2026 New Zealand Grand Prix
| 2026 New Zealand Grand Prix | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Race 3, Round 4 of 4 of the 2026 Formula Regional Oceania Trophy | |||
| Race details | |||
| Date | 1 February 2026 | ||
| Official name | LXX New Zealand Grand Prix | ||
| Location | Highlands Motorsport Park, Cromwell, New Zealand | ||
| Course | Permanent racing facility | ||
| Course length | 4.100 km (2.548 miles) | ||
| Distance | 27 laps, 114.8 km (71.3 miles) | ||
| Weather | Sunny | ||
| Pole position | |||
| Driver | Hitech TGR | ||
| Time | 1:28.339 | ||
| Fastest lap | |||
| Driver | Zack Scoular | mtec Motorsport | |
| Time | 1:29.104 | ||
| Podium | |||
| First | mtec Motorsport | ||
| Second | Hitech TGR | ||
| Third | Hitech TGR | ||
The 2026 New Zealand Grand Prix (officially known as the NAPA 70th New Zealand Grand Prix) was an event for open wheel racing cars held at Highlands Motorsport Park in Cromwell, Otago on 1 February 2026. It was the seventieth New Zealand Grand Prix and utilised Formula Regional cars. The event served as the final race of the 2026 Formula Regional Oceania Trophy.
The race was won by New Zealander Zack Scoular while Hitech TGR drivers Jin Nakamura and Kanato Le rounded out the podium. Nakamura achieved pole position earlier that weekend while Scoular took fastest lap honours during the race.
Elsewhere, Ugo Ugochukwu would take the 2026 Formula Regional Oceania Trophy title, becoming the first American in the series' history to do so.
Background
The event was held at Highlands Motorsport Park in Cromwell for the third time in the circuit's history, across the weekend of 30 January–1 February. The Grand Prix was the final race of the final round of the 2026 Formula Regional Oceania Trophy and the 70th running of the New Zealand Grand Prix.
Heading into the weekend, six drivers were in contention for the overall Formula Regional Oceania Trophy title. American Ugo Ugochukwu led the championship standings by 22 points over Audi Formula 1 junior driver, Freddie Slater.[1] Owing to inclement weather conditions in the final race of the previous round in Teretonga, an additional race was positioned on Friday. Slater took victory in said race, closing the points deficit to Ugochukwu by four points.[2]
Outside of the 19-driver contingent that competed throughout the FROT season, only one other driver (Liam Sceats) signed on to compete in the Grand Prix. Sceats had previously won the Grand Prix in the first iteration at Highlands in 2024.[3]
Qualifying
Qualifying was held on 31 January 2026, at 11:43 local time (UTC+12:00)
Qualifying classification
| Pos. | No. | Driver | Team | Qualifying times | Final grid | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Q1 | Q2 | Q3 | |||||
| 1 | 12 | Jin Nakamura | Hitech TGR | 1:28.704 | 1:28.940 | 1:28.339 | 1 |
| 2 | 40 | Ryan Wood | mtec Motorsport | 1:28.796 | 1:28.762 | 1:28.439 | 7 |
| 3 | 4 | Ugo Ugochukwu | M2 Competition | 1:28.718 | 1:28.918 | 1:28.487 | 131 |
| 4 | 3 | Zack Scoular | mtec Motorsport | 1:28.790 | 1:28.702 | 1:28.554 | 2 |
| 5 | 19 | Kanato Le | Hitech TGR | 1:29.032 | 1:28.639 | 1:28.556 | 3 |
| 6 | 27 | Freddie Slater | M2 Competition | 1:28.821 | 1:28.486 | 1:28.599 | 4 |
| 7 | 11 | Louis Sharp | mtec Motorsport | 1:28.718 | 1:28.943 | 1:28.625 | 5 |
| 8 | 23 | Liam Sceats | HMD Motorsports with TJ Speed | 1:28.930 | 1:28.764 | 1:28.646 | 6 |
| 9 | 24 | Ernesto Rivera | M2 Competition | 1:29.008 | 1:29.070 | N/A | Wth |
| 10 | 22 | Sebastian Manson | M2 Competition | 1:29.158 | 1:29.070 | N/A | 8 |
| 11 | 13 | James Wharton | HMD Motorsports with TJ Speed | 1:28.946 | 1:29.073 | N/A | 9 |
| 12 | 52 | Nolan Allaer | Giles Motorsport | 1:29.011 | 1:29.133 | N/A | 10 |
| 13 | 5 | Yuanpu Cui | mtec Motorsport | 1:29.149 | 1:29.186 | N/A | 11 |
| 14 | 21 | Yevan David | Kiwi Motorsport | 1:29.137 | 1:29.423 | N/A | 12 |
| 15 | 33 | Fionn McLaughlin | Hitech TGR | 1:29.400 | N/A | N/A | 14 |
| 16 | 14 | Cooper Shipman | Kiwi Motorsport | 1:29.521 | N/A | N/A | 15 |
| 17 | 41 | Ricardo Baptista | HMD Motorsports with TJ Speed | 1:29.545 | N/A | N/A | 16 |
| 18 | 50 | Jack Taylor | Giles Motorsport | 1:29.678 | N/A | N/A | 17 |
| 19 | 8 | Trevor LaTourrette | HMD Motorsports with TJ Speed | 1:30.713 | N/A | N/A | 18 |
| Source:[4][5][6] | |||||||
Notes
- ^1 – Ugo Ugochukwu qualified 3rd, but was required to start the race from fourteenth for a technical breach relating to wishbone covers.[7]
Race
The race will be held on 1 February 2026, at 16:33 local time (UTC+12:00), and will run for 27 laps.
