decisive third race he claimed the top step of the podium. This result allowed the 17-year-old driver to rise to 14th place in the overall championship standings after just one weekend, accumulating 37 points. For a driver making his first start in this series, such a beginning is exceptionally rare and speaks to a high level of preparation.

### Battle with the Championship Leader and Van Amersfoort Racing's First Victory

The main dramatic element of the decisive race was the confrontation between Bondarev and Italian Emanuele Olivieri, who at the time of the round led the overall FREC standings. Olivieri exerted strong pressure on the Ukrainian throughout the distance, but Bondarev held on to the lead and crossed the finish line first, beating his rival by 0.443 seconds. Dutchman Rino Franca rounded out the podium trio. In addition to the personal achievement, this victory marked the first for Van Amersfoort Racing in the current season, giving the triumph added team significance.

### Historical Significance for Ukrainian Motorsport

The victory at Imola became the first in history for a Ukrainian driver on the top step of the podium in the FIA Formula competition system. Before Bondarev, no representative of Ukraine had managed to win a race at this level, which makes his result a true milestone for national motorsport. On the podium, the Ukrainian raised the trophy — a sculpture in the shape of the track — wearing a suit bearing the logos of Williams Driver Academy, Pirelli, and the Ukrainian flag, symbolizing the emergence of a domestic driver onto the international stage.

### Contradictory Data

The provided sources show a discrepancy in the naming of the series. The base text, as well as materials from sport.rbc.ua and ua.tribuna.com, consistently refer to the discipline as the "Formula Regional European Championship (FREC)" and emphasize that it is the "next step after Formula 4." At the same time, publications on sport.ua and ua-football.com use the phrasing "regional Formula 3," which in FIA terminology is a different, higher-level series. The difference in names may be due to either inaccuracy in the editorial handling of secondary sources or the informal use of the term "Formula 3" in relation to regional series. Unambiguous identification of the series requires verification against the official FIA calendar for 2026.

### Context and Prospects

Bondarev's performance at Imola comes against the backdrop of a general rise in interest in Ukrainian drivers in European motorsport. The presence of the Williams Driver Academy logo on his suit indicates that the driver is included in the development system of one of Formula 1's title-winning teams, opening up the prospect of further progression up the career ladder. At the same time, 37 points and 14th place in the standings after one weekend are only a starting point: ahead of the 17-year-old driver is a series of rounds in which he must confirm that the Imola victory was no fluke but a logical outcome of systematic work.

## 🔍 Fact-Check Verification

- [Ukrainian driver claims historic victory at Formula round in Italy](https://sport.rbc.ua/ukr/othersport/ukrayinskiy-gonshchik-zdobuv-istorichnu-peremogu-1788713737.html) - Базовый источник. Подтверждает: Бондарев, 17 лет, Van Amersfoort Racing, Имола, поул, 15 кругов, отрыв 0,443 с от Оливьери, 3-е место Франкота, 14-е место в зачёте, 37 очков, первая победа VAR в сезоне, первая в истории Украины в системе Формулы.
- [Bondarev brings Ukraine its first-ever victory at a Formula Regional European Championship round](https://ua.tribuna.com/automoto/1000000374147-bondarev-prynis-ukrayini-pershu-v-istoriyi-peremohu-na-e/) - Подтверждает исторический характер победы и наименование серии как «Региональная Формула Европы».
- [A first in history! Ukrainian wins a regional Formula 3 race](https://sport.ua/news/904827-vpervye-v-istorii-ukrainets-vyigral-gonku-regionalnoy-formuly-3) - Подтверждает факт победы и исторический характер, однако использует наименование «Формула-3», что расходится с базовым текстом (FREC). Возможна редактическая неточность.
- [Historic success: Ukrainian wins a Formula Regional 3 race for the first time in history](https://www.ua-football.com/sport/autosport/1788709287-istoricheskiy-uspeh-ukrainec-vpervye-v-istorii-vyigral-gonku-regionalnoy-formuly-3.html) - Аналогично источнику 3: факт победы подтверждён, но серия названа «Региональная Формула-3», что не совпадает с терминологией FREC из базового текста.

## ❓ FAQ

### Q: Who is Alexander Bondarev and how old is he?
**A:** Alexander Bondarev is a 17-year-old Ukrainian racing driver competing for the Van Amersfoort Racing team. At the time of his victory in Imola, he had completed his first weekend in the FREC series.

### Q: What is FREC and at what level does it sit?
**A:** FREC (FIA Formula Regional European Championship) is the FIA's Formula Regional European Championship. According to the base source, the series is regarded as the next step after Formula 4. Note: some secondary sources refer to it as "Formula 3," which is a terminological discrepancy.

### Q: By what margin did Bondarev win the race?
**A:** At the finish of the decisive race in Imola, Alexander Bondarev beat Italian Emanuele Olivieri by 0.443 seconds. Dutchman Rino Franca finished third.

### Q: What results did Bondarev post across the three weekend races?
**A:** In the first race of the weekend the Ukrainian took 10th place, in the second — 2nd, and in the third (decisive) race he won. In total he scored 37 points and rose to 14th place in the overall championship standings.

### Q: Why is this victory considered historic?
**A:** It is the first victory in Ukrainian history on the top step of the podium in the FIA Formula competition system. In addition, it is the first triumph for the Van Amersfoort Racing team in the current season.