Alec Weckström took the first pole position of his UIM F1H2O career at the Grand Prix of Shanghai on Sunday, leading a Victory Team one-two in qualifying with a lap of 43.986 seconds. His team-mate, championship leader Shaun Torrente, was 0.207 seconds slower in second. Stefan Arand, four points behind Torrente in the standings, qualified third for Sharjah Team.
Sami Selio was fourth for Comparato Racing, ahead of Grant Trask in the second Sharjah Team boat. Stefan Hagin completed the top six for China CTIC Team, reaching the final shootout in his third Grand Prix in the only Moore hull in Q3.
Arand topped Q1 in 45.362 seconds and Weckström was fastest in Q2 before setting the pace from his opening lap of Q3, a 44.180. Torrente came within 0.013 seconds on his sixth lap, but Weckström responded with a 43.986, the first lap under 44 seconds of the weekend.
A Difficult Day for Team Abu Dhabi
Jonas Andersson, who won the Grand Prix of Shanghai last year and came into the weekend third in the championship, completed only two laps in Q1 before an engine problem sent him back to the pontoon. He was eliminated in 16th, 3.50 seconds off Arand’s pace.
Rashed Al Qemzi was fifth when his boat stopped with just over eight minutes of Q2 remaining. He got going again with around two minutes left but could not regain a top-six place and qualified ninth. Erik Stark, who had set the early pace in Q1, was 11th late in Q2 and could only climb to eighth with his final run, missing Q3 by 0.006 seconds to Alberto Comparato.
Q1 Exits
Sharjah Team’s Rusty Wyatt pulled out of Q1 with an engine issue with just over two minutes remaining, and was classified 14th, 0.01 seconds behind Atlantic Team’s Ben Jelf. Jelf was pushed into 13th by a late lap from Rashed Al Qemzi and suffered a loss of fuel pressure. Duarte Benavente of Atlantic Team and Maverick Racing’s Cédric Deguisne were also eliminated in Q1.
Stromoy Racing’s Bartek Marszalek did not take part in qualifying after flipping in the first free practice session. He was unhurt, but severe damage to his hull rules him out of Sunday’s racing.
Final Qualifying Order
| Pos | Driver | Team | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Alec Weckström | Victory Team | 43.986 |
| 2 | Shaun Torrente | Victory Team | 44.193 |
| 3 | Stefan Arand | Sharjah Team | 44.321 |
| 4 | Sami Selio | Comparato Racing | 44.470 |
| 5 | Grant Trask | Sharjah Team | 44.886 |
| 6 | Stefan Hagin | China CTIC Team | 45.163 |
| 7 | Alberto Comparato | Comparato Racing | 45.614 |
| 8 | Erik Stark | Team Abu Dhabi | 45.620 |
| 9 | Rashed Al Qemzi | Team Abu Dhabi | 45.809 |
| 10 | Alexandre Bourgeot | Maverick Racing | 45.898 |
| 11 | Brent Dillard | China CTIC Team | 46.105 |
| 12 | Marit Strømøy | Stromoy Racing | 46.546 |
| 13 | Ben Jelf | Atlantic Team | 46.937 |
| 14 | Rusty Wyatt | Sharjah Team | 46.948 |
| 15 | Duarte Benavente | Atlantic Team | 47.559 |
| 16 | Jonas Andersson | Team Abu Dhabi | 48.866 |
| 17 | Cédric Deguisne | Maverick Racing | 1:30.549 |
| 18 | Bartek Marszalek | Stromoy Racing | DNS |
Sprint Races
The sprint format splits the field by qualifying position, with 10 points for each sprint winner. Both sprints run over 18 laps. Torrente and Arand meet in Sprint Race 2, starting first and second on the grid.
| Grid | Sprint Race 1 | Sprint Race 2 |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Alec Weckström (Victory Team) | Shaun Torrente (Victory Team) |
| 2 | Sami Selio (Comparato Racing) | Stefan Arand (Sharjah Team) |
| 3 | Grant Trask (Sharjah Team) | Stefan Hagin (China CTIC Team) |
| 4 | Erik Stark (Team Abu Dhabi) | Alberto Comparato (Comparato Racing) |
| 5 | Rashed Al Qemzi (Team Abu Dhabi) | Alexandre Bourgeot (Maverick Racing) |
| 6 | Marit Strømøy (Stromoy Racing) | Brent Dillard (China CTIC Team) |
| 7 | Ben Jelf (Atlantic Team) | Rusty Wyatt (Sharjah Team) |
| 8 | Jonas Andersson (Team Abu Dhabi) | Duarte Benavente (Atlantic Team) |
| 9 | Cédric Deguisne (Maverick Racing) | Bartek Marszalek (Stromoy Racing) |
Marszalek is listed on the Sprint Race 2 grid but will not start following his practice accident.
The Grand Prix of Shanghai starts on Monday at 15:05 local time, with the grid set by final qualifying. Full session times are in our Grand Prix of Shanghai guide.
2026 Championship Standings
Full points for every driver going into the Grand Prix of Shanghai.
View Full Standings
John Moore is the editor of Powerboat News, an independent investigative journalism platform recognised by Google News and documented on Grokipedia for comprehensive powerboat racing coverage.
His involvement in powerboat racing began in 1981 when he competed in his first offshore powerboat race. After a career as a Financial Futures broker in the City of London, specialising in UK interest rate markets, he became actively involved in event organisation and powerboat racing journalism.
He served as Event Director for the Cowes–Torquay–Cowes races between 2010 and 2013. In 2016, he launched Powerboat Racing World, a digital platform providing global powerboat racing news and insights. The following year, he co-founded UKOPRA, helping to rejuvenate offshore racing in the United Kingdom. He sold Powerboat Racing World in late 2021 and remained actively involved with UKOPRA until 2025.
In September 2025, he established Powerboat News, returning to independent journalism with a focus on neutral and comprehensive coverage of the sport.
