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F4 Middle East: Emily Cotty close to rookie podium in Abu Dhabi, Al Yousef makes debut

Writer's picture: RACERSRACERS

Across a thrilling F4 Middle East opening weekend at Yas Marina, Emily Cotty showcased strong performances with consistent gains and a P14 finish in Race 2; Hamda Al Qubaisi faced technical setbacks while young Saudi Farah Al Yousef steadily improved her lap times on her F4 debut.


Emily Cotty, F4 Middle East, 2025 Abu Dhabi, R-Ace GP
Photo credits: Formula Middle East

The Formula 4 Middle East championship kicked off its 2025 season with the first triple header at YAS Marina Circuit, Abu Dhabi, where three female drivers were on the starting grid.


Previously known as F4 UAE Championship, the series has traditionally hosted several female racers over the years - with Emirati racers Amna and Hamda Al Qubaisi both winning races from 2019 to 2021. The list of female race winners was extended to Doriane Pin in 2024, as the Frenchwoman took a historic victory in one of her first weekends of F4 competitions last year.


Rebranded F4 Middle East in 2025 with an extended calendar, the series hosted a Trophy Series last December, which saw British drivers Ella Lloyd and Emily Cotty both taking the start in two of the three rounds.


The 2025 campaign was then officially launched in Abu Dhabi on the 17-19 January weekend, with 29 drivers on the packed and highly competitive grid which as per tradition features some of the most promising young talents in F4 competitions worldwide.

Emily Cotty signed with R-Ace GP - and was joined on the grid by experienced Hamda Al Qubaisi, a race winner in multiple mixed-gender F4 series as well as in F1 Academy, after her graduation from the all-female championship. Hamda joined the ranks of AKCEL GP by PHM Racing for her fourth season in the UAE-based series.


Making her F4 debut, Farah Al Yousef was also a welcome addition to the grid. The young Saudi driver has been competing in karting on home soil and became 2022 SWS Saudi Female champion, before making the step up to race cars last year. Al Yousef in fact was selected for the Formula Woman Nations Cup, where she represented Saudi Arabia, at the wheel of a Radical prototype at Dubai Autodrome.


Contesting her first season in single seaters with Evans GP, Al Yousef's target was to learn as much as possible and collect valuable mileage, improving at every session and on every lap.


Photo credits: Formula Middle East
Photo credits: Formula Middle East

The weekend started with pre-season testing on Thursday and Friday, where both Emily Cotty and Hamda Al Qubaisi ran steadily in the mid-pack. The Emirati was up to 14th in one session, and was looking strong for top-15 finishes - with Cotty also making notable improvements, especially on Friday, when she ran as high as 16th.


Al Yousef joined the pack on Friday, making a 6-second improvement in between the first two test sessions as she learned the car and the track.


The official practice session was held on Saturday morning; Hamda Al Qubaisi was P22, one tenth ahead of Cotty, while Al Youself found nine more seconds and continued to reduce the gap.


The first qualifying session of the F4 Middle East season saw drivers take to the track at Yas Marina Circuit on Saturday afternoon. Home hero Hamda Al Qubaisi’s first timed lap was already under the 2-minute mark, a 1:59.062 that placed her straight into the top three.

Emily Cotty recorded a 1:58.083, good enough for P18 as times tumbled quickly, and Al Qubaisi dropped out of the top 20. The Emirati responded with a 1:58.129, improving her position, as did Cotty.


Farah Al Yousef’s first lap was a 2:23.250, but the Saudi rookie steadily improved with each lap around the Abu Dhabi circuit. In the final minutes, Hamda clocked a 1:57.363, reclaiming P19, just one place behind Emily Cotty in P18.

Emily ended the session P18 with a 1:57.298. Hamda couldn’t quite improve further and finished P19 with a 1:57.363. Farah Al Yousef completed her first qualifying session in F4 with a 2:21.208, placing P29.


Q2 followed a few minutes later. Cotty started strong, breaking into the top 10 before a Full Course Yellow was called. She then dipped under the 2-minute mark with a 1:59 and later improved to a 1:56.972 with one minute to go. Hamda Al Qubaisi also set a 1:57.142, moving up into the top 20.


Farah Al Yousef significantly improved from the previous session, posting a 2:13.929.

