Saudi race car driver Abdulaziz Fudhili had no idea what he was getting himself into. As he drove his ultra-rare Dodge Viper through the blistering heat of the Abu Dhabi desert, one of only ten in the region, he knew he was about to put his beloved supercar to the test once again set for a race to be filmed for an unnamed series on an unnamed network. Little did he know that he was about to become one of the stars of Netflix’s first unscripted reality series The Fastest—potentially unlocking the door to stardom.
“We knew nothing to start. When we were finally told, I couldn’t believe it. I can still hardly believe it now,” Fudhili tells Esquire Middle East.

Joining Fudhili were a ragtag collection of nine other drivers from across the region, a mix of professionals and amateurs, men and women, all believing that they were the fastest person in the region, and the car they had built, combined with their skills, would win them any competition on the outskirts of the UAE’s capital.
The Middle East’s motorsports scene has long been ready for its closeup. The region has long been home to some of the best and most diverse car collections in the world, from custom speedsters to classic luxury, with some of the rarest cars in the world, including James Bond’s lost Goldfinger Aston Martin DB5 believed to be hiding out in the Gulf. Even Batman’s Tumbler is currently collecting dust in a parking lot in Dubai’s Al Quoz. The region is a haven for car lovers and racers alike, but the world doesn’t yet know about the racing talent the region harbors—something Fudhili is hoping The Fastest can change.
“We have a beautiful community behind our motorsports. We are very passionate. And a lot of people here have literally started from nothing, including myself. I just kept going to racetracks trying to do whatever I can because it’s my passion. I was dreaming for years about having a car, driving a car, then being a race driver before I made it a reality,” says Fudhili.

“To get my Viper, for example, I had to borrow from every person I knew just to be able to buy it. A lot of people here in that community did the same. They are always passionate about racing, which has translated in world-class races and events. The community was built slowly, but each one of has tried really hard to make it something special.”
As the Fastest hits the world’s biggest streaming platform in 190 countries, Fudhili isn’t focused on his own potential stardom, he’s focused on his beloved home country, hoping that it could open things up even further, and that the series can inspire even more to follow his path to turn Saudi Arabia into one of the world’s great racing countries.
“It’s a very exciting time in Saudi Arabia. I believe this series could our path to grow Saudi Arabia’s motorsport scene, showing everyone across the region and the world what passion and skills we have. I’m so lucky that I am able to be a part of that, and hopefully the world will see the magic that Saudi Arabia and the Middle East hold,” says Fudhili.
Fudhili has a lot to be proud of—both he and fellow Saudi competitor Abdulaziz Alyaeesh both made the final four. It’s a feat that Alyaeesh is especially proud of given that the show reflects such a wide array of representatives from across the region, from different nations and show off how women racers, who traditionally have been cast aside in the sport, are proving that they have what it takes to beat any man on the track.
“I’m so proud that myself and Abdulaziz Alfudhili, the contestants from Saudi Arabia, reached the finals and had a big chance to be “The Fastest”, but the most memorable aspect for me was Bushra Nasr and her amazing skills. In Saudi Arabia, we are hosting big events such as the F1 and the Dakar Rally, which is showing how much car racing is growing in the Arab world, but most impressive to me is how inclusive that community is becoming. The male and female contestants on The Fastest all share the same passion, and as we see in the end, the ability to do it all,” says Alyaeesh.

Throughout the series, the competitors were faced with challenges they were unaware of until they were about to begin, not knowing what conditions they would be driving, with new surprises waiting around every corner.
“This was completely different from anything we’ve had to do on the track. We didn’t even know who we were racing against. We didn’t even have the chance to adjust our tyres. All of those factors gave us each a lot of stress. And I was the youngest one against two aces, making it even more personally stressful to me,” says Syrian racer Bushra Nasr.
For Kuwaiti competitor Ali Makhseed, a seasoned pro, the unexplained nature of the show was a thrilling experience, as it was unlike anything he’d done before.
“Usually in races you don’t get a lot of surprises. the surprises you get are mechanical, an engine failure, something wrong with the car. These are the kinds of surprises I’m used to. But competing in The Fastest, not knowing what you’re going up against was a surprise. We had to be ready for everything. We didn’t even know the track. We had no idea what we were doing. The car had to be ready for anything. We never thought we were going to have challenges the off road, for example. That was what ended up making it special,” says Makhseed.

Hosting the show is Tareq Al Harbi, one of Arab social media’s most popular figures, an award-winning comedian and YouTuber also known as ‘6ar80’ who has over 10 million followers across Instagram and YouTube. For Al Harbi, the move to Netflix required only one thing—that his parrot Shawla, who appears in so many of his videos, be brought along for the ride.
In the end, Shawla may have been the one who worked hardest to make the cut.
“My parrot Shalwa is essential part of the show, but it wasn’t a foregone conclusion he would make it. Me and Shalwa had to make an agreement so that he could join me. I told him that we are going to be together on Netflix. He got a bit over excited, so I had to work with him to calm down. After that, Shalwa and I did some rehearsals and eventually he made it through to the final cut by staying calm in front of the camera. I couldn’t be more proud of him.” says Al Harbi.

For Al Harbi, The Fastest also is a chance for the comedian to reflect on how far he has come—and the heights that the show could bring him to net.
“I used to be an ordinary guy, a simple employee working in the electricity industry, watching Netflix as any other person. From 2012 to 2016, I had a huge responsibility to perform very well in presenting shows, acting in movies, and in series. That’s what got me here. When I had the opportunity to present this show, I embraced it as strongly as I could, because it is the great show. If this is how the world meets me, I’m glad that I’ve been introduced to them properly. I’m so proud of what we’ve accomplished with this show,” says Al Harbi.