Seventeen drivers are confirmed for the 2026 UIM F2 World Championship Grand Prix of Italy at Brindisi on 26-28 June, with three new names joining the field that contested Round 1 in Klaipeda.
Owen Jelf and Sam Whittle both enter from Round 2 as planned. Jelf will be campaigning his Italian BaBa hull that has been modified over the winter. Whittle, a marine engineer from the south coast who holds the UIM F2 World Speed Record at 133.79 mph set at Coniston in 2024, won the British F2 championship before stepping up to international competition.
The most significant new entry is Oleg Bocca, who makes his F2 world championship debut at Brindisi. The 22-year-old Italian races for Rainbow Team, the squad his father Fabrizio founded. Fabrizio Bocca won the 1992 F1 World Championship and currently serves as Sport Circuit Commission President at the Federazione Italiana Motonautica. Oleg races a 2002 DAC hull, one year older than himself, in a low-budget programme centred on reliability.
Italy has further representation through Giacomo Sacchi, who races under a Monegasque licence but carries one of Italian powerboat racing’s most celebrated names. His grandfather was Tullio Abbate, the legendary Italian boat builder whose clients included Ayrton Senna, Gilles Villeneuve and Bernie Ecclestone. Sacchi finished 5th in the 2025 world championship and set the fastest lap of any finisher in the closing stages at Klaipeda.
France has two entries in Peter Morin and Nelson Morin. The brothers, who won the 2026 UIM S3 World Endurance Championship together at Poses in May alongside Thomas Cleret, line up on opposite sides of the paddock for F2. Peter finished second at Klaipeda behind defending champion Mathilda Wiberg; Nelson was fifth.
Mette Bjerknæs will also race at Brindisi after JRM Racing repaired her Moore hull in time for Round 2. The Norwegian nose-dived on the Danė River during Round 1 while running behind Ian Blacker, and was classified ACC. Comparato Marine hosted the JRM race truck and provided facilities for the repair work, with Blacker transporting equipment from Klaipeda to Brindisi.
Two drivers who competed at Klaipeda are absent. Dainis Podzuks and Nils Slakteris, both from Latvia, do not appear in the Brindisi entry list.
Grand Prix of Italy — Entry List
| No. | Driver | Nat | Team |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mathilda Wiberg | SWE | Wiberg Racing |
| 2 | Johan Österberg | SWE | Team AJO |
| 3 | Owen Jelf | GBR | Owen Jelf Racing |
| 4 | Jarno Vilmunen | FIN | Motor Mix Racing |
| 9 | Mette Bjerknæs | NOR | JRM Racing |
| 11 | Peter Morin | FRA | Team RPM |
| 14 | Ian Blacker | GBR | Kingfisher Racing |
| 27 | André Solvang | NOR | Sharjah Team |
| 30 | Sam Whittle | GBR | Powertech Marine |
| 33 | Nelson Morin | FRA | Touax Gulf Racing |
| 41 | Edgaras Riabko | LTU | Hegelmann Racing |
| 45 | Duarte Benavente | POR | Atlantic Team |
| 57 | Oleg Bocca | ITA | Rainbow Team |
| 70 | Hilmer Wiberg | SWE | Wiberg Racing |
| 74 | Giacomo Sacchi | MON | Champion Marine RT |
| 77 | Tobias Munthe-Kaas | NOR | Stromoy Racing F2 |
| 96 | Roope Virtanen | FIN | Virtanen Racing |
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.
