Rashid Al Dhaheri was one of four combatants in FREC’s titanic 2026 title battle, ultimately finishing fourth but contributing to R-ace GP’s teams’ championship win. The Emirati driver spoke with Feeder Series about the season gone by, the upcoming Macau Grand Prix and his step up to F3 in 2027 with Van Amersfoort Racing.

By Archie Harper

A perpetual title favourite in any junior single-seater series is the highest-returning driver from the previous season.

In FREC in 2026, that was Rashid Al Dhaheri.

He had finished eighth overall racing with Prema in 2025, taking three podiums across the season and finishing ahead of eventual F3 graduates Hiyu Yamakoshi and Jin Nakamura.

For 2026, he decided to spend another season at the FRegional level but move away from the Prema outfit to 2025 teams’ champions R-ace GP.

For Al Dhaheri, the first step in his sophomore year was to join the team for the FR Middle East Trophy. While he led the championship with three wins and one further podium after the first three rounds in his native United Arab Emirates, he fell short in the final round in Qatar to finish second behind Prema’s Kean Nakamura-Berta by 12 points.

“After the end of the Middle East championship, we knew we had really good chances to be competitive during the season, so the expectations were already quite high, at least from our side,” Al Dhaheri told Feeder Series. “Of course, during the season, things need to still play out for you. You still need to see if you’re competitive in European tracks, and at the end we were.”

That competitiveness was reflected through immediate trips to the rostrum at the season opener in Spielberg, where he finished second in race one and took victory in the reverse-grid race that followed.

Two podiums at Spa and another reverse-grid victory at Monza left Al Dhaheri third overall in the championship standings and just 16 points away from leader Sebastian Wheldon at the halfway point of the season.

The next round in Budapest was almost certainly the Emirati’s highest point of the year. He claimed second in race one and a win from pole in race two to rocket into the championship lead with three rounds to go ahead of Nakamura-Berta, Wheldon and the steadily climbing Emanuele Olivieri.

“By Hungaroring, we really believed in the journey and the opportunity so that was the main point, but after Red Bull Ring we already knew we were competitive and that stayed after the first three rounds,” he explained.

“The whole season we knew we always had a chance – we just had to keep working.”

Unfortunately for Al Dhaheri, each of the final rounds yielded at least one non-score.

Outside of that, two sixth places and a 10th extinguished any realistic hope of taking the title. While a third in race one of the final round at Hockenheim may have offered a flicker of optimism, his rivals’ regular podium finishes and even victories meant they left him behind in the standings overall. Olivieri clinched the drivers’ title, nine points ahead of Wheldon, 17 points ahead of Nakamura-Berta and 38 points ahead of Al Dhaheri.

“The whole season, it showed that consistency was very key,” the Emirati said. “You had to be there every practice, every quali, every race to be competing for a championship, and I believe that was one of the big lessons fighting for a championship.

“During the season you’re always developing as a driver. You’re always learning how to be faster, how to be more precise, consistent, and the things that we could’ve done a little bit better this year we’re trying to apply for next year.

“Already in the winter program and winter practices, the whole key idea is, ‘How can we keep going forwards every year, every day?’”

Improving his championship finish by four places in his second season and being one of the season’s title contenders certainly helped his chances of attracting F3 teams’ attention. On 15 October, Al Dhaheri was announced to be joining Van Amersfoort for 2027. At the Dutch team, he will hope to continue his steady improvements on the next rung of the ladder alongside returnees Enzo Deligny and Yevan David.

“I’ve been able to already start working with them, start getting to know them,” he said. “It’s a great team.

“They’ve done an incredible job this year as well. They’ve shown great progress and I believe in what they can do and their capabilities, and I believe they have the same idea with me.

“It’s a long journey so we need to still grow, get to know each other and develop on both sides, especially on mine since it’s a rookie season – new track, new cars – and they have the experience so that will be very useful.

“I really like the team. I really see there’s potential in our journey, and I believe that we can do quite well.”

Before his F3 preparation gets into full swing, however, Al Dhaheri will head to Macau to contest his third consecutive Macau Grand Prix, this time racing with R-ace GP.

Having endured a disqualification from sixth in 2024 and a late-race retirement in 2025, he will be hoping to make better memories on this occasion.

“For me at least, when I go to a track, the objective is to try to win. That’s how I’m always trying to prepare, with that kind of idea. Ten whatever comes, we’ll have to accept it and we will,” Al Dhaheri said.

“The last few races [in FREC] were a bit tricky, and we want to finish off with something positive. They gave a lot to me this year and it would be nice from both sides to finish off with something positive.

“At the end, Macau is just such a cool track, so I would love to enjoy it and it will be really cool. Macau is quite special and quite different but I do think, since then, I’ve learned a lot as a driver,” Al Dhaheri said, reflecting on his previous experiences at the 6.120-kilometre circuit.

“You really want to take it step by step because it’s a street circuit and you need every single lap you can get, but what’s really cool is when you have that last quali lap, you just give it everything you can and that’s just cool. That’ll be fun – can’t wait for that.”

While Al Dhaheri will be the first Emirati driver in the current iteration of FIA F3, he won’t be the only one on the grid. He steps up to the series simultaneously with Keanu Al Azhari, a longtime rival who finished as the runner-up in Eurocup-3 this year.

“It’s actually something extraordinary because I feel like every year we’ve been getting closer and closer to that Formula 1 calendar,” he said. “Being able to really race on those tracks and to represent the UAE in those weekends is something amazing.

“To be even racing in the Gulf region as well is something amazing because some tracks I haven’t been able to properly race at but have watched the races closely.

“It will be a very [enjoyable] experience and it will be a very proud moment for me and hopefully as well for my country.”

Among the many reasons for Al Dhaheri to be excited for 2027 is his newfound proximity to the Mercedes F1 team, whose junior programme he joined in 2025. He is expected to be the only Mercedes junior team member across the paddock in F2 or F3 next year.

“I really enjoy the process and the work we’ve been able to do together,” Al Dhaheri explained. “It’s something very pleasant because it shows they believe in the journey – they believe in the project and that, as well, from my side I’ve been able to uphold the standards that we as drivers must maintain.

“At the end, the fact that we can continue working together, and from my side continue to develop alongside their expertise, is always something extraordinary and a great opportunity, so I can’t wait to get off preparing for next season.”

Interview by Isabelle Chandler

Header photo credit: Dutch Photo Agency