Britain’s Freddie Slater – the 2025 FRECA champion – is the first confirmed entry for the 2026 Castrol Toyota Formula Regional Oceania Trophy and will start as one of the favourites for the title.
Slater – 17 – who hails from Stratford-upon-Avon in the UK – was the 2020 world karting champion in direct drive, and won European Championship titles in both 2021 and 2023.
He was also the Ginetta Junior champion in Great Britain in 2023 before progressing to junior single-seater formulae and finding immediate success. He won the Italian F4 title with Prema Racing in 2024 and, in the same year, the UAE F4 title with Mumbai Falcons.
He raced to eight victories in 2025 for Prema Racing on his way to the Formula Regional European Championship by Alpine title. He performed well in a part-time GB3 campaign in the United Kingdom, again with Prema.
Freddie is the first confirmed driver for multiple-race and championship-winning team M2 Competition, and he’s looking forward to racing on new tracks in a different part of the world.
“Learning new circuits will keep the season exciting in New Zealand,” he explained on confirmation of his campaign.
“The racing will be close with lots of good drivers competing. Hopefully, we can put on a good show for the fans worldwide who will be following.
“I’m definitely going to use my time in New Zealand for experience and general development as a driver so I can be as prepared as possible for the F3 season I plan to do in 2026.”
The 2026 CTFROT championship is attracting huge interest from both young drivers and senior teams looking to develop their junior talent. For 2026, there are six teams competing in New Zealand, and organisers are confident there will be a high-quality field for the four-round championship.
Freddie’s campaign will end with the 70th New Zealand Grand Prix, the highest profile single seater race in NZ and along with the Macau GP, one of only two events outside of F1 with official FIA governing body ‘Grand Prix’ recognition.
Fans will be able to follow the championship easily. Qualifying will be livestreamed on TOYOTA GAZOO Racing’s YouTube channel. Races will also be on that channel and on SkySport domestically in New Zealand. Races will also be streamed live on the Motorsport.TV platform.
Header Image: Supplied
