Formula Middle East continues evolution and growth into stepping stone for fulfilling drivers' F1 dreams

Coming season in Abu Dhabi and Saudi Arabia is now a popular destination for racing teams from across world looking to develop their drivers

The Yas Heat Racing academy is a driving force for the development of motorsport talent. Photo: Yas Heat Racing

As a new season of Formula Middle East prepares to kick off next week at Yas Marina Circuit, many young drivers have every reason to believe this can be a stepping stone towards the ultimate dream of Formula One.

Bringing together Formula Regional Middle East and F4 Middle East (formerly F4 UAE) under one umbrella, the Formula Middle East season is fast-becoming a popular destination for some of the best racing teams in Europe, Asia, Australia and the Gulf region that are looking to develop their drivers during the winter season by providing them with ample track time, up against high-quality competition, at world-class venues.

Barely two years ago, Mercedes’ new F1 recruit Kimi Antonelli was crowned 2023 Formula Regional Middle East champion, clinching the series with Mumbai Falcon Racing.

The year before, he was part of the F4 UAE grid competing for Abu Dhabi Racing by Prema.

Other drivers who will be part of F1’s 2025 rookie class, such as Racing Bulls’ Isack Hadjar, Haas’ Oliver Bearman, and Sauber’s Gabriel Bortoleto, have all taken part in either Formula Regional Middle East or F4 UAE (or both), proving that the road to the pinnacle of motorsport often passes through the Gulf nowadays.

The F4 UAE Championship has evolved into F4 Middle East this season, starting in Abu Dhabi on January 17, and concluding at the Jeddah Corniche Circuit in Saudi Arabia on February 27.

The five-round series features three races at each stop and is expected to have a capacity field of 32 cars.

“We wanted to keep a UAE flavour to the single-seater platform,” says Cyrille Taesch of Top Speed, the organisers of the series.

“We’ve been operating these two championships as a comprehensive single-seater platform for the region, to attract local teams, European teams, and Asian teams, the best of them, during the winter time; and it was just relevant and it made sense for us to have the Formula 4 UAE renamed to Formula 4 Middle East, because we have a plan to go outside of the UAE to run in other racetracks.”

GCC expansion plans

For now, the five rounds will be held in Abu Dhabi, Dubai, and Jeddah but the hope is to visit different tracks in the region in future series.

“We have to deal with the reality of the market, the availabilities of slots at the different tracks in the region and the logistical issues we have,” explained Taesch.

“Because one of the main hurdles we all face in the region for the moment is that we cannot do any trucking, we can only do sea freight to really have a smooth operation. It’s not that easy for a racing organisation to cross borders in the GCC region in one day.

“Sometimes it may take longer, and with a seven-week calendar, to run five rounds, we cannot afford to have any delay clearing customs crossing in the region. That’s the reason we’re being kept a little bit on hold with some of the other racetrack choices we have in the region for this unique logistical customs situation, which we hope will keep evolving in the very near future.”

Despite it being a condensed calendar, Taesch believes they have managed to create an attractive offering for teams, who would otherwise be spending the winter just testing their cars, without giving young drivers a chance to develop their race craft.

“Allocating super license points during the main season, January-February, is also something very attractive,” he added. “Plus they see we go on very nice tracks, which are all FIA grade one facilities, most of the time Formula One race tracks, and give them a real opportunity to not only stay in Europe for testing, but really be there and have lots of mileage behind the wheel in real race life conditions.

“Because the five-round calendar are three races per weekend, which is 15 starts in seven weeks over five rounds, together with the best of the best. Because most of these F1 team proteges, from Alpine, Red Bull, Mercedes, Aston, Ferrari and McLaren, they are there, from F4 and then Formula Regional with us.

“So this is a very good platform, which is very much complementary to the European ones, for those doing F4 Italy or F4 UK, before that, they come here doing F4 in the winter and then they step up to Formula Regional in Europe and then they come to Formula Regional in the GCC region.”

Yas Heat Racing leading the way

According to Taesch, almost a third of the F4 Middle East field this season is made up of GCC-sourced cars, including a pair from Yas Heat Racing.

Based at Yas Marina Circuit in Abu Dhabi, the Yas Heat Racing academy is a driving force for the development of motorsport talent and will have two teenagers, August Raber and Adam Al Azhari, flying their colours during this F4 campaign.

Taesch says the work being done by Yas Heat Racing “is not only important, it’s crucial” and it has sparked similar initiatives in other GCC countries.

“They’ve been the first starting to promote F4 through their own ladder from karting to single-seater. And they’ve been investing. For three years now they are running two cars, they are promoting of course Abu Dhabi, but it’s their way to promote single-seater in the region and for Abu Dhabi,” he said.

“They train and they allow young karting drivers to step up the ladder and this is very important. Because they started and because the platform is bigger now for F4 in the GCC region, we see these other new initiatives coming, like the one from last year with F4 Saudi, which was a national championship.

“But when it comes to creating these academies, they’re really helpful in filling the gap for young kartmen to start discovering single-seater instead of jumping immediately into racing.

