At only 18, Rashid Al Dhaheri is a Mercedes junior driver and one of the most exciting racing talents to emerge from the UAE.
In an exclusive interview with The National, Al Dhaheri talks about the mindset and sacrifices required as he attempts to reach the pinnacle of motor racing.
Al Dhaheri has just finished the FIA Formula Regional European Championship campaign with a podium finish at Hockenheim, ending the weekend fourth in the overall standings, 38 points behind title winner Emanuele Olivieri of Italy.
It caps an impressive season for the teenager who claimed three victories, eight podiums, one pole position and a fastest lap.
Driving for French team R-ace GP, Al Dhaheri recorded victories at the Red Bull Ring, Monza and Hungaroring across the eight-round championship. He became the first Emirati to lead the standings and sat 21 points clear at the halfway stage and, despite some challenging weekends later in the season, arrived at the Hockenheim finale as one of four drivers still able to win the title.
Al Dhaheri was only three years old when he was introduced to the world of Formula One at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix at Yas Marina Circuit. Like so many before him, he was instantly drawn to the red of Ferrari and was enchanted by the garages, the mechanics and the circus around the cars.
His persistence soon persuaded his father and the rest of his family, who had no motorsport background, to research how he could begin racing.
“I’m really happy about my convincing skills back then. The first thing he [my father] did is he Googled 'How do you start? How do you reach Formula One?'” Al Dhaheri said.
He started karting and, by six, he was competing in Europe. “I definitely didn't have a normal childhood,” he said.
Packed racing calendars, constant travel, and friendships with children who were also rivals quickly became the norm.
Things became harder when, at age 12, travel restrictions imposed by the Covid-19 pandemic separated him from his parents for two years. “I left home the same height as my mum. I came back and I was suddenly a lot taller. I was like, 'What happened? Did people start to shrink?'”
His obsession finally became his occupation, and the sacrifices were the price he was prepared to pay. “It's difficult to last a week without racing for me,” Al Dhaheri said. “If I get through one day, it's already a big achievement for me.”
It takes a strong mind and relentless commitment to make it to the top in sport, but Al Dhaheri makes it clear that there is no single way to be a successful racing driver. “You have to be authentic, you have to be yourself,” he said. “You can't force a reaction. You can't force a trait.”
For his family, though, learning to cope with his new reality and their own worries was difficult. His mother and grandmother still prefer not to watch him live; they wait until after the race to find out the result. Most importantly, they continue to make sure he still loves it.
Al Dhaheri has just finished a season where he was the only Emirati on a 30-car grid featuring drivers from 20 countries. He recognises what his progress could mean for young drivers from the region.
F1 has a huge presence in the Middle East, but there have been very few Arab drivers for the next generation to look up to. “There's no model, there's no one that actually says, ‘You know, you can reach Formula One’ … at least until now,” he said.
His next challenge is the FIA Formula Regional World Cup at the Macau Grand Prix from November 19 to 22, while his plans for 2027 are still to be announced. The long-term target has never changed – that dream of F1.
