After a spectacular qualifying day at the Grand Prix of France, Shaun Torrente and Thani Al Qemzi are well positioned to give Team Abu Dhabi a strong start to the 2022 UIM F1H2O World Championship.
Team Abu Dhabi manager Guido Cappellini with Thani Al Qemzi
After Team Sharjah’s two-time world champion, Sami Selio, secured pole position on the Saone River circuit in Macon today, they will start the season’s first race tomorrow afternoon in second and third places, respectively.
Torrente and Al Qemzi, who are heavily favored to bring the UAE capital its sixth consecutive world team trophy, will not be pleased unless one of them also wins the individual drivers’ title, and both will be looking for a strong start tomorrow.
The risky nature of F1H2O racing’s three-stage qualification process was highlighted today when defending world champion Jonas Andersson failed to qualify for the six-boat final stage shoot-out.
That puts a big task in front of the Swede tomorrow, while Torrente and Al Qemzi will also have Selio in their sights from the start, hoping to steal victory from the flying Finn.
Torrente, the world champion in 2018 and 2019, had a strong start to the weekend, establishing the fastest time in the first practice session the day before, putting last year’s sad third-place finish behind him.
After witnessing his pursuit for a first world title fall short by a solitary point little over six months ago, Al Qemzi is putting everything he’s learned in 22 years of F1H2O experience to good use in France.
In the qualifying shoot-out, Selio and the two Team Abu Dhabi drivers were separated by just 53 seconds, setting the stage for a fascinating struggle for supremacy to kick off the 2022 Grand Prix season.
The boats will return to the Saone River course tomorrow for a lunchtime warm-up before the French Grand Prix, which returns this weekend after a three-year hiatus.
The championship then travels to Italy next month for two back-to-back Grand Prix races at San Nazzaro, a familiar venue for Team Abu Dhabi, which utilized it for testing last week before moving on to Macon.
When the Grand Prix of Regione Emilia Romagna takes place on the Po River on July 16th, followed by the Grand Prix of Italy 24 hours later, local expertise could come in handy for Torrente and Al Qemzi.
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