Adam Wrenkler won Grand Prix of Italy 1 at Viverone on Saturday, taking Race 3 of the UIM F4 World Championship by 1.586 seconds from Jean Baptiste Thomas.
The result puts Wrenkler seven points clear at the top of the championship going into Sunday’s Race 4, the last of the season. He arrived at Viverone level on points with Ardis Slakteris after a protest-hit weekend at Klaipeda in June.
Slakteris could only manage fourth on Saturday, 18.893 seconds off Wrenkler’s pace. Attila Horvath took third, ahead of William Leithe-Martinsen in fifth on his return from a Sharjah debut earlier in the week.
Wrenkler told Powerboat News he had been cautious with his starts through the day.
To be honest, the first start I was coming in all the time, so I just tried to slow it down. I heard over the radio where Slakteris was as well, because obviously we came into the championship level on points.
| Pos | Driver | Nat | Best Lap | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Adam Wrenkler | SWE | 1:01.027 | – |
| 2 | Jean Baptiste Thomas | FRA | 1:01.065 | +1.586 |
| 3 | Attila Horvath | HUN | 1:02.548 | +12.081 |
| 4 | Ardis Slakteris | LAT | 59.751 | +18.893 |
| 5 | William Leithe-Martinsen | NOR | 1:03.822 | +26.266 |
| 6 | Sultan Alfalahi | UAE | 1:04.337 | +28.829 |
| 7 | Oliver Martin | FIN | 1:01.192 | +32.952 |
| 8 | Pierre Lambert | FRA | 44.888 | +36.077 |
| 9 | Noel Vanttinen | FIN | 1:03.251 | +38.053 |
| 10 | Paulius Stainys | LTU | 45.692 | +43.425 |
| 11 | Arthur Sundback | FIN | 46.286 | +52.912 |
| 12 | Alia Abdulsalam | UAE | 49.556 | +1:00.624 |
| 13 | Niklavs Rimeicans | LAT | 54.668 | +1 lap |
| 14 | Fuke Andor | HUN | 49.567 | +1 lap |
| 15 | Ismat Moani | UAE | 46.859 | +2 laps |
| 16 | Benjamin Berti | BEL | 46.284 | +9 laps |
| 17 | William Sjostrom | SWE | 1:04.077 | +10 laps |
Championship picture going into Race 4
Wrenkler’s win moves him to 50 points. Thomas and Slakteris are tied on 43 points behind him. Horvath is fourth on 32, with Leithe-Martinsen fifth on 28.
Seven points covers the top three with one race left. Sunday’s Race 4 at Viverone, the final round of the season, decides the title.
Nida Kilinskaite, fourth in the standings after Klaipeda, has not travelled to Viverone and stays on 22 points.
Asked about his approach to Sunday’s title decider, Wrenkler gave little away.
I’ll do it all, I’m not going to take a risk of course. We’ll see what happens tomorrow. There’s nothing to lose, everything to win.
Wrenkler had already split the honours with Slakteris at Klaipeda in June, winning Race 2 there after Slakteris took Race 1. Saturday’s win at Viverone is his first outright race lead of the championship.
More to follow.
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.
