Stefan Arand’s weekend of heartbreak continues as the Sharjah Team has been forced to change his engine, relegating the youngest-ever F1H2O pole-sitter to 19th position for this afternoon’s Shanghai Grand Prix.
The Estonian, who made history on Friday by claiming pole position at just 23 years old, will now start from 19th after the team elected to fit a fresh power unit following his devastating Sprint Race 1 retirement.
Blown Piston Ends Dream Weekend
Arand had been leading Sprint Race 1 comfortably when his engine lost power due to blowing a piston with just four laps remaining, handing victory to Jonas Andersson and demoting the youngster to third place.
Under F1H2O regulations, changing the engine results in an automatic relegation to the back of the grid, regardless of qualifying position. The penalty sees Arand drop from pole to 19th, promoting Shaun Torrente to pole position.
Shanghai Grand Prix Starting Grid
- Shaun Torrente
- Erik Stark
- Grant Trask
- Jonas Andersson
- Rusty Wyatt
- Alec Weckström
- Kyle Maskall
- Ben Jelf
- Sami Seliö
- Ferdinand Zandbergen
- Damon Cohen
- Alberto Comparato
- Bartek Marszalek
- Peter Morin
- Mansoor Al Mansoori
- Marit Strømøy
- Cédric Deguisne
- Duarte Benavente
- Stefan Arand
- Alexandre Bourgeot
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.
