UAE drivers may be next on the Formula 1 circuit

Dubai: Mohammad Bin Sulayem, President of the Automobile and Touring Club of the UAE (ATCUAE) and Vice-President of the FIA, the world governing body for motorsports, has backed the development of drivers from the UAE.

"The search for a UAE or Arab Formula driver is on and it is about time that we see one," Bin Sulayem stated.

The top ranking motorsport official, a former 14-time Middle East rally champion, was the special invitee for My Qi-Meritus.Mahara team at the ATCUAE headquarters in Al Mamzar yesterday.

"With so many top-class racing circuits in the region, it is only a matter of time that we will have a F1 driver here soon," Bin Sulayem stated.

"First this part of the world was all about rallying. But with such fantastic infrastructure in place, parents and children will now be keen to take up circuit racing," added the Middle East champion.

The major issue, Bin Sulayem insisted, is the extremely high expenses for the running and maintenance of high-profile teams on the international circuit.

"Not everyone will become F1 drivers, and so we have control the costs and only then will the sport become more affordable," stated Bin Sulayem.