Hilmer Wiberg is the 2026 UIM F2 European Champion, his first title in the class in only his second season racing F2.
The Swede won Heat 1 on Saturday night and followed it with Heat 2 and Heat 3 on Sunday, and under the best-three-of-four scoring format that governs the weekend, three wins from three starts left the title beyond reach for anyone else before Heat 4 had even got under way. He and his sister Mathilda, locked into second overall, both sat out the final heat with the destination of the championship already settled.
There was a piece of new hardware behind the run. Wiberg had power steering fitted to his boat last Thursday, delivered specially from England in time for the weekend. He had raced the opening two rounds of the 2026 UIM F2 World Championship, at Klaipėda and Brindisi, without it.
Mathilda Wiberg’s championship runner-up finish had its own story behind it. She qualified ninth on Saturday, more than a second off her brother’s pole time, then climbed to second in Heat 1 and held that position through Heats 2 and 3 to finish the weekend on 900 points, comfortably clear of third.
Sunday morning’s free practice had hinted at the pace to come, with Edgaras Riabko setting the fastest lap of the weekend, only for the Lithuanian’s own Sunday to run through more turbulence before it was over.
Heat 2, Sunday
Hilmer Wiberg won again from his sister, with Andrè Solvang third. Owen Jelf was initially classified last after a disqualification under UIM Rule 307.04, before a protest backed by video evidence saw the penalty overturned and Jelf reinstated to sixth, his points restored. Dainis Podžuks, Tullio Abbate and Romain Nedelec were each handed penalties for rounding and fouling marks infringements, with Abbate and Nedelec both losing two laps in the reclassification.
Heat 3, Sunday
The Wiberg siblings made it a third straight one-two, with Solvang again completing the podium. Peter Morin was demoted from provisional eighth to twelfth under Rule 313.02 after destroying a course marker buoy. The heat was also marked by a collision between Romain Nedelec and Bimba Sjöholm, ruled a racing accident by officials. Both drivers were unhurt but were withdrawn from Heat 4 as a result.
Heat 4, Sunday
With the championship already decided, Hilmer and Mathilda Wiberg did not start. Riabko took his first heat win of the weekend, ahead of Peter Morin and Solvang. Dainis Podžuks was later involved in an accident, a barrel roll, and did not finish, though he was unhurt. The result lifted Riabko to third overall in the final standings, with Solvang fourth.
Wiberg’s Road to the Title
Viverone is Wiberg’s first F2 crown, but not his first world stage. Now 21 and racing from Åkersberga, north of Stockholm, under the family’s Wiberg Racing banner, he has built a career record of three previous world titles: GT15 in 2020, and GT30 and Offshore 3J both in 2022. European titles have followed at GT15 in 2019 and GT30 in 2022, alongside bronze medals at F4 European level in 2023 and 2024 and at the F2 European Championship in 2025.
His closest previous brush with an F2 crown came last year, his rookie season in the class, when he led the 2025 UIM F2 World Championship standings by five points heading into the season finale in Portugal, before finishing runner-up to Mathilda.
Final Championship Standings, Best 3 of 4 Heats
| Pos | No. | Driver | Nat | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 70 | Hilmer Wiberg | SWE | 1200 |
| 2 | 1 | Mathilda Wiberg | SWE | 900 |
| 3 | 41 | Edgaras Riabko | LTU | 738 |
| 4 | 27 | Andrè Solvang | NOR | 675 |
| 5 | 33 | Nelson Morin | FRA | 465 |
| 6 | 111 | Peter Morin | FRA | 440 |
| 7 | 3 | Owen Jelf | GBR | 317 |
| 8 | 15 | Dainis Podžuks | LAT | 213 |
| 9 | 4 | Jarno Vilmunen | FIN | 177 |
| 10 | 5 | Tullio Abbate | ITA | 157 |
| 11 | 11 | Bimba Sjöholm | SWE | 102 |
| 12 | 51 | Nils Slakteris | LAT | 87 |
| 13 | 85 | Luca Fornasarig | ITA | 75 |
| 14 | 16 | Romain Nedelec | ESP | 69 |
| 15 | 91 | Buby Bertels | BEL | 46 |
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.
