Rashid Al Dhaheri eyes Formula One after breakthrough season
At just 18 years old, Emirati racing driver Rashid Al Dhaheri is moving closer to a dream that began when he first visited the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix as a three-year-old.
Now a Mercedes junior driver, Al Dhaheri has completed one of the strongest seasons of his young career, finishing fourth overall in the FIA Formula Regional European Championship after three victories, eight podiums and a pole position.
From Yas Marina to a Formula One dream
Al Dhaheri’s fascination with motorsport began at Yas Marina Circuit, where his family took him to the Formula One Abu Dhabi Grand Prix when he was only three.
Like many young fans, he was immediately drawn to Ferrari, but it was the entire environment around Formula One — the cars, garages, mechanics and energy of the paddock — that captured his imagination.
His family had no background in motorsport, so when the young Rashid became determined to race, his father had to start from the beginning.
He searched online for how a child could start racing and, eventually, how someone could reach Formula One.
That simple search became the beginning of a journey that would soon take the family far beyond the UAE.
Racing in Europe from the age of six
Al Dhaheri started karting and was already competing in Europe by the time he was six.
The decision meant his childhood looked very different from that of most children his age.
Instead of a conventional routine, there were racing calendars, international travel, training sessions and weekends spent competing against drivers who were simultaneously friends and rivals.
Motorsport gradually became the centre of his life.
Those early years also taught him that reaching the top would require much more than speed. Consistency, resilience and the ability to cope with pressure became just as important.
Two years away from his parents
One of the biggest sacrifices came during the Covid-19 pandemic.
At the age of 12, travel restrictions left Al Dhaheri separated from his parents for two years while he continued pursuing his racing career abroad.
When he finally returned home, he had grown so much that even the physical change surprised him.
The experience underlined how unusual his path had become at such a young age.
For Al Dhaheri, however, racing had already become more than a hobby. He says spending even a short period away from competition is difficult, reflecting how deeply the sport has become part of his identity.
A breakthrough 2026 season
This year represented a major step forward.
Driving for R-ace GP, Al Dhaheri finished fourth in the FIA Formula Regional European Championship, ending the campaign only 38 points behind Italian champion Emanuele Olivieri.
Across the eight-round season, the Emirati claimed victories at the Red Bull Ring, Monza and Hungaroring, alongside eight podium finishes, one pole position and a fastest lap.
At the halfway point of the championship, he held a 21-point lead and became the first Emirati driver ever to lead the series standings.
Despite more challenging weekends later in the year, he still arrived at the season finale in Hockenheim as one of four drivers with a mathematical chance of winning the title.
The only Emirati on a 30-car grid
Al Dhaheri’s season carried additional significance because he was the only Emirati competing on a 30-car grid featuring drivers from 20 countries.
For the teenager, that makes his progress about more than his own results.
Formula One has developed an enormous audience in the Middle East, with races in Abu Dhabi, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia and Qatar, but the region has produced relatively few drivers competing on the pathway towards F1.
Al Dhaheri is conscious that younger Emirati and Arab drivers are watching his progress.
He believes the lack of a clear regional role model has historically made the dream of reaching Formula One feel distant. His own journey could help change that perception.
Authenticity matters as much as speed
Despite the increasingly professional nature of his career, Al Dhaheri does not believe there is one personality type required to succeed in motorsport.
His approach is to remain authentic rather than trying to imitate the behaviour of other drivers.
That mentality has become important as the pressure surrounding his career increases.
His family continues to support him, although not everyone finds watching the races easy.
His mother and grandmother often prefer to wait until a race is over before checking the result rather than watching live.
At the same time, his family continues to make sure that the ambition and pressure of professional motorsport do not remove the reason the journey began in the first place: his love of racing.
Mercedes is helping guide the next stage
Becoming part of the Mercedes junior programme has placed Al Dhaheri within one of motorsport’s most recognised driver-development systems.
The position gives him access to a structure designed around identifying and developing talent capable of progressing towards the highest levels of single-seater racing.
But even with that support, the route to Formula One remains highly competitive.
Each step requires results, funding, technical development and the ability to adapt as cars become faster and championships more demanding.
For Al Dhaheri, the objective has remained unchanged since childhood.
Macau comes next
His next challenge will be the FIA Formula Regional World Cup at the Macau Grand Prix from November 19 to 22.
Macau is regarded as one of the most demanding events on the junior single-seater calendar, with its narrow street circuit offering little room for error.
Al Dhaheri’s plans for the 2027 season have not yet been announced, but his long-term target is clear.
The three-year-old who once stood fascinated by the Formula One paddock at Yas Marina is now an 18-year-old Mercedes junior, a three-time Formula Regional race winner and the first Emirati to have led the championship.
The remaining distance to Formula One is still significant — but Rashid Al Dhaheri is already further along that road than any Emirati driver before him.
