Dubai: With a rather long break looming before them, some of the top teams have promised to do everything in their power to consolidate their positions in the 2016 F1H2O UIM World Championship.
It was two-time defending world champion Philippe Chiappe who set the ball rolling with a start to finish win at the Grand Prix of Dubai, the opening round of the 2016 F1H2O UIM World Championship season last weekend. Chiappe was followed by former three-time world champion Alex Carella representing Team Abu Dhabi, while Victory Team got a near-perfect debut on home waters with American driver Shaun Torrente coming in third against all odds.
Now that the bigger teams have got their act together with vital points against their names, it is time to consolidate their positions when the second round is held in Evian, France after nearly four and a half months on July 16-17.
“It is a rather long break from the first round to the second, but it is a good thing for teams as we get the opportunity to take a step backwards and work out our strategies,” CTIC F1 China Team manager Eric Chan told Gulf News.
“We have had the start we wanted despite time constraints of a shorter winter break this year. Now we need to just allow ourselves some time to see what things we can change and make the boat better,” he added.
The two boats will be shifted to the team base in France later this week, after which the entire crew will follow for some intense testing in time for the second round. “The start was very important for us. At 50 years, Philippe [Chiappe] shows that he is still a young racer at heart. The testing period will be crucial for all of us. Philippe has it in him that he can make it three world titles in a row, and that is going to be the ultimate objective this season,” Chan promised.
Carella was hopeful his Team Abu Dhabi can help turn things around during the interim period. “There is a lot of hard work to put in ahead for the entire team,” the Italian driver said.
“While we are happy with the 15 points that we have got, we were really looking for maximum points, and more importantly see how we could beat Philippe from that top position. We tried our best and did not succeed. There is always another time and we will do everything possible to dislodge him,” Carella promised.
Victory Team’s Torrente was pleased with the performance of his brand new boat that was built at the team set-up in Jebel Ali in record time. “A third place in our home race against all odds is very pleasing. But more importantly, we have to continue with our testing and ensure we can only get better over the next few months,” the native from Miami, Florida said.
“This is going to be one of the best seasons in F1 racing,” he predicted.
Standings after the Grand Prix of Dubai, the opening round of the 2016 F1H2O UIM World Championship at the Dubai International Marine Club (DIMC) held on Friday: 1 Philippe Chiappe (CTIC F1 China Team) 20pts; 2. Alex Carella (Team Abu Dhabi) 15; 3. Shaun Torrente (Victory Team) 12; 4. Jonas Andersson (Team Sweden) 9; 5. Ziwei Xiong (CTIC F1 China Team) 7; 6. Duarte Benavente (F1 Atlantic Team) 5; 7. Ivan Brigada (Emirates Team) 4; 8. Francesco Cantando (Blaze Performance Team) 3; 9. Filip Roms (Baba Racing) 2; 10. Bartek Marszalek (Blaze Performance Team) 1.
