Marcin Zielinski secured his fourth consecutive UIM F-500 Hydro GP World Championship at Ruse, Bulgaria, on Sunday, the Polish driver sealing the title in the fifth and final round of the season. He finishes on 87 points, seven clear of Erko Aabrams on 80, with Attila Havas third on 68.
It is Zielinski’s fourth straight world title, following wins in 2023, 2024 and 2025, and the third season in that run in which he has completed the World and European double. He had already secured the 2026 European title at Tallinn in July, a result that carried no world points of its own but underlined the form he carried into Ruse.
Zielinski arrived at Ruse leading Aabrams by four points after four rounds, with the title picture unchanged since Chodziez in June. The round was run over two heats rather than the usual three. He won both outright, beating Aabrams by more than ten seconds in the first and repeating the result in the second. Aabrams had led Heat 1 before being held up by a lapped boat, according to the Estonian Powerboating Union.
Final 2026 F-500 Hydro GP World Championship standings: Marcin Zielinski (Poland) 87, Erko Aabrams (Estonia) 80, Attila Havas (Hungary) 68. Full standings, including F-125 and F-250.
Ruse Heats
Round points shown on the season table are compressed to a 20-17-15 scale; the heat classification below uses the full points scale (400 for a heat win) that decided the round itself.
| Pos | Driver | Nat | Heat 1 | Heat 2 | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Marcin Zielinski | POL | 1st (400) | 1st (400) | 800 |
| 2 | Erko Aabrams | EST | 2nd (300) | 2nd (300) | 600 |
| 3 | David Loukotka | CZE | 3rd (225) | 3rd (225) | 450 |
| 4 | Attila Havas | HUN | 4th (169) | 4th (169) | 338 |
| 5 | Marcel Čopák | CZE | 8th (53) | 5th (127) | 180 |
| 6 | Nikolay Surkov-Nixi | BUL | 9th (40) | 6th (95) | 135 |
| 7 | Milen Marinov | BUL | 5th (127) | DNF | 127 |
| 8 | Robert Hencz | SVK | 6th (95) | DNS | 95 |
| 9 | Csako Ferenc | SRB | 7th (71) | DNF | 71 |
| 10 | Miroslav Minchev | BUL | DNS | DNS | 0 |
Season Points
| Pos | Driver | Nat | R1 Jedovnice | R2 Żnin | R3 Boretto | R4 Chodziez | R5 Ruse | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 15/5 | 29/5 | 12/6 | 27/6 | 22/8 | ||||
| 1 | Marcin Zielinski | 🇵🇱 | 20 | 17 | 10 | 20 | 20 | 87 |
| 2 | Erko Aabrams | 🇪🇪 | 9 | 20 | 17 | 17 | 17 | 80 |
| 3 | Attila Havas | 🇭🇺 | 17 | 15 | 15 | 8 | 13 | 68 |
| 4 | David Loukotka | 🇨🇿 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 9 | 15 | 57 |
| 5 | Marcel Copak | 🇨🇿 | 8 | 9 | 8 | 13 | 11 | 49 |
| 6 | Giuseppe Rossi | 🇮🇹 | 10 | 0 | 20 | 15 | – | 45 |
| 7 | Milen Marinov | 🇧🇬 | 13 | 7 | 13 | 0 | 9 | 42 |
| 8 | Ferenc Csako | 🇷🇸 | 0 | 10 | 7 | 11 | 7 | 35 |
| 9 | Paul Hart | 🇬🇧 | 0 | 13 | 9 | 10 | – | 32 |
| 10 | Nikolay Surkov-Nixi | 🇧🇬 | 7 | 8 | 0 | – | 10 | 25 |
| 11 | Marian Jung | 🇸🇰 | 15 | 0 | 0 | – | – | 15 |
| 12 | Tomas Hrbacek | 🇨🇿 | 6 | 6 | 0 | – | – | 12 |
| 13 | Robert Hencz | 🇸🇰 | 0 | – | – | – | 8 | 8 |
| 14= | Patrik Sipos | 🇨🇿 | 0 | – | – | – | – | 0 |
| 14= | Miroslav Minchev | 🇧🇬 | – | – | – | – | 0 | 0 |
Ruse was the first major UIM powerboat event held in Bulgaria, run by the Bulgarian Powerboat Federation on the Danube River alongside the GT15 European Championship.
More Hydro GP Coverage
Follow the F-500 world title fight through every round of the 2026 season.
UIM Hydros Coverage
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.
