Abu Dhabi: Jonas Andersson of Team Sweden continued where he left off on Thursday as he led from Pole Position to the finish to win the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, the sixth and penultimate round on the 2016 UIM F1H2O World Championship at the Abu Dhabi breakwater on Friday.
After showing devastating form with a blistering lap of 44.60 seconds in the Pole Position run the previous day, there was no way anyone from the field of 19 could match the Swede’s resolve in registering an outright win after exactly 50 races.
The 42-year-old driver had last won a race in 2009 in Liuzhou, China and this one seemed to have come at not exactly the right time — as he does not stand a chance to contest for the overall world crown with only the final round left to be held in Sharjah next weekend.
But Andersson’s strong drive kept defending two-time world champion Philippe Chiappe of the CTIC China Team in a safe second place, while Team Abu Dhabi’s Alex Carella pipped Victory Team’s Shaun Torrente of a near certain podium finish. Possibly slowing down a bit as the two drivers approached the finish line, it was Carella who forced his way past the Victory Team ace to take third spot by a mere 0.35 seconds.
It was a real heartbreak for Emirates Racing Team’s Erik Stark as he limped out of the race with just five laps remaining in the 45-lap round. Till then, the 29-year-old from Stockholm was firmly in the saddle for at least a podium finish when his boat just caved in on the fifth turn putting him out of the running.
Friday’s results further narrowed down the race for the world crown with Chiappe enjoying a 19-point cushion at the top of the overall drivers’ standings over Torrente. The CTIC China Team’s French driver is at the summit with 82 points, while Victory Team’s American driver is the only one with a mathematical chance of denying Chiappe a third successive world title as he stands in second with 63 points.
Andersson’s victory on Friday meant the native of Frovi, Sweden occupies third place overall with 57 points, while Sami Selio and Alex Carella are tied for fourth with an identical 54 points.
The F1 action now shifts along the Buhairah Corniche with the season-finale Sharjah Grand Prix from December 14-16. A mere finish with a few points will be adequate for Chiappe to reclaim a third world title ahead of Victory Team’s Torrente.
Results at the end of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix — the sixth and penultimate round of the 2016 UIM F1H2O World Championship held at the Abu Dhabi breakwater on Friday: 1. Jonas Andersson (Team Sweden); 2. Philip Chiappe (CTIC China Team); 3. Alex Carella (Team Abu Dhabi); 4. Shaun Torrente (Victory Team); 5. Sami Selio (Mad-Croc Baba Racing); 6. Marit Stromoy (EMIC Racing Team); 7. Filip Roms (Mad-Croc Baba Racing); 8. Duarte Benavente (F1 Atlantic Team); 9. Bartek Marszalek (Blaze Performance Team); 10. Trask Grant (EMIC Racing Team).
Top five drivers’ standings at the end of the penultimate round of the 2016 UIM F1H2O World Championship at the Abu Dhabi breakwater on Friday: 1. Philippe Chiappe (CTIC F1 China Team — 82 pts); 2. Shaun Torrente (Victory Team — 63); 3. Jonas Andersson (Team Sweden — 57); 4. Alex Carella (Team Abu Dhabi — 54); =4. Sami Selio (Mad-Croc Baba Racing — 54).
Teams standings at the end of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix: 1. CTIC China Team (91pts); 2. Mad-Croc Baba Racing (76); 3. Victory Team (65); 4. Team Abu Dhabi (63); 5. Team Sweden (57); 6. Emirates Racing Team (48).
