Since I last wrote about powerboat racing, technology has advanced, and I wondered whether Elon Musk’s AI, Grok, could reveal the favourites to win the 2025 UIM F2 World Championship.
Two races remain in Portugal: the first in Peso da Régua on 13–14 September, and the season finale in Vila Velha de Ródão the following weekend.
The top contenders are:
1. Peter Morin (FRA) – 30 points (15 in Brindisi, 15 in Lithuania)
2. Hilmer Wiberg (SWE) – 24 points (12 in Brindisi, 12 in Lithuania)
3. Matthew Palfreyman (GBR) – 22 points (20 in Brindisi, 2 in Lithuania)
4. Mathilda Wiberg (SWE) – 22 points (2 in Brindisi, 20 in Lithuania)
5. Stefan Arand (EST) – 11 points (4 in Brindisi, 7 in Lithuania)
6. André Solvang (NOR) – 10 points (9 in Brindisi, 1 in Lithuania)
7. Roope Virtanen (FIN) – 10 points (7 in Brindisi, 3 in Lithuania)
Grok’s predictions:
Maximum Points Available: 40 points (20 per race × 2 races).
Morin’s Path to Victory:
Peter Morin can likely clinch the championship with two podium finishes (e.g., 2nd + 3rd = 27 points, totalling 57 points; or two 2nds = 30 points, totalling 60 points).
Even a 3rd and a 4th (12 + 9 = 21 points, totalling 51 points) could be enough if Hilmer, Palfreyman, or Mathilda don’t win both races.
A single DNF could jeopardise his lead if others capitalise.
Hilmer’s Path to Victory:
To overtake Morin, Hilmer needs at least one win (20 points) and a high podium (15 points) to reach 59 points.
He must outscore Morin by 7+ points overall (e.g., 1st + 2nd while Morin gets 3rd + 4th or worse).
Palfreyman/Mathilda’s Path:
Both need to win at least one race (20 points) and finish high in the other (12–15 points) to hit 57–62 points.
They require Morin to score fewer than 27–29 points (e.g., one DNF and a low finish) to stand a chance.
Upset Potential:
Lower-ranked drivers (e.g., Arand, Solvang, Virtanen) are mathematically in contention but need two wins (40 points) and multiple DNFs from the top four—an unlikely scenario given their current form.
That’s all well and good for Grok the AI to predict, but this is sport, and moreover, powerboat racing!
| 2025 UIM F2 World Championship | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| June 29th | July 19th | September 14th | September 21st | |||||
| Pos | Number | Name | Venue | Brindisi | Klaipėda | Peso da Régua | Vila Velha de Ródão | Total Points |
| 1 | 11 | Peter Morin | FRA | 15 | 15 | 30 | ||
| 2 | 70 | Hilmer Wiberg | SWE | 12 | 12 | 24 | ||
| 3 | 14 | Matthew Palfreyman | GBR | 20 | 2 | 22 | ||
| 4 | 7 | Mathilda Wiberg | SWE | 2 | 20 | 22 | ||
| 5 | 18 | Stefan Arand | EST | 4 | 7 | 11 | ||
| 6 | 27 | Andrè Solvang | NOR | 9 | 1 | 10 | ||
| 7 | 96 | Roope Virtanen | FIN | 7 | 3 | 10 | ||
| 8 | 41 | Edgaras Riabko | LTU | 0 | 9 | 9 | ||
| 9 | 33 | Nelson Morin | FRA | 5 | 4 | 9 | ||
| 10 | 74 | Giacomo Sacchi | MON | 0 | 5 | 5 | ||
| 11 | 16 | Tomas Cermak | SVK | 3 | 0 | 3 | ||
| 12 | 71 | Nikita Lijcs | LAT | 1 | 0 | 1 | ||
| 13 | 9 | Mette Bjerknæs | GBR | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 14 | 1 | Rashed Al Qemzi | UAE | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 15 | 3 | Owen Jelf | GBR | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 16 | 45 | Duarte Benavente | POR | DNF | DNF | 0 | ||
| 17 | 30 | Sam Whittle | GBR | DNF | 0 | 0 | ||
| 18 | 2 | Johan Österberg | SWE | DNF | 0 | 0 | ||
| 19 | 36 | Mansoor Al Mansoori | UAE | ACC | DNQ | 0 | ||
| 20 | 77 | Tobias Munthe-Kaas | NOR | DNS | DNQ | 0 | ||
| 21 | 53 | Alexander Lindholm | FIN | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 22 | 22 | Peter Žak | SVK | DNF | 0 | 0 | ||
| 23 | 25 | Tino Lehto | FIN | DNF | 0 | 0 | ||
| 24 | 29 | Egidijus Dagilis | LTU | DNQ | 0 | 0 | ||
John Moore has a longstanding involvement in event organisation and powerboat racing journalism. He organised the historic Cowes–Torquay–Cowes races between 2010 and 2013 and was actively involved with British offshore racing from 2017 until 2025.
In 2017, Moore founded Powerboat Racing World, a digital platform providing global powerboat racing news, insights, and event coverage.
He is now Editor of Powerboat.News, continuing to contribute to the sport’s media landscape with in-depth reporting and analysis.