Formula Trophy 2025 Announces Dazzling International Entry

• 30-car season entry as popularity of Middle East F4 showcase soars
• International team and driver line-up offers invaluable benchmark
• Abu Dhabi Grand Prix highlight of three-round seven-race schedule starting November 28

United Arab Emirates November 25, 2025: The Formula Trophy series is proving to be one of the success stories of modern times in single-seater racing, with a bumper, 30-car field of international talent representing 13 nations across five continents set to do battle over three weekends in the United Arab Emirates.

The action kicks off at Dubai Autodrome on November 28-30, before the Formula Trophy crown jewel supporting the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix at Yas Marina on December 5-7. The entry for the Formula 1 weekend currently stands at 30, a huge increase on the current record of 21. The teams then remain at Yas Marina for the finale on December 11-13, supporting the Gulf 12 Hours sportscar race.

Series promoter TopSpeed has attracted a host of top teams from Europe and the local region, as well as Australia and China. The surging Middle East karting scene has brought a marked increase in local entries, with 11 drivers competing under the UAE flag and a record four-car entry from Abu Dhabi’s Yas Heat Racing, as motorsport continues its rapid ascent across the region.

The Formula 4 cars will this year be shod with Pirelli tires, the same company that supplies the GP-headlining F1 event as well as Formula Regional Middle East.

On the driver front, one of the favourites for honours has to be Adam Al Azhari, the Dubai talent lining up with Yas Heat Racing. Al Azhari has had a successful year so far, taking sixth place as a rookie in the British F4 Championship and 10^th in the Middle East series, while he also lies second in the Saudi Arabian F4 rankings. He is part of a four-strong line-up of Emirati-based talents from the Yas Heat stable, with karters Zachariah Doleh, Charbel Abi Gebrayel and Edoardo Iacobucci all taking the step into F4.

Another top-10 finisher from this year’s British F4 Championship table features at Dubai-based Xcel Motorsport. Englishman Rowan Campbell-Pilling is joined by David Cosma-Cristofor, the Romanian who returns to the region having contested the Middle East series at the beginning of the year before concentrating on the Italian. Jaber Al Sabah, who contested the British GP-supporting F4 races with Xcel, is also on board, as is Dutch youngster Felipe Reijs, who steps up from the UK-based Ginetta Junior series.

Affiliated to Xcel is X-GP, which runs two cars. ‘Dylan’ Jia Zhanbin was sixth in Chinese F4 in 2024, and contested the Formula Trophy series before stepping up to Formula Regional Japan in 2025. Alongside him is the less experienced Swede Leon Hedfors, who is graduating from karts.

Fresh from its tremendous success in the Macau Grand Prix, where it claimed a 1-2 finish, Pinnacle Motorsport brings an intriguing line-up. Superstar karter Niccolò Maccagnani celebrated his 15^th birthday in the summer and earned a place in the Ferrari Driver Academy. He has already taken his fledgling steps in F4, taking fourth in the South East Asia series as well as contesting some Italian and Euro 4 rounds. Female American racer Kaylee Countryman has her first taste of international racing after competing in the IndyCar-supporting USF Juniors and USF2000, while Malaysia’s Putera Adam Halim steps across after claiming the Lamborghini Super Trofeo Europe Pro title. South African Jorden Moodley graduates from karts, and there is one other driver at Pinnacle yet to be announced.

While Pinnacle has a Ferrari youngster, British team Hitech TGR has a Red Bull Junior in the form of Scott Kin Lindblom. The young Swede was fourth in Ginetta Juniors this year and lies third in Saudi Arabian F4, his first taste of single-seaters. He will be joined by Emirati Theo Palmer, who raced this year in British F4 and has also gone well in selected Saudi rounds. Hitech has a third car, with the driver yet to be named.

Hitech’s big rival in European single-seaters, Italian powerhouse Prema Racing, should enjoy plenty of attention. That is because Bernardo Bernoldi, the son of Brazilian ex-Formula 1 driver Enrique Bernoldi, is graduating from Prema’s karting line-up to undergo his first car races. So too is young Turk Alp Aksoy, while Prema’s trio is completed for two of the rounds by American Payton Westcott – she has competed this year in Italian F4. Stepping into Westcott’s car for the Abu Dhabi GP support weekend is William F1 protégé Oleksandr Bondarev. The Ukrainian raced at Yas Marina earlier this year in the F4 Middle East series before finishing ninth in Euro 4 and 10^th in Italian F4, so he will be a force to be reckoned with.

From Australia come two teams. One of them, Evans GP, carried Kai Daryanani to the 2024 Formula Trophy title, and has entered four cars. Vietnamese Ben Nguyen and Singapore’s Rafael Vaessen have both raced this year in the South East Asia series, although Vaessen is entered only for Dubai. Australian Hunter Salvatore makes the transition from his domestic Formula Ford scene, while the driver of the other Evans car is yet to be named.

AGI Sport is the other squad from Down Under, with its Aussie attack for round one led by Noah Killion. AGI ran Killion to this year’s AU4 title in Australia for F4 cars, and he will be joined on the team from round two onwards by 17-year-old Nicolas Stati.

The international AKCEL GP team, which has bases in Dubai, Italy and the UK, brings two cars. Japanese driver Yuta Suzuki enjoys experience from his home F4 championship, and alongside him is Belgian karter Arthur de Doncker, taking his first steps in F4.

China is represented among the teams too, with Black Blade Racing making its first appearance outside its domestic single-seater ranks. Cheng Sicong, fourth in the Chinese F4 standings this season, is the occupant of the sole cockpit.

With such an international field, comprising drivers who have already tasted success in F4 and a crop of talented newcomers from karting, among them a swathe of young guns emerging from the UAE scene, Formula Trophy 2025 promises some explosive action across the three race weekends.

Formula Trophy 2025 calendar

November 27 / Dubai Autodrome / Pre-Season Test

November 28-30 / Dubai Autodrome / Races 1-3

December 5-7 / Yas Marina Circuit / Races 4-5

December 11-13 / Yas Marina Circuit / Races 6-7

ABOUT TOP SPEED: Established in 2008, Top Speed has been intrinsic to the rapid development of motorsport across Asia Pacific over the last seventeen years. Providing a wide spectrum of services – from race organization, technical and logistical support to event and sponsorship management – Top Speed has played an integral role in the success of series such as the Macau Grand Prix – FIA FR World Cup, Ferrari Challenge Asia Pacific, Lamborghini Super Trofeo Asia, Porsche Carrera Cup Asia, Porsche Sports Cup China, Audi Sport R8 LMS Cup, Formula Masters China Series and Scirocco Cup. Top Speed is the official promoter for the Formula Regional Middle East Trophy and Formula 4 UAE Trophy, Formula 4 South East Asia, and the China GT Championship.

Headquartered in Shanghai, Top Speed also has offices in Hong Kong, Dubai and Malaysia.

Ends

November 25, 2025

Team/Driver/Partner Enquiries:

Cyrille Taesch cyrille@topspeedchina.com

Matthijs Hoitink matthijs.hoitink@gmail.com