Sharjah: The promoter of the F1 H2O World Championship is keen on prolonging the competition rounds into at least one-week affairs at venues during the season in the near future.
The annual Grand Prix of Sharjah — traditionally the final stop of the season for F1 powerboats — was held over a one-week period while merging with the final round of the UIM-ABP Aquabikes World Championship on the Khalid Lagoon. Given the time and effort put in to get the infrastructure ready at each venue around the world, F1 Promoter Nicolo di San Germano feels that it is just right that each round be prolonged into a week instead of the event being held over just three days.
“There is a huge job to be done as far as the logistics go from one venue to another. Then there is so much effort put in by each event organiser to get the infrastructure ready as per specifications laid down by the UIM. So at the moment, our thinking is to see how best we can maximise on the facilities at each venue,” San Germano told Gulf News on the sidelines of the Grand Prix of Sharjah last weekend.
“There are several other possibilities also being weighed as we try to forge links with new venues such as Fujairah and in Saudi Arabia. We are more open now than before to venues who will adopt to our new strategy of having a full week of watersports rather than just a couple of days like at the moment. Sharjah has always supported us as people here know how important it is to have an event with real taste and impression,” he added.
The F1 promoter has also been scouting around for new venues that could be possibly added to the 2019 season. While old ones like Portimao (Portugal) and Amaravati (India) have already been finalised, newer ones such as Cardiff (UK) and Saudi Arabia are also being looked at seriously.
“It is my belief that seven rounds work out best for any driver and team during a season and we are working towards this number. Right now we are still in the early stages of planning and things will get clearer in the near future. But for now, the idea would be to have venues, who will entertain and support this idea of organising races and activities over one full week rather than just two or three-day affairs,” he added.
