Team Abu Dhabi’s Alex Carella was forced out of contention from a pulsating Grand Prix of Liuzhou with technical issues after 17 of the race’s 50 laps and his demise carved a clean path for Ahmed Al-Hameli of the Emirates Racing Team to claim a stunning victory on the fifth round of the UIM F1 H2O World Championship on Monday afternoon.
A delighted Al-Hameli last won a round of the series in Doha Bay in 2012, but the Emirati delivered a superb performance from pole position on the Liu River course to fend off a superb challenge from double World Champion and series leader Philippe Chiappe to record his stunning win.
Carella’s second successive disappointment gives the Team Abu Dhabi driver an uphill battle to now win the 2016 UIM F1 H2O World Championship for the fourth time.
The Italian trails series leader Chiappe by 25 points, with 40 points available at the remaining two rounds in December. Team-mate Thani Al-Qamzi delivered a solid performance in the second DAC boat and reached the finish in sixth position.
Double World Champion Sami Selio remained in title contention with the final podium position and Shaun Torrente of the Victory Team stayed in second place in the Drivers’ Championship, albeit 13 points behind Chiappe.
Team Abu Dhabi lost further ground in the UIM F1 H2O Teams’ series, with the CTIC F1 Shenzhen China Team now leading by 11 points from Mad Croc Baba Racing.
Rashed Al-Qamzi extended his lead in the 2016 UIM F4-S Championship to a commanding 36 points with four races to run, courtesy of an excellent 3.63sec victory in the second of the races on the Liu River.
