The Middle East has a real stake in this year’s Macau Grand Prix. Emirati Rashid Al Dhaheri heads to the Guia Circuit for the FIA FR World Cup on 19–22 November, fresh from the best season any Gulf driver has had in European junior single-seaters.
The 18-year-old from Abu Dhabi is a Mercedes junior and races for French team R-ace GP. This year he finished fourth in the Formula Regional European Championship, 38 points behind champion Emanuele Olivieri, his team-mate, who will also be in Macau. Al Dhaheri won at the Red Bull Ring, Monza and the Hungaroring, and in June he became the first Emirati to lead an FIA championship. He has already secured a Formula 3 seat for 2027.
His fourth go at the Guia
Macau is not new to him. He raced the F4 event there in 2023, then the FR World Cup in 2024 and 2025, finishing 20th last year. The FIA names him among the top four from this year’s European championship in a 26-car field. That field also includes Kean Nakamura-Berta and Sebastian Wheldon, as well as drivers who have raced in FIA Formula 3.
Three World Cups, one street circuit
According to the FIA, the 73rd Macau Grand Prix brings together 68 drivers from 34 nations across three World Cups on the 6.120 km Guia Circuit:
- FR World Cup – the Macau Grand Prix itself, and the first edition with the Gen2 Tatuus car, which includes a 100-second push-to-pass “Race Mode”. Last year’s winner was Théophile Naël.
- GT World Cup – 18 GT3 cars from a record eight manufacturers, with 2024 winner Maro Engel back.
- F4 World Cup – the second edition, now with 12 teams from 10 countries and 24 cars.
The final round of the TCR World Tour completes the bill.
When to watch
Qualifying for the FR World Cup starts on Thursday 19 November. Saturday’s qualification race sets the grid for Sunday’s 15-lap Grand Prix, which starts at 15:30 Macau time: 09:30 in Beirut, 10:30 in Riyadh and 11:30 in Dubai. The GT World Cup main race is at 06:35 Beirut time and the F4 race at 03:15. Times are from the FIA’s provisional schedule and can change.
BISER3A will follow Al Dhaheri’s weekend in Macau.
