Rashid Al Dhaheri to join FIA Formula 3 in 2027

Rashid Al Dhaheri, an 18-year-old Emirati Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS Formula One Team junior, will race in FIA Formula 3 in 2027, a Gulf News article reported on Oct. 15.

The seat would make Al Dhaheri the first UAE national to compete in the championship, a 30-driver international grid that sits on the FIA single-seater development route toward Formula One.

Al Dhaheri will join Van Amersfoort Racing, a Dutch team with a record of fielding young drivers who later reached Formula One. Its former drivers include Max Verstappen, Charles Leclerc, Liam Lawson and Oliver Bearman.

Formula 3 runs as part of Formula One Grand Prix weekends, placing junior drivers on the same race programme as the sport’s main championship. The series is one of the steps used by drivers seeking to move through international single-seater racing.

The 2027 Formula 3 season is set to cover 10 rounds in 10 countries across four continents. That schedule gives Al Dhaheri a broader test of racecraft, consistency and adaptation than domestic or regional competition.

Al Dhaheri will remain part of the Mercedes junior programme while racing for Van Amersfoort Racing. His next listed milestone is his Formula 3 debut season in 2027.