“When I was really young – I think I was about eight – I met Lewis [Hamilton] and he asked me the same question,” Rashid Al Dhaheri says, laughing. “He asked: ‘If you reach Formula One, which team do you want to race for?’ I told him, ‘The fastest team.’ And he said, ‘That’s a great answer.’”
It is a simple childhood exchange, retold casually, but it neatly captures the mindset of Rashid Al Dhaheri, the 17-year-old Emirati racing prodigy whose ambition has always been framed by clarity rather than caution.
Speaking to The National at Yas Marina Circuit during an event celebrating his partnership with Al Ain Farms – a collaboration that reflects the company’s wider commitment to nurturing young Emirati talent – Al Dhaheri was relaxed and approachable, greeting those around him with ease, answering every question with composure well beyond his years. His family watched on proudly nearby, careful not to draw attention away from the young driver who had earned the media spotlight.
That journey began almost as soon as he could walk. Addressing the media earlier in the day, Al Dhaheri reflected on the moment that first set everything in motion. His introduction to the sport came at Yas Marina Circuit during the 2011 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, where, at just three years old, he found himself transfixed by the sight of Formula One machinery and the mechanics working around it. After standing outside a garage for hours, he was eventually invited inside to see the car up close. When he emerged, he told his parents that this was what he wanted to do.
By the age of four, Al Dhaheri was karting in Al Ain. At six, he had moved to Italy to race. He became a five-time Dubai O Plate winner, claimed victories at the Macau International Kart Grand Prix and in World Series Karting, and won WSK Super Master Series and Euro Series titles in 2019 before adding OK Junior honours in 2021.
He stepped up to single-seaters in 2023, making his Italian Formula 4 debut with Prema Racing just days after turning 15. After multiple podiums across Italian F4, Euro 4, the UAE and South East Asia championships, he moved up to Formula Regional in 2025, where he grabbed six podiums.
Now part of the Mercedes Junior Academy, Al Dhaheri is operating within one of the most structured and demanding development environments in world motorsport. “There’s always someone from Mercedes that’s coming over, looking after the drivers,” he explained. “There’s a whole team from the Junior Academy to help us develop and grow in the right direction. We’re always in constant communication, whether we’re on track, whether we’re off track, and what technical support we can have.”
That access, he believes, is invaluable. “There’s always direct communication and connection, and I think that’s the main benefit that any driver can have.”
The long-term ambition has never shifted. "The goal is to reach Formula One and to represent the UAE. For me, the main joy that I can have is to raise the UAE flag and to show that also we can be part of a high-level sport,” he says.
Living that life, he acknowledges, has required sacrifice from an early age. In speaking to the media, Al Dhaheri recalled years spent away from home, a reality that drew attention and prompted questions about the personal cost of his pursuit. The most defining period came during Covid, when his racing commitments in Europe kept him separated from his family, who were based in China.
“It was during Covid, so I was 10 years old,” he told The National. “That period is so key for drivers to be competing at a high level. I was competing in Europe and we were living in China, so due to the restrictions and all of the limitations, I wasn’t able to travel back and forth as frequently. And so I had to stay two years alone in Italy.”
Routine became essential. “Of course, we kept Zoom calls, and I had my guidelines that I had to follow from my mum’s side,” he said. “So you have to call me every day at this time, do this and that. So I kept my promises. She kept hers, allowing me to race in Italy and in Europe.”
That discipline extends beyond the circuit. “Instead of the weekends having a rest day, I was either at the racetrack or studying,” Al Dhaheri said. “Even in the holidays, like now in December or January, I actually try to study as much as possible to catch up. There’s never an off day.”
At the heart of his development is the relationship between driver and machine, something Al Dhaheri considers fundamental, particularly in categories where adaptation time is limited. New cars often arrive just days before competition, demanding immediate understanding. This past weekend, Al Dhaheri recorded second- and first-place finishes in the latest rounds of the 2026 Formula Regional Middle East for his R-ace GP team at Yas Maria Circuit.
“When you’re in the car, you feel like you’re part of it,” he said. “It’s like an attached body. When they take away the tyres, when they take away parts, in a way, you actually feel like those parts are going away. It spooks me out sometimes.”
Travelling constantly is part of the job, and the teenager speaks four languages – Arabic, English, German and Italian – yet his sense of identity remains firmly rooted in the UAE. “Every time I come here to the UAE, I feel at home,” he said. “Being Emirati, being part of the desert, the sand dunes, our true culture, that’s always a part of me.”
From the moment he first stood as a three-year-old watching Formula One cars at Yas Marina Circuit, absorbing the detail, intensity and work behind the scenes, Al Dhaheri has understood what the sport demands. It is that early obsession that continues guiding him forward as he embarks on yet another season of racing.