| Pos. | No. | Driver | Teams | Laps | Time/Retired | Grid | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 3 | Zack Scoular | mtec Motorsport | 27 | 50min 22.958sec | 2 | |
| 2 | 12 | Jin Nakamura | Hitech TGR | 27 | + 0.434 | 1 | |
| 3 | 19 | Kanato Le | Hitech TGR | 27 | + 0.807 | 3 | |
| 4 | 27 | Freddie Slater | M2 Competition | 27 | + 1.280 | 4 | |
| 5 | 40 | Ryan Wood | mtec Motorsport | 27 | + 2.163 | 7 | |
| 6 | 11 | Louis Sharp | mtec Motorsport | 27 | + 2.796 | 5 | |
| 7 | 23 | Liam Sceats | HMD Motorsports with TJ Speed | 27 | + 3.491 | 6 | |
| 8 | 13 | James Wharton | HMD Motorsports with TJ Speed | 27 | + 4.059 | 9 | |
| 9 | 4 | Ugo Ugochukwu | M2 Competition | 27 | + 4.639 | 13 | |
| 10 | 22 | Sebastian Manson | M2 Competition | 27 | + 5.005 | 8 | |
| 11 | 33 | Fionn McLaughlin | Hitech TGR | 27 | + 5.309 | 14 | |
| 12 | 41 | Ricardo Baptista | HMD Motorsports with TJ Speed | 27 | + 5.921 | 16 | |
| 13 | 5 | Yuanpu Cui | mtec Motorsport | 27 | + 8.229 | 11 | |
| 14 | 21 | Yevan David | Kiwi Motorsport | 27 | + 11.322 | 12 | |
| 15 | 52 | Nolan Allaer | Giles Motorsport | 26 | + 1 lap | 10 | |
| Ret | 8 | Trevor LaTourrette | HMD Motorsports with TJ Speed | 25 | Accident | 18 | |
| Ret | 14 | Cooper Shipman | Kiwi Motorsport | 24 | Spun off | 15 | |
| Ret | 50 | Jack Taylor | Giles Motorsport | 10 | Accident | 18 | |
| Wth | 24 | Ernesto Rivera | M2 Competition | 0 | Withdrew | ||
| Wth | 69 | Kalle Rovanperä | Hitech TGR | 0 | Withdrew | ||
| Fastest lap: Zack Scoular (mtec Motorsport) – 1:29.104 (lap 19) | |||||||
| Source: | |||||||
References
- ^ "Grand Prix and 2026 Trophy champion decided this weekend". Toyota Gazoo Racing NZ. 29 January 2026. Retrieved 31 January 2026.
- ^ "Championship battle even tighter as Slater takes another win". Velocity News. 30 January 2026. Retrieved 31 January 2026.
- ^ "Sceats secures late deal to try for NZ GP victory number two". Toyota Gazoo Racing NZ. 27 January 2026. Retrieved 31 January 2026.
- ^ "NAPA 70th New Zealand Grand Prix - Qualifying - Q1". MYLAPS Speedhive. 31 January 2026. Retrieved 31 January 2026.
- ^ "NAPA 70th New Zealand Grand Prix - Qualifying - Q2". MYLAPS Speedhive. 31 January 2026. Retrieved 31 January 2026.
- ^ "NAPA 70th New Zealand Grand Prix - Qualifying - Q3". MYLAPS Speedhive. 31 January 2026. Retrieved 31 January 2026.
- ^ "Formula Regional Oceania title race rocked by penalty". Speedcafe.com. 31 January 2026. Retrieved 1 February 2026.