Sacchi on pole, Mansoori braces for tense climax to world title race

ABU DHABI: TEAM Abu Dhabi’s Rashed Al Qemzi narrowly missed out on pole position for Sunday’s Grand Prix of Portugal on a day of drama in the penultimate round of the 2022 UIM F2 World Championship.

The three-times F2 world champion looked to be heading through as the fastest qualifier, before he was edged out by 0.320 seconds as Monaco’s Giacomo Sacchi made a late surge to win the six-boat shoot-out.

It was a difficult day for Qemzi’s teammate, world championship leader Mansoor Al Mansoori, whose challenge in qualifying was cut short by engine problems and will start tomorrow aternoon’s Grand Prix near the back of the field.

The consolation for Mansoori was that his closest challenger in the title race, Germany’s Stefan Hagin who lies three points behind him, was also forced out by technical problems in the first of two back-to-back Grand Prix race weekends in Portugal Barring non finishes for Mansoori and his two closest challengers, Hagin and Sharjah Team’s Sami Selio, Qemzi cannot retain his world title.

The Emirati, however, is determined to round of the season with victory in Ribadouro, and then produce a repeat performance in Vila Velha de Ródão next weekend, as he did last year to secure his third world F2 crown.

He underlined that mood in today’s delayed free practice session on the River Douro, seting the fastest time ahead of Sacchi and Selio, with Norwegian Tobias Munthe-kaas, home favourite Duarte Benavente, and Mansoori completing the top six.

While Qemzi later cruised through the first of three qualifying sessions with the third fastest time, mechanical issues forced Al Mansoori into an early pit stop before he headed back out onto the 1,765m circuit to comfortably reach the next phase.

Ater a gusting wind delayed the start of the second qualifying stage, Qemzi set the second fastest time just behind Sacchi, before engine problems brought Mansoori to a halt.

But the championship leader will be aiming for a good start tomorrow and a climb through the field to give him a chance of leading the title race into the final weekend.

Both Mansoori and Qemzi say they owe a great debt to Italian powerboat racing legend, Guido Cappellini, for the way the ten-times F1 powerboat racing champion has coached and guided them in race tactics and mental preparation.

Cappellini has delivered 14 world titles to the UAE capital since taking over as Team Abu Dhabi manager in February 2015, and his presence and calming influence will be a key factor in a tense climax to the 2022 season.

Mansoori and Qemzi shared in one of those triumphs as Team Abu powered their way to the UIM World Endurance Championships in Poland last July.