Oleg Bocca will step up to UIM F2 for the 2026 season, marking a significant progression in his racing career after competing in Formula 4 and GT30 categories in recent years.
The 22-year-old Italian driver confirmed his F2 campaign following the release of the 2026 UIM F2 World and European Championship calendars. Rainbow Team will field Bocca in the European Championship at Lake Viverone on 7-9 August, with entries to Italian World Championship rounds at Brindisi on 26-28 June and San Nazzaro on 28-30 August under evaluation.
His father Fabrizio Bocca won the 1992 F1 World Championship after overcoming a three-point deficit in Singapore. His 22-year career included 145 starts, making him the second most active driver in series history when he retired in March 2008.
Championship legacy from 1992
The elder Bocca took the championship lead after winning the South African Grand Prix in Durban, but an engine failure whilst running second at Milan prevented an early title clinch. He recovered to win the championship in Singapore, completing a season that demonstrated the resilience that defined his career.
Bocca also finished third in the 1990 World Championship and claimed the 1983 F3 World title. He mentored American driver Scott Gillman as his Rainbow Team teammate from 1997. Gillman went on to win four world championships after joining Emirates Team around 2000.
Fabrizio Bocca founded the Fabrizio Bocca Powerboat Race Academy in 2016 and currently serves as Sport Circuit Commission President at the Federazione Italiana Motonautica. His wife Elisa Manzetta Bocca manages Rainbow Team’s operations.
Junior career progression
Oleg Bocca started racing inflatable boats at age 13, progressing rapidly through junior categories. He won multiple Formula Junior Elite races by age 16, including dominant performances at Stresa on Lake Maggiore in 2019.
His Italian GT30 championships in 2021 and 2023 sandwiched teammate Guglielmo Martinelli’s 2022 title, giving Rainbow Team a three-year sweep of the category. Bocca also finished third in the six-hour F4 World Endurance Grand Prix at Mons, Belgium, in May 2023, racing alongside Andrè Solvang and Attila Horvat for Team VSI.
He debuted in Formula 4 at the 2020 Waterfestival Viverone World Championship final and competed in European Championship rounds in 2021. He spent late 2025 conducting intensive F2 testing.
Low-budget approach with vintage equipment
Bocca will race a 2002 DAC hull for his F2 debut, the same constructor his father used during his championship-winning career. The boat is one year older than Oleg himself.
He told Italian sports newspaper La Stampa the team pursues a low-budget strategy centred on reliability and maximising cockpit time over outright speed.
F1H2O paddock experience
Bocca piloted a two-seater catamaran at the final two F1H2O World Championship rounds in November and December 2024, giving VIP passengers rides at the Jeddah and Sharjah Grands Prix.
Bocca described the experience as valuable for understanding the F1 paddock and building connections ahead of his long-term goal of reaching the championship.
Aiming for F1H2O
Rainbow Team has not competed in F1H2O since 2010, Fabrizio Bocca retired from racing 2 years earlier in 2008, and then focused on junior development in classes including F2, F4, Formula Junior and GT30. Paolo Longhi raced F2 for Rainbow Team in 2024, with Fabrizio serving as coach.
The team successfully hosted F2 and F500 World Championship rounds at Lake Viverone in 2010 and 2011, and continues to organise the annual Waterfestival at the venue.
Oleg Bocca stated his ultimate ambition is to reach F1H2O as a driver and return Rainbow Team to the championship his father won 34 years ago. The 2026 season will mark his tenth year in powerboat racing and his first full campaign in Formula 2.
John Moore’s 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 2025, he established Powerboat News, returning to independent journalism with a focus on neutral and comprehensive coverage of the sport.
