Rashid Al Dhaheri: Italian F4 strong half-term at Monza

By design, Al Dhaheri's debut season in car racing, after an illustrious near decade of Karting, has been low-key. Purposefully devoid of the media attention it can attract for the Arab world's most likely F1 prospect. Thus, Rashid can focus 100% on the task at hand, namely learning the ropes in his freshman year on the ladder to the pinnacle of the sport.

The journey is still long for the 15-year-old Emirati from Abu Dhabi, inspired as a toddler by the Grand Prix in his hometown. But F4 is a step in the right direction, and he is making the most of it.

Looking back on the Spa-Francorhamps weekend in late May, Rashid emerged with two top-ten finishes before the latest round at Monza. Back-to-back at two legendary venues where motorsport's greatest drivers have raced. The FIA have done a good job with the track selection for the young brigade to ply their trade, in the footsteps of F1 greats.

In Italy, where Rashid spent most of his Karting career, Monza is the Temple of Speed where his skills and resolve were tested to the maximum. After an intense weekend, the Emirati schoolboy went home with another two top-ten finishes, notably in Race 3 finishing fourth overall, third-best rookie, for Prema Racing.

Behind the scenes, it has not all been plain sailing for Rashid, as with all his rivals on the grid, there have been ups and downs, bent metal incidents and the like that. All part of the F4 'university' experience each driver in undergoing, each living his own Netflix episode of Drive to Survive every race weekend!

Prior to that, in Race 2 at Monza Rashid was running strongly P5 or higher potential showing in Race 2but that turned into P10 after he incurred a penalty. Nevertheless, one step away from the overall F4 podium at the final race of the weekend on Sunday is Rashid's best result of the season thus far.

In retrospect at Monza, Rashid made a statement of intent and gave a measure of his true capabilities, in a field packed with some of the best teenage race drivers in the world, all aspiring to make it into F1 within the next decade or less.

Taking stock at the halfway mark of the 2023 Italian Formula 4 Championship season - four race weekends down (Imola, Misano, Spa and Monza) and three to go (Paul Ricard, Mugello and Vallelunga) - Rashid lies 12th in the overall standings and sixth in the Rookie class.

Reflecting on this past weekend at Monza, Rashid said: "After Spa-Francorchamps, it was an honour racing at the Temple of Speed, with the long straights bringing out a tactical racing mindset where you constantly learn. I was really satisfied with my performance in race two this weekend, a penalty dropped me to P10, but I felt I had one of my better races.

"Fortunately, I was able to sustain the pace in the third race to get fourth overall, which is also my best result to date. And at Monza! I will take it!

"I felt it was one of my better weekends so far in car racing. While the tracks are new, the F4 cockpit feels like home more and more, every time I step into it, in race mode, qualifying, practice or testing, I learn and hopefully improve.

"Obviously the next step is to finish on the podium, and why not the top step? I have never been to Paul Ricard in July where we head to next. Again, the goal is to keep moving forward in all aspects of my driving, in and out of the car, and see where that leads," added Rashid.

Prema Racing boss Rosin gave feedback on Rashid's progress to date: "The Italian F4 series is the toughest at this level. To do well here, you have to be good. And, of course, experience counts, thus for Rookies it is the biggest test. Rashid has impressed our team as a first-time car racer, with only Kart racing experience.

"For the Rookies is also important to know, some drivers qualify as Rookies in the Italian series but have F4 experience in their own countries. So, for a driver straight out of Karting, we can say confidently that Rashid is ticking the right boxes.

"Incidents happen to all the drivers at this level. Year one is particularly tough on the Rookies. Rashid listens, learns and does not make the same mistake twice. Working hard he is heading for a good grade on his 'F4 Report Card' at the end of this season," concluded Rosin.

As for his Prema Racing team experience this season, Rashid said: "We're very proud of the team for all the hard work they put into making us so competitive. We're gonna keep pushing for the next rounds and try to always learn from our experiences, and always get better. They have helped me build my confidence and understand the car more and more each time I drive."

Round 5 of the 2023 Italian F4 Championship moves out of Italy to the former French Grand Prix venue at Le Castellet, Paul Ricard on 23 July for another three races.