Overtake nation are dreaming of formula 1 in Egypt

While most of Cairo was asleep one Sunday morning at 6 AM, a crowd gathered in Madinaty to watch the first race of the 2026 Formula 1 season, which was taking place halfway across the world in Melbourne, Australia. The organisers, Overtake Nation, are Egypt’s first community dedicated to Formula 1, and they’ve got a long-term vision for bringing the world’s fastest sport back to Egypt for the first time since 1947. Founded by friends Omar Yossri, Philo Emad, and Ahmed Ramy, Overtake Nation was born from watch parties they’d set up among friends at their homes or in restaurants for the past four years. “After 'F1: The Movie' (2025) came out, we found that lots of people in Egypt started to get really interested in F1,” Omar Yossri tells SceneSports. “The community really started growing.” The trio, friends since high school and all graduates of Computer Science at Ain Shams University, launched Overtake Nation in October 2025 and hosted its first watch party at 354 Club in Madinaty, where they’ve been hosting every watch party since. “People come all the way from Zayed to watch the race,” Yossri says. Each event brings newcomers and familiar faces of all ages from across Cairo. One of their regulars, a 70-year-old pharmacist who hasn’t missed a single one of Overtake Nation’s watch parties, shows up wearing McLaren merch to support his favourite team. “Soon, we want to put races on in two or three venues around Cairo at the same time, so more people can join.” And they have the numbers to support it: for races that fall at a convenient time, they sell out the 200 tickets on offer. “People come at the door, and we have to tell them, we’re sorry, there’s no more space in the venue.” Meanwhile, the three friends are doing everything they can to grow the community. “Overtake is not for profit,” Emad explains. “We’re doing this out of passion, to create the kinds of gatherings and live discussions that football has.” The revenue earned from the ticket sales, which cost EGP 250, goes towards growing their platform through ads, content creation, coverage of the watch party, and paying the venue fees. They also sell their own merchandise, allowing fans to wear their favourite teams (or memes about them). “In the end, everything is for the purpose of F1.” At their first event, Red Bull (whose team have won several F1 world championships in recent years) handed out drinks to all of the attendants. Yossri, Emad and Ramy have also received queries from people wanting to sell F1 related memorabilia like posters and keychains at their watch parties, to which they always say yes. “We don’t take a cut,” Yossri says. “We just want everyone who’s looking for something to find it. If you’ll add to the F1 community in Egypt, come, and bring your friends.” At the watch parties, there’s no rules or shushing, but the atmosphere mimics the action onscreen. In the lead up to an overtake, the crowd quiets, waiting for the pounce. During the 300 km/h battle between Ferrari drivers Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton in the Shanghai Grand Prix, everyone was holding their breath to see who would ultimately come out on top. When overtakes succeed or fail, cheers and groans break out. Beyond the watch parties, Overtake Nation wants to be the go-to source of Formula 1 news and updates for their community. “We’re still in the very beginning,” Yossri and Emad tell SceneSports. “In the future, we want to cover news on our website, expand the merch, increase the venues. Maybe then we’ll think about being profitable, but our whole focus now is on building community.” Ultimately, Overtake Nation’s founders hope to create a community which will entice Formula 1 and Egyptian organizers to bring the Grand Prix back to Egypt. “In the King Farouk days there was a Grand Prix in Egypt around the island of Zamalek,” Yossri says. “I don’t think it’s very far off that Egypt gets its own F1 track again in the coming 10 years, for example overlooking the pyramids.” The Gezira Grand Prix, which was held on March 9th, 1947, was the first and only Grand Prix staged in Egypt. Although Egypt does not have a racetrack capable of hosting a modern Formula 1 race, more and more small-scale karting tracks are appearing across the country, signalling an increase in appetite for the sport. “We’ve got karting schools certified by the FIA, and we’ve got the resources,” Emad says. “We want to show the world that there’s a huge fan base here as well, and that the race can be done in Egypt.”