“In the wake of the Yas Heat Racing effort from Yas Marina to build that team, we will see this year the same kind of initiative coming from Bahrain with the Winfield Bahrain Academy, which is the branch of the Winfield base at Paul Ricard in France. They decided to set up an academy and they will be entering two cars in the 2025 season.

“In Qatar, QMMS, they have three cars entering F4 Middle East. We now see Xcel GP from the UAE entering four cars, two from Yas Heat Racing, three cars QMMF, two cars from Bahrain – so the number of GCC-sourced teams is growing.”

High ambitions

Yas Heat Racing’s new F4 line-up got an early taste of action when they suited up for the F4 Middle East Trophy last month. Traditionally just a one-off race weekend held alongside the Etihad Airways Abu Dhabi Formula One Grand Prix, the F4 Middle East Trophy was extended to a three-stop series in 2024, and it saw Raber enjoy his first podium in the final race and Al Azhari claiming two top-five finishes.

Dubai-based Raber, 15, competed in the F4 British Championship last year with Emirati team Xcel Motorsport, earning two top-10 finishes.

He was thrilled to get the chance to race during the Abu Dhabi F1 GP weekend, in preparation for the 2025 F4 Middle East Championship.

“It’s definitely one of the best experiences of my life,” the Swedish teenager told The National during Grand Prix weekend.

“It’s surreal to be honest, there’s so many people here. The atmosphere is very good, I can hear always music, there was just the pit-lane walk here for the F2 and the F4s, there were tons of people.

“I went to the F1 paddock the other day and I saw a lot of the drivers. It just gives me a different perspective, compared to a normal race weekend when there aren’t as many people.”

Raber lived in Dubai from 2010 to 2012 and returned to the Emirates three years ago. He used to play football as a youngster, but when Covid-19 hit his father introduced him to karting because there were fewer restrictions compared to football. When restrictions were lifted, Raber stuck with motorsport and never looked back.

“Obviously, my goal is Formula One. It’s extremely difficult but I hope to work my way up and make the next step into Formula Regional or F3, and obviously into F2 and F1,” he says.

‘Motorsport in UAE is growing finally’

The Yas Heat Racing team is managed by Italian former driver Francesca Pardini, who has three decades worth of experience in motorsport.

She sees great progress being made by former Yas Heat drivers and current team ambassadors like the Emirati trio of Rashid Al Dhaheri, and Amna and Hamda Al Qubaisi. Another Yas Heat graduate, Keanu Al Azhari, clinched second place in the 2024 Spanish F4 championship with MP Motorsport and has earned a seat in the 2025 GB3 Championship, driving for Hitech.

Amna and Hamda enjoyed a two-year stint in F1 Academy, while Al Dhaheri has moved up to Formula Regional Europe, where he will be racing for Prema in 2025.

“Our mission is to involve as many kids as we can in motorsport. It doesn’t matter if they will be a racing driver, or an engineer, or any other role, it’s just to get them to be passionate about motorsport. That’s one of the things,” said Pardini. “And of course to find the next Emirati to make it to Formula One.

“Our ambassadors are doing amazingly, Rashid Al Dhaheri, Amna and Hamda Al Qubaisi, Keanu Al Azhari has graduated, and we’ve got Adam and August this year.

“So let’s say that’s the pinnacle, but we need to think about the grass roots also. And of course we want girls as well. Because me, as an ex-racing driver, I was the first woman to win a championship in Italy in 2001, so we’re talking about 23 years ago, and I see that there are more girls now. We want to grow motorsport in the UAE in general.”

Pardini predicts “a brilliant career” for Al Dhaheri and is certain he won’t be the only talent to emerge and break through from the UAE.

She sees Yas Heat playing an important role in the development of drivers, but also believes they are making an impact in keeping racing enthusiasts off the streets and instead attracting them to a much safer and more controlled environment through initiatives like the kart track days at Yas Marina Circuit.

Pardini says the growth of the F4 Middle East Championship has been “beautiful to see”, adding: “The biggest teams from around Europe, or even America or Australia, they’re coming to race in the UAE. That means the federation and everybody is doing a good job.

“Now the sport in the UAE is growing finally and, if we can contribute, that’s great. We are here to contribute. But we see the result, what’s being done from EMSO, from Yas Marina, Dubai Autodrome, we are all together in the same field. We don’t fight against each other, we are actually supporting each other.”

Looking to the coming F4 season, Pardini is confident the Yas Heat duo of Raber and Adam Al Azhari can achieve podiums.

“We’re preparing our drivers for the new season. We’re seeing where their weaknesses are, how they can improve. Working on their body condition, their mental condition, maybe do some testing on the simulator. They are improving a lot because our drivers are very fast,” she said.

“They just need to manage better the race in terms of strategy. But they’re here to learn, so it’s normal. The good thing is they don’t make too many mistakes. For me, we want to see the UAE flag on the podium. Of course, we go for the podium and the victory. Otherwise, if you do not think big, you cannot win big. But potentially they can be easily on the podium.”