Team Abu Dhabi duo set for title showdown after rival Jonas Andersson takes Grand Prix of Sharjah

SHARJAH: Team Abu Dhabi’s Shaun Torrente will carry a three-point advantage over Jonas Andersson into the final round of the 2022 UIM F1H2O World Championship on Sunday, after a dramatic end to the Grand Prix of Sharjah on Friday. Torrente looked to be heading for a second-place finish behind defending champion Andersson before late electrical problems caused him to lose power, and four places, over the closing laps.

It sets the stage for a tense climax to the season on Khalid Lagoon. Team Sweden’s Andersson led start-to-finish from pole position and the victory might have given him the momentum heading into the decider, but two-time world champion Torrente will be looking to bounce back from the sixth-place disappointment and claim a third F1H2O crown.

Despite finishing seventh following his own mechanical difficulties during qualifying, Team Abu Dhabi veteran Thani Al-Qemzi still has a fighting chance to claim his first world title. He sits third in the standings, 10 points behind his teammate and seven behind Andersson.

The uncertainties of elite, world championship powerboat racing, and a history of unpredictable conclusions to the season in Sharjah, mean the title is still very much up for grabs and the Emirati certainly cannot be discounted. Torrente, meanwhile, will need no reminding that in 2019 in Sharjah, he snatched the world title from Andersson’s grasp, squeezing into second place behind the Swede on the last lap to beat him on a championship countback.