Red Bull Ring race winner Rashid Al Dhaheri becomes first Emirati to win a FRECA race

The 17-year-old, part of the Mercedes-AMG Formula 1 junior programme, charged from 11th on the reverse grid to take the chequered flag in the second race of the opening round.

Al Dhaheri competed against a 30-driver field representing more than 20 nationalities at the Austrian circuit, which hosted the event alongside the Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters (DTM) weekend attended by over 100,000 spectators.

After qualifying on pole for his group, the R-ace GP driver finished second in Race 1, having led several laps, before delivering a decisive performance in Race 2.

A new push-to-pass system, offering a temporary power boost of around 20 horsepower for a limited duration, played a key strategic role, with Al Dhaheri conserving his allocation for the closing stages.

“After Race 1 I was a bit disappointed, but we had a strong debrief with the team,” Al Dhaheri said. “I told them if we got everything right, we could still win — and we did. It’s an incredible job by the whole team.”

Mercedes-AMG junior programme advisor Stéphane Guérin praised the drive: “An amazing performance with a lot of moves, really impressive. Honestly, very impressive.”

Al Dhaheri added further points with a recovery from 15th to fifth in Race 3 despite technical issues. The championship resumes at Zandvoort from May 21–24.