Al Dhaheri hold off new points leader Al Azhari for first F4 UAE win

Photo: F4 UAE

Rashid Al Dhaheri took his first Formula 4 United Arab Emirates win in a dramatic race at Yas Marina Circuit held in mixed conditions.

The Prema driver started from pole alongside Kean Nakamura Berta, with Keanu Al Azhari and Enzo Deligny on row two of the grid. Nakamura was slow off the line and fell to fourth, and later in the lap Maximilian Popov spun as it began to rain.

Raphael Narac then also spun and got hit, and the race was put under safety car conditions just as Deligny went off at the final chicane. He rejoined in fourth, while further back Hiyu Yamakoshi pitted.

Red flags waved on lap two and everyone had the opportunity to switch to wet compound tyres in the pits. Alex Powell in sixth was the highest placed driver who chose to do so, with points-leading Mumbai Falcons team-mate Freddie Slater – who was down in 15th – also doing so.

Gabriel Stilp charged up from 11th to fifth on lap one, and the race restarted behind the safety car on lap two. Yevan David pitted at the end of the lap, and Deligny passed Nakamura on lap three although green flag action did not take place until lap four.

Slick tyres appeared to be the right choice as Powell slid down the order when racing resumed, while Al Azhari attacked Al Dhaheri for the lead. Deligny went off trying to overtake both and fell to fifth, with Nakamura, Stilp and then Deligny passing Al Azhari.

Zack Scoular, Seb Murray and Nicolas Stati all spun on lap five, but were already way down the order, and Stilp took second when Nakamura messed up his entry into the chicane. Al Azhari got back past Deligny but then lost out to him again at the start of lap six, then on lap seven Stilp made a mistake approaching the hairpin and had fallen to fifth by the next straight.

He gained one spot back as Nakamura’s car slowed with an issue, but then Reza Seewooruthun got past him before the chicane.

Al Azhari took second from Deligny at turn 10 on lap eight, and set about reducing Al Dhaheri’s 1.9 seconds on what was now a dying track. Over the remaining five laps he reduced it to 0.41s, and second place earned him the points lead.

Deligny was a distant third, ahead of Stilp – who had front wing damage – and Dion Gowda who fought with Seewooruthun and then with Deagen Fairclough for several laps, beating the latter in a photo finish.

Luka Sammalisto cut the chicane to deny Seewooruthun seventh place, and the last points places went to Doriane Pin and Yuanpu Cui after Enzo Yeh hit Seewooruthun.

Yeh finished 12th, was shown the black-and-orange flag due to wing damage and was put under investigation alongside Pin and Sammalisto and Pin. Powell finished 23rd, and Slater ended his race in the pits after failing to get into points contention.

Post-race Al Azhari got a five-second penalty, promoting Deligny to second, and Sammalisto was penalised 20s which knocked him down to 12th.

Race results (13 laps)