Today's Edition
KUUMAR SHYAM (ABU DHABI)
Yas Heat Racing have confirmed a mix of Emirati and UAE-based drivers for their development programme for the 2025–26 motorsport season.
The team, established under Yas Marina Circuit, focuses on identifying and advancing racing talent in the UAE and abroad, aiming to bridge the gap between grassroots motorsport and professional racing. The unveiling of the team line-up and livery took place at a launch ceremony at Yas Marina Circuit, attended by officials, partners and local media.
Four drivers will represent Yas Heat Racing in the single-seater F4 Middle East Championship and Trophy UAE. They are 15-year-old Zakaria Doleh of the UAE, 16-year-olds Adam Al Azhari of Germany and Charbel Abi Gebrael of Lebanon, and 17-year-old Edoardo Lacobucci of Italy.
Doleh finished fifth in the UAE IAME X30 Series in a junior campaign, while Al Azhari enters the season after a successful 2025 F4 Championship where he secured three wins and six podiums, adding two further victories in Saudi Arabia F4. Gebrael was runner-up in this year’s UAE National Karting Championship, and Lacobucci has competed in karting categories including 60 Mini, ROK Cup, WSK, and the Italian International Mini Championship.
Yas Heat Racing will also field an all-Emirati line-up in regional karting competitions. Seven-year-olds Yousef Al Khayyat and Zayed Al Ansari, top performers on the domestic competition Al Sabq, have shown progress in the IAME Bambino Championship. Six-year-old Rayan Al Ameri, who made his IAME Bambino debut last week, will join them.
Twelve-year-old Faris Haroun, a three-time winner in different MENA Championship categories, will compete in the UAE Rotax Junior, while 14-year-old Essa Al Hammadi will race in the IAME Junior category.
The current F4 and karting drivers follow a path trodden by previous graduates. Notable alumni include Emirati motorsport stars like Rashid Al Dhaheri, who is now part of the Mercedes Junior Driver Programme and the F3 programme for 2026 after competing in Italian and UAE F4.
Keanu Al Azhari, joint-champion of the 2024 Spanish F4 Championship who drove in GB3, is now with F1’s Alpine Academy and is set to race in the Euro Cup 3. Emirati sisters Amna and Hamda Al Qubaisi, who have raced in the F1 Academy, are also among the programme’s graduates.
Yas Heat Racing’s commitment to developing the next generation of drivers continues through the Yas Heat Academy. The academy provides a structured platform for young Emirati and UAE-based talent to compete and develop skills on regional and international stages.
