Jonas Andersson led the Road to Sharjah-Grand Prix of Sharjah from start to finish on December 10, 2023, taking his 14th career victory and adding the UIM F1H2O Teams’ Championship to the World Drivers’ Championship he had already secured at the previous round.
The Swede crossed the line on Khalid Lagoon 2.452 seconds clear of Erik Stark and also claimed the Fast Lap Trophy with a best tour of 49.140 seconds, completing a clean sweep of all four major titles available in the 2023 season.
2023 UIM F1H2O Season Honours
Drivers’ Championship: Jonas Andersson (Team Sweden)
Teams’ Championship: Team Sweden
Fast Lap Trophy: Jonas Andersson
Grand Prix of Sharjah: Jonas Andersson
“It has been a very tough season against some big teams. We had a rough start to the season at Lake Toba in Indonesia in practice and I broke the engine in the race. From there, it has been four wins in a row. It is incredible for me and thanks to all the people who have been helping me. We had a perfect set-up and my boys are working really hard. For us, it is incredible to achieve this in this kind of racing with these big teams. I am really happy.” – Jonas Andersson
The Race
Eighteen of the 21 boats started, with Shaun Torrente and Filip Roms absent following a collision during Saturday’s second sprint race, and Ahmad Al-Fahim disqualified for causing it.
Stark jumped ahead at the start but Andersson held his line to lead from Grant Trask, Stark and Ferdinand Zandbergen. By lap three Andersson had pulled 5.338 seconds clear of Trask. He continued to extend his advantage through the opening third of the race, reaching 13.033 seconds, before slower traffic brought Stark back to within 1.336 seconds at the halfway point.
Zandbergen retired with electrical problems and Trask lost power, promoting Stark to second ahead of Peter Morin and Thani Al-Qamzi. With nine laps to run, Alberto Comparato barrel-rolled after colliding with Brent Dillard on the far side of the circuit. Both boats were removed under a yellow flag and Comparato was taken to hospital for medical checks.
Racing resumed on lap 29 with four laps remaining. Andersson controlled the restart to win by 2.452 seconds, with Al-Qamzi passing Morin in the closing stages to complete the podium for Team Abu Dhabi.
Ben Jelf, driving for the F1 Atlantic Team, finished eighth to collect his first UIM F1H2O World Championship points.
“I think we had a decent season. Coming back after a few years away, I cannot be more happy for my team. I have a perfect boat every race, so my job is quite easy. I won here the last time I came in 2018 and I was second in the championship that year too. Maybe next year we go for the win!” – Erik Stark
“We finish third in the Teams’ Championship. It has been incredible here, a great race and thanks to my team for their hard work this year.” – Peter Morin
“I feel bad for Al-Fahim. He made a mistake. We give each other so much trust at the front of the field. I went in there hard and Roms got collected and I ended up in the hospital. Jonas and I had a great battle in qualifying. It was fun. I am blessed to be standing here. The hybrid neck restraint I used saved my life. The black eye, I will take.” – Shaun Torrente
Race Result
| Pos | Driver | Nationality | Team | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jonas Andersson | Sweden | Team Sweden | 32 laps |
| 2 | Erik Stark | Sweden | Victory Team | +2.452s |
| 3 | Thani Al-Qamzi | UAE | Team Abu Dhabi | +5.287s |
| 4 | Peter Morin | France | China CTIC Team | +5.857s |
| 5 | Kalle Viippo | Finland | Team Sweden | +10.140s |
| 6 | Marit Strømøy | Norway | Strømøy Racing F1H2O Team | +13.807s |
| 7 | Brock Cohen | Australia | Comparato F1 | +15.540s |
| 8 | Ben Jelf | Great Britain | F1 Atlantic Team | +31.380s |
| 9 | Bartek Marszalek | Poland | Strømøy Racing F1H2O Team | 1 lap |
| 10 | Rashed Al-Qemzi | UAE | Team Abu Dhabi | 2 laps |
| 11 | Cédric Deguisne | France | Maverick Racing | 2 laps |
| 12 | Alexandre Bourgeot | France | Maverick Racing | 2 laps |
| 13 | Duarte Benavente | Portugal | F1 Atlantic Team | 2 laps |
| DNF | Brent Dillard | USA | China CTIC Team | DNF |
| DNF | Alberto Comparato | Italy | Comparato F1 | DNF |
| DNF | Sami Seliö | Finland | Sharjah Team | DNF |
| DNF | Grant Trask | Australia | Mad Croc Gillman Racing | DNF |
| DNF | Ferdinand Zandbergen | Netherlands | Sharjah Team | DNF |
| DNS | Filip Roms | Finland | Mad Croc Gillman Racing | DNS |
| DNS | Shaun Torrente | USA | Team Abu Dhabi | DNS |
| DSQ | Ahmad Al-Fahim | UAE | Victory Team | DSQ |
2023 UIM F1H2O World Championship – Final Standings
| Pos | Driver | Nationality | Team | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jonas Andersson | Sweden | Team Sweden | 83 |
| 2 | Erik Stark | Sweden | Victory Team | 50 |
| 3 | Peter Morin | France | China CTIC Team | 42 |
| 4 | Ferdinand Zandbergen | Netherlands | Sharjah Team | 39 |
| 5 | Thani Al-Qamzi | UAE | Team Abu Dhabi | 34 |
| 6 | Bartek Marszalek | Poland | Strømøy Racing F1H2O Team | 22 |
| 7 | Shaun Torrente | USA | Team Abu Dhabi | 17 |
| 8 | Filip Roms | Finland | Mad Croc Gillman Racing | 16 |
| 9 | Sami Seliö | Finland | Sharjah Team | 15 |
| 10 | Brent Dillard | USA | China CTIC Team | 13 |
| 11 | Alberto Comparato | Italy | Comparato F1 | 12 |
| 12 | Marit Strømøy | Norway | Strømøy Racing F1H2O Team | 10 |
| 13 | Kalle Viippo | Finland | Team Sweden | 9 |
| 14 | Grant Trask | Australia | Mad Croc Gillman Racing | 8 |
| 15 | Brock Cohen | Australia | Comparato F1 | 7 |
| 16 | Rashed Al-Qemzi | UAE | Team Abu Dhabi | 6 |
| 17 | Ahmed Al-Fahim | UAE | Victory Team | 3 |
| 18 | Ben Jelf | Great Britain | F1 Atlantic Team | 3 |
| 19 | Alexandre Bourgeot | France | Maverick Racing | 1 |
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.
