Team Abu Dhabi’s Rashed Al Qemzi delivered a measured and professional performance to finish fourth in the Grand Prix of Portugal at Ribadouro and claim the 2017 UIM F2 World Championship, becoming champion despite starting from ninth place after qualifying was disrupted by strong winds.
Sweden’s Pierre Lundin needed to win the 45-lap race on the Douro River and rely on Al Qemzi finishing outside the points to have any chance of overhauling the Emirati’s championship lead. He did everything he could, running second throughout, but Lundin’s second place was not enough. Al Qemzi is champion by six points.
“This is a special day for me and everyone within Team Abu Dhabi and the Abu Dhabi International Marine Sports Club. This title is for everyone who has supported me and to the whole team for all their efforts this season. I knew what I had to do. Losing Q3 because of the wind did not help at all, but I managed my race well and we have been rewarded with the World Championship.” Rashed Al Qemzi
Qualifying
Qualifying was delayed by more than two hours before eventually getting underway on Saturday afternoon. In Group A, Lundin set the pace with a 44.32-second lap, ahead of Al Qemzi (44.57s) and Benavente (44.59s). Oskar Samuelsson topped Group B with a 44.69-second lap, with Ferdinand Zandbergen, Edgaras Riabko, Tobias Munthe-Kaas and Johan Österberg completing the top five in that group.
Benavente then won Q2 with a 43.90-second lap, ahead of Lundin, Zandbergen, Nelson Morin and Österberg. Al Qemzi pitted mid-session for a propeller change and dropped to ninth. Q3 was cancelled on Sunday morning due to the returning wind, leaving Q2 times as the grid order and Benavente on pole for his home race.
The race
Benavente led from pole in calm conditions with Lundin tucked in behind, the Swede watching Al Qemzi and the championship closely. Al Qemzi made a good start from ninth and was up to sixth by the end of lap one. A yellow flag on lap three brought the race to a temporary halt when Munthe-Kaas stopped on course; racing resumed on lap six.
The restart order remained Benavente, Lundin, Zandbergen, Comparato and Al Qemzi, and the positions stayed broadly fixed through the middle of the race. On lap 27 Al Qemzi moved up to fourth at Zandbergen’s expense, which stretched his championship cushion beyond any threat from Lundin.
At the front, Benavente held Lundin’s constant pressure to win by 1.75 seconds, giving the veteran Portuguese racer an historic victory on home waters. Italy’s Alberto Comparato completed the podium, with Al Qemzi fourth and France’s Nelson Morin fifth. Mohammed Al Mehairbi, starting 17th in the second Team Abu Dhabi boat, retired after 18 laps with a technical problem.
UIM F2 Grand Prix of Portugal – result
| Pos | Driver | Nationality | Team | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Duarte Benavente | Portugal | Atlantic Team | – |
| 2 | Pierre Lundin | Sweden | Lundin F1 Racing | +1.75s |
| 3 | Alberto Comparato | Italy | Comparato F2 | +24.66s |
| 4 | Rashed Al Qemzi | UAE | Team Abu Dhabi | +27.94s |
| 5 | Nelson Morin | France | F1 China CTIC Team | +28.94s |
| 6 | Oskar Samuelsson | Sweden | OS Racing | +1 lap |
| 7 | Daniel Segenmark | Sweden | Segenmark Racing | +1 lap |
| 8 | Ola Pettersson | Sweden | Skåne Racing Team F2 | +1 lap |
| 9 | Edgaras Riabko | Lithuania | F2 Lithuania | +1 lap |
| 10 | Héctor Sanz | Spain | Icar Nautica Racing | +1 lap |
| 11 | Johan Österberg | Sweden | Team AJO | +1 lap |
| 12 | Owen Jelf | Great Britain | Owen Jelf Racing | +1 lap |
2017 UIM F2 World Championship – final standings
| Pos | Driver | Nationality | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Rashed Al Qemzi | UAE | 41 |
| 2 | Pierre Lundin | Sweden | 35 |
| 3 | Nelson Morin | France | 23 |
| 4 | Duarte Benavente | Portugal | 20 |
| 5 | Ola Pettersson | Sweden | 16 |
| 6 | Johan Österberg | Sweden | 15 |
| 6 | Konstantin Ustinov | Russia | 15 |
| 6 | Alberto Comparato | Italy | 15 |
| 6 | Edgaras Riabko | Lithuania | 15 |
| 10 | Oskar Samuelsson | Sweden | 11 |
| 11 | Daniel Segenmark | Sweden | 10 |
| 12 | Owen Jelf | Great Britain | 7 |
| 13 | Erik Edin | Sweden | 5 |
| 14 | Ferdinand Zandbergen | Netherlands | 3 |
| 15 | Nick Bisterfeld | Germany | 2 |
| 16 | Héctor Sanz | Spain | 1 |
Neil Perkins, is a seasoned sports journalist and PR professional. Educated at Adams’ Grammar School, Newport, he developed a lifelong passion for sport, including football, cricket, golf, and snooker.
Perkins began his career as a trainee accountant before moving into sports journalism in 1986 with Motoring News, covering events worldwide. In 1990, he founded NDP Publicity Services in Shropshire, specialising in sports public relations. Over three decades, he has worked across 114 countries for governments, sporting federations, royalty, celebrities, and major events such as the Commonwealth Games, Asian Games, and Winter Olympics.
Outside work, he follows Ipswich Town FC, enjoys fishing in Spain and Shropshire, and travels to destinations including Sri Lanka, Vietnam, Catalunya, and Mexico.
