Now, here is a proper step up. Rashid Al Dhaheri is moving into FIA Formula 3 for the 2027 season, and he is doing it with Van Amersfoort Racing.
The Mercedes Junior Team driver earned this promotion after a brilliant campaign in the Formula Regional European Championship. Al Dhaheri secured three wins and eight podiums, fighting at the front of a very competitive field to wind up fourth overall in the championship standings. That follows an eighth-place finish in his rookie FREC campaign in 2025.
I’m very proud to be taking the next step into FIA Formula 3 with Van Amersfoort Racing,
His single-seater career started back in 2023, built on a mountain of karting accolades that included WSK Champions Cup and Super Master Series OKJ titles in 2021. Along the way, the Emirati youngster spent two full seasons competing in the Italian F4 series and claimed fourth in the UAE F4 championship in 2024.
Van Amersfoort Racing Team Principal Brad Joyce pointed straight to that stellar FREC form as the foundation for this next chapter. The squad is eager to get to work with him during post-season tests to prep for his debut F3 season.
Al Dhaheri himself knows the gravity of the jump. “I’m very proud to be taking the next step into FIA Formula 3 with Van Amersfoort Racing,” he said. “It is an important milestone in my journey, but I know the hard work is only beginning. I’m proud to represent the UAE and the wider region at this level, and I’m looking forward to learning, improving and giving everything I have on and off the track. Every step has to be earned, and my focus now is on preparing as strongly as possible for 2027. I’m grateful to everyone who has supported me and helped make this opportunity possible.”
Thankfully, we do not have to wait until 2027 to see the partnership in action, with post-season testing just around the corner.