Cotty closed in on the top 15, improving her sectors on the final attempt to set a 1:56.767, securing P14 and her best lap of the weekend. Hamda improved in the first sector but couldn’t ultimately put the lap together, finishing with a 1:57.328 in P22. Al Yousef ended P28.


Photo credits: Formula Middle East
Photo credits: Formula Middle East
RACE 1

The first race of the weekend was held under the lights on Saturday night, with Cotty lining up in P18, Hamda Al Qubaisi from P19, and Farah Al Yousef aiming to collect as much experience as possible starting from the pit lane.


Olivieri led the race, ahead of Nakamura Berta and Stolcermanis, as a chaotic start saw Alex Powell and August Raber drop back.

Al Qubaisi lost a few positions, dropping to P20 after the first lap, before the Safety Car was deployed due to Fu Yuhao ending up in the barriers.


Cotty had gained one place, moving to P17, while Al Yousef, starting from the pits, had the chance to catch back the pack under the neutralization - and moved ahead of Powell, who pitted to resolve technical issues.


At the restart on lap 3, Olivieri made a perfect start and retained the lead. Cotty tried to close in on Suzuki and had little pressure from behind, as Lee and Al Sulaiti traded positions. Al Qubaisi joined this group, looking to take advantage of their duels. In the final corners of lap 4, Hamda increased the pressure but then lost out to Taha Hassiba.


The former Red Bull F1 Academy driver attempted to fight back, showing consistent pace in the 1:58 and 1:57 range but couldn’t find a way past her rival; meanwhile, Raber picked up the pace behind her.


In the midfield, Bondarev lost positions, with Cotty now aiming to find a way past him. She had pulled away from the cars behind and focused on gaining positions.


Farah Al Yousef pitted on lap 7 but initially rejoined briefly, before retiring altogether.

Cotty closed the gap to Bondarev, showing better pace, but couldn’t get close enough to attempt a pass.


Hamda maintained consistent pressure on the cars ahead but was eventually caught by the recovering Alex Powell, who passed both Hassiba and Al Qubaisi. Raber also found a way through on lap 10, dropping Hamda to P23.


Lap 12 brought more chaos, as Powell and Al Sulaiti hit trouble; Hamda capitalized, moving up to P21 as the race entered the final lap. Al Qubaisi finally passed Hassiba, reclaiming P20 on lap 13.


Emanuele Olivieri took a dominant victory, 6.5 seconds clear of Kean Nakamura Berta and Sebastian Wheldon, who battled hard for third. Emily Cotty continued applying pressure on Bondarev but had to defend from Raber in the closing laps. She stayed ahead, finishing P17 in a very solid first race of the season, not far from the top 15.


Despite a challenging start, Hamda Al Qubaisi rebounded late and finished P20, claiming a top-20 spot. Farah Al Yousef completed eight laps in her F4 debut, and was classified P28.


Photo credits: Formula Middle East
Photo credits: Formula Middle East
RACE 2

The reverse-grid race presented an opportunity for many drivers to mix up the order. Cole Hewetson started from pole position, ahead of Adam Al Azhari, with Thomas Stolcermanis and Oleksandr Savinkov sharing the second row.


The female drivers lined up based on their Race 1 results: Cotty in P17, Hamda in P20, and Farah in P27. Al Qubaisi however experienced issues during the formation lap and attempted to start from the pit lane, but wasn't able to take the start.


At lights out, Al Azhari took the lead early, followed by Stolcermanis, as Hewetson dropped to sixth. A turn 1 incident saw Chi Zhenrui going off, but the race stayed green. Cotty retained P17, battling Seth Gilmore.


Starting from the pit lane, Farah Al Yousef got away in P28 and focused on her rhythm.

Stolcermanis took the lead on lap 2 as positions shifted rapidly. Alex Powell charged through the pack, recovering from his Race 1 setback, while Olivieri also moved forward.


Cotty gained a position when Salim Hanna dropped back, and Al Yousef also moved up as Bondarev pitted. However, she would later also pit on lap 4.


Emily Cotty overtook Arjun Chheda to climb to P14, running strongly and placing third among the rookies. The Safety Car was then deployed on lap 5. Meanwhile, Al Yousef had also rejoined the track, a lap down, but could catch the pack in P25.


The race resumed after one lap; Cotty had a clean restart, closely following Fu Yuhao. She improved her sector times and stayed within half a second of her target, while Fu Yuhao passed Molnar ahead, giving Cotty an opportunity to close further.

