Abu Dhabi: Team Abu Dhabi resume their challenge for honours in the prestigious UIM F1 H2O World Championship, when Alex Carella and Thani Al Qamzi represent the team out of the Abu Dhabi International Marine Sports Club (ADIMSC) at this weekend’s Grand Prix of Harbin (September 2-4) in north-eastern China.
Just days after sending a team to a round of the UIM F2 Championship in Lithuania, Team Abu Dhabi head straight to Asia, where Carella hopes to defend his slender two-point lead in the championship and stay on course to give the ADIMSC a long-awaited UIM F1 H2O world title.
Situated in the northern-most part of China, the new addition to H2O Racing’s F1 calendar will take place at the Hulan Estuary Wetland Park, with the race scheduled to start at 11am UAE time on Sunday.
The last few races in this highly competitive series have been thrilling spectacles and Carella managed to overcome a technical issue at the last race in Portugal to coax his DAC over the line in fifth place and remain two points clear of the double world champion, Philippe Chiappe, and a further four in front of the talented American driver Shaun Torrente of Dubai’s Victory Team.
These three drivers have edged clear of the rest of the field over the course of the first three rounds of the series in Dubai, France and Portugal, but Carella knows full well that several other drivers, including team-mate Thani Al Qamzi, Sami Selio, Jonas Andersson, Erik Stark and Ahmad Al Hameli are more than capable of springing a surprise in Harbin and snatching points from the leading trio.
Al Qamzi set some excellent lap times at the last race and the second of the Team Abu Dhabi drivers will be hoping for better fortune as the F1 H2O series heads east for two races in China, before returning to Abu Dhabi and Sharjah for the final two races in the calendar in December.
Team Abu Dhabi’s Rashid Al Qamzi currently leads the UIM F-4S feeder championship standings by five points from Finland’s Kalle Viippo and the Emirati will be hoping to keep up his run of superb form as well.
Team-mate Mohammad Al Mehairbi holds eighth place in the rankings heading to Harbin, but should be able to benefit from valuable boat time at last weekend’s F2 race in Lithuania, where he finished one place behind Rashid Al Qamzi in 10th overall.
“The race in Harbin is the start of a series of important Asian races for the team,” said Salem Al Romaithi, assistant general manager of the Abu Dhabi International Marine Sports Club (ADIMSC).
“Alex and Thani were particularly impressive at the last race and Alex is very well placed to continue his success and extend his lead in the World Championship in China. We are chasing title success on several fronts.
“Alex and Thani are battling for honours in the main F1 H2O series, where we are also challenging for the Teams’ title, but Rashid Al Qamzi has already proved this year that he is the man to beat in F4-S and we hope that he can continue to deliver the results over the remaining races.”
Team Abu Dhabi are supported by Etihad Airways as the official carrier and sponsor and run under the patronage of Dr Shaikh Sultan Bin Khalifa Al Nahyan, adviser to the Head of State and chairman of the board of directors of the Abu Dhabi International Marine Sports Club (ADIMSC). The racing team runs under the auspices of the ADIMSC racing manager Guido Cappellini and assistant general manager Salem Al Remeithi.
2016 UIM F1H2O World Championship – Drivers’ Championship standings:
1. Alex Carella (ITA) Team Abu Dhabi: 42 pts 2. Philippe Chiappe (FRA) China CTIC Team: 40 pts 3. Shaun Torrente (USA) Victory Team: 36 pts 4. Jonas Andersson (SWE) Team Sweden: 18 pts 5. Filip Roms (FIN) Baba Racing: 17 pts 6. Sami Selio (FIN) Baba Racing: 15 pts 7. Duarte Benavente (PRT) F1 Atlantic Team: 12 pts 8. Cedric Deguisne (FRA) Maverick Racing: 9 pts, etc
2016 UIM F1 H2O Pole Position Championship – current standings:
1. Alex Carella (UAE) Team Abu Dhabi: 47 pts 2. Philippe Chiappe (FRA) China CTIC Team: 41 pts 3. Shaun Torrente (USA) Victory Team: 29 pts 3. Erik Stark (SWE) Emirates Racing Team: 29 pts 5. Sami Selio (FIN) Baba Racing: 20 pts 6. Jonas Andersson (SWE) Team Sweden: 17 pts 7. Thani Al Qamzi (UAE) Team Abu Dhabi: 14 pts 8. Ahmad Al Hameli (UAE) Emirates Racing Team: 7 pts
2016 UIM F4-S Trophy – positions after race 4:
1. Rashid Al Qamzi (UAE) Team Abu Dhabi: 67 pts 2. Kalle Viippo (FIN) Team Sweden: 62 pts 3. Ferdinand Zandbergen (NLD) Baba Racing: 59 pts 4. Bingchen Wu (CHN) CTIC F1 China Team: 36 pts 5. Mohammad Al Yamahi (UAE) Victory Team: 26 pts 6. Tom Chiappe (FRA) EMIC Racing Team: 16 pts 7. Ali Bin Shaiban (UAE) Emirates Racing Team: 15 pts 8. Mohammad Al Mehairbi (UAE) Team Abu Dhabi: 9 pts 8. Paolo Longhi (ITA) Blaze Performance Team: 8 pts 10. Jeremy Brisset (FRA) F1 Atlantic Team: 7 pts
