In a fitting finale to his F4 career Rashid Al Dhaheri, the UAE’s leading racer, set two pole positions and took two chequered flags in the two F4 Formula Trophy races at his home circuit. The races were part of the Abu Dhabi GP weekend and although the first race win was taken away from him post-race when due to the steward’s penalisation for and overtaking manoeuvre, he had dominated the racing weekend ahead of his step up to Formula 3Regional.
Al Dhaheri will not compete in the last Formula Trophy race meeting, when the single-seaters return to Yas Marina on the 13-14thDecember, as he is handing over his Prema team car to another driver, so he can concentrate on preparing for the next challenge. Al Dhaheri, however, will be leaving as the outright leader in the championship with a 27 points advantage over his nearest rival, and would have been the clear favourite to take the title.
Al Dhaheri said: “I am so pleased for the team and everyone who has supported me over the years, that we could come back to my home circuit and to Abu Dhabi where I started my karting career and produce such great results. I was the fastest car throughout the weekend, which I proved by driving from pole to the flag in the second race. I am overjoyed by the incredible support of the fans here in the UAE which gives me additional motivation for my challenging move to Formula 3 Regional, taking the next step on the racing ladder. I will be racing back in the Gulf region in January and will have some nice news in the pocket to share with everyone.” Al Dhaheri states with a big smile on his face.
Al Dhaheri completed two years of racing in the Italian F4 and Euro F4 series and will be remaining with Prema Racing Team, who he has been with since the start of his single-seat career. They will be providing his car for next year’s Formula 3 Regional season, which will get under way in April on F1 circuits in Europe.
2025 will be the fifth season of the Formula Regional European Championship by Alpine (FRECA) which is the only FIA-certified series officially bridging Formula 4 and Formula 3 on the FIA global pathway and has established itself as essential for young drivers aiming to climb the motorsport ladder.
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