Al Yousef was running in the 2:12 range, steadily improving her lap times.


Despite her progress, Cotty found herself under pressure from rookie rival David Cosma, challenging her for the final podium spot in the rookie standings.

Up front, Olivieri made a decisive move for fourth but faced stiff defense from Kean Nakamura-Berta. Nakamura-Berta then passed Al Azhari for second, as Stolcermanis extended his lead to over two seconds.


With five minutes remaining, Cotty intensified her attack, setting a personal best of 1:57.949. She was now quicker than several cars ahead and looked poised to capitalize on any opportunities. As Molnar passed Suzuki, the latter came under Cotty’s radar. Emily aimed for second in the rookie class but had to balance her attack with defending against Chi Zhenrui, who was recovering from a first-lap spin.


In the final laps, Raber encountered issues and pitted, promoting Cotty to P13. She continued to pressure Suzuki but lost out in the closing moments as Chi Zhenrui and Cosma both found a way past. Cotty finished P14, just missing the rookie podium but still delivering an impressive race. It was her personal best result in F4 to date, improving on a 15th place recorded in the F4 UAE Trophy Series.


Stolcermanis took a comfortable victory, ahead of Nakamura-Berta and Olivieri.

Farah Al Yousef completed her second F4 race in P25, running eight laps and continuing her valuable learning experience.


Photo credits: Formula Middle East
Photo credits: Formula Middle East
RACE 3

The third and final race of the weekend took place under the lights of the Abu Dhabi night, with temperatures dropping.

Alex Powell started on pole position, followed by Emanuele Olivieri. Kean Nakamura-Berta and Tomass Stolcermanis lined up just behind, creating a competitive front row for the final battle.


After a difficult weekend so far, Hamda Al Qubaisi could not start again due to technical issues. Farah Al Yousef lined up to start from the pit lane, while Emily Cotty would start from P13, aiming for a strong result and potentially a top 10.


As the lights went out, Powell stalled on the grid, allowing Olivieri to surge into the lead. Stolcermanis and Nakamura-Berta followed closely, while chaos unfolded behind them on the first lap. Cotty made an excellent getaway, climbing to P12 early on. However, she had to take evasive action during the opening lap, dropping her down to P23. A Safety Car was deployed due to incidents in the midfield.


Farah Al Yousef avoided the initial troubles and gained positions as August Raber and Arjun Chheda retired. She joined the pack during the SC period in P24.

On the restart at lap 4, Olivieri maintained the lead while Stolcermanis and Nakamura-Berta battled hard for second place. Meanwhile, Cotty continued her recovery, moving up to P22 after passing Cole Hewetson. Ahead of her, Powell made an impressive triple overtake at turn 6.


However, another incident involving Ayman Kamel and Taha Hassiba brought out the Safety Car again on lap 6. Farah Al Yousef once again steered clear of trouble, moving up to P24 and closing back up with the pack.


Cotty had fought back to P20 before the neutralization. As the pace car prepared to pull in, Salim Hanna’s car came to a halt out of turn 2, extending the caution period.

When the race resumed with only one lap to go, Nakamura-Berta launched an intense attack on Olivieri, engaging in a thrilling battle for the win. The two drivers were wheel-to-wheel for several corners and; Olivieri held on, but Nakamura-Berta had a better exit from the final corner and chased him down the straight. The margin at the line was just 0.071 seconds, with Olivieri securing the victory. Stolcermanis finished only 0.1 seconds behind in a spectacular finish for the top three.


Cotty, now up to P19, was caught in the heat of the midfield battles; despite her best efforts, she lost out to Al Sulaiti and Yuzhe in the closing stages, crossing the line in P21.


"A massive thank you goes to the amazing team at R-ace GP who worked around the clock to deliver a fantastic car for me to drive" - Cotty said. "I feel truly privileged to be part of the team and am very excited to take what I have learned into Round 2 in a few days’ time."


Farah Al Yousef completed the race in P24, setting her personal best lap of the weekend at 2:09.167 on the final lap. This marked a significant improvement, showcasing her growing confidence in her debut weekend.


The second round of the season is scheduled in just a few days' time, on the 4,572m Abu Dhabi 'Corkscrew' Circuit layout.


Photo credits: Formula Middle East
Photo credits: Formula Middle East

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