Academy Report: Duo remain in title hunt after Dubai weekend

Kean and Oleksandr are in title contention after their penultimate winter series rounds, whilst Alessandro had a taste of Formula E action

Published

02 FEB 2026

Est. reading time

3 min

Imagery: @mumbaifalcons

Kean Nakamura-Berta and Oleksandr Bondarev both remain firmly in title contention after the penultimate rounds of their respective winter championships at Dubai Autodrome.

Competing in the Formula Regional Middle East Trophy and UAE4 Series respectively, the Williams F1 Team Driver Academy pair delivered podium finishes and crucial points at the Dubai Autodrome as the focus now turns to the season finale.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the world, Alessandro Giusti had a taste of Formula E action in Miami. Read on to discover our full report on the weekend’s action.

Kean Nakamura-Berta

Formula Regional Middle East Trophy

Kean took his third podium of the year in Dubai

Kean Nakamura-Berta enjoyed another strong weekend, claiming two podium finishes in Dubai and closing the gap to the championship lead heading into the final round.

Our Japanese-Slovak racer qualified in third and fourth, placing him firmly in contention across all three races. In race 1, he was involved in a close battle for the final spot on the rostrum during the opening lap and emerged ahead, securing third place and valuable points.

Race 2 proved more challenging under the reverse-grid format, and Kean was forced to retire from the race, unable to add to his tally.

However, he responded strongly in the final race of the weekend. Starting from the front row following the withdrawal of the polesitter, Kean challenged for the lead into Turn 1 and remained in contention throughout. He went on to cross the line in second place, securing his third podium of the season and further reducing the championship deficit.

After round 3, Kean sits second in the Formula Regional Middle East Trophy standings, 24 points behind the leader, with 75 points still available at the final round in Lusail.

Earn Exclusive Rewards

Get access to exclusive events, digital experiences, unlock collectables and get closer to the team and drivers!

Learn More

Oleksandr Bondarev

UAE4 Series

Win number four for Sasha in 2026

Oleksandr Bondarev continued his UAE4 Series title charge with another consistent weekend, capped off with his fourth race victory of the year.

Sasha had secured second in both qualifying sessions and in race 1, he maintained that position at the start and ran cleanly throughout to finish where he had started.

Race 2 saw our Ukrainian make progress through the field from his P11 reverse grid placing. Following a disrupted start, he navigated his way through the incidents and a red flag period to climb into the top five by the finish, locking in what could prove to be a vital fourth place.

He saved his strongest performance for race 3. Launching cleanly from the front row, Sasha quickly established himself in the lead and would control the race from start to finish – a commanding drive that would further extend his championship advantage.

With one round remaining, Sasha leads the UAE4 Series standings by 24 points, leaving the title fight in his hands at the finale in Qatar.

View Post on X

Alessandro Giusti

Formula E Miami Rookie Free Practice

View Post on Instagram

Sandro took the wheel for Jaguar TCS Racing on Friday at the Miami International Autodrome, taking part in the 40-minute session specifically for rookies.

Held ahead of the traditional practice session, it offers the chance to experience GEN3 Evo machinery, as well as teams gaining more data from the track ahead of the weekend.

Our French Formula 3 racer ended the session in P6, with a quickest lap of 56.278. Any data gathered in this early session was beneficial for the weekend ahead, as Mitch Evans of Jaguar would go on to win the rain-affected E-Prix with an assured drive.

Official 2026 Team Kit

Related Tags

Trending

Shop