Emirati teenager Rashid Al Dhaheri stays on track in pursuit of Formula One dream

Rashid Al Dhaheri is gearing up to take the next step in his dream of flying the UAE flag high in the world of motorsports.

The Emirati, 15, whose love for racing began as a three-year-old when he attended the 2011 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, soon got behind the steering wheel of a go-kart. And since then, he has steadily climbed his way up the ladder, with the ultimate aim to one day line up on the grid of Formula One.

For now though, Al Dhaheri, is making the most of his time in the Formula 4 circuit, savouring the experience he gained as a rookie last year in the Italian and Euro Championships.

Going into the second season, the teenager will have the added advantage of competing in the F4 UAE Championship.

He will then travel to Italy for the Italian F4 Championship, considered to be the world’s toughest race series in the category, in May and also compete in the Euro 4, racing at tracks such as Spa, Red Bull Ring, Monza, Barcelona and Paul Ricard.

Al Dhaheri has completed three rounds of the UAE Championship and now has his sights set on Yas Marina Circuit in Abu Dhabi for the penultimate round of the series this weekend. The final round is February 16-18.

After the first three weekends of the UAE Championship, Al Dhaheri has clinched a podium and finished in the top four or five in the other races. He is currently in sixth spot in the overall standings and with six races left across the next two weekends, the Emirati hopes to achieve better results to improve his position in the championship.

“Last year we learnt quite a lot and this year we’re trying to put everything together for the high positions, but of course, we first have to learn,” Al Dhaheri told The National on the sidelines of round three of the UAE