In the cruel arithmetic of motorsport, Peter Morin’s 2025 UIM F2 World Championship campaign ended not with a bang, but with the failure of a component that costs less than a cup of coffee. The veteran Frenchman’s title hopes were extinguished by a blown fuse worth under one euro—perhaps the most expensive cheap part in powerboat racing history.
Starting from pole position at Vila Velha de Ródão with a mathematical chance at the championship, Morin had executed the perfect weekend to that point. His qualifying performance had been masterful, his preparation meticulous, and his experience unmatched. Everything was aligned for the 54-year-old to capitalise on any championship drama ahead of him.
Then, in the cruellest twist imaginable, his engine fell silent.
The Perfect Setup Destroyed
Morin’s pole position represented more than just grid placement—it was a statement of intent from a driver who has conquered every discipline of powerboat racing. With seven World Endurance Championships, six French national titles, and countless victories at prestigious events like the Rouen 24-hour race, his curriculum vitae reads like powerboat racing’s hall of fame.
At 45, when most professional racers are retired, Morin was still competing at the highest level across multiple disciplines. His continued competitiveness in F1H2O, where he finished third in the 2023 World Championship, proved that age and experience could triumph over youthful exuberance.
The championship mathematics were complex but achievable: Morin needed victory and misfortune for both Wiberg siblings. From pole position, with the chaos that championship finales often provide, it wasn’t beyond the realm of possibility.
Motorsport’s Cruelest Irony
The irony of Morin’s retirement cuts deep through the sport’s collective consciousness. Here was a driver who had survived decades of high-speed competition, who had mastered the most demanding endurance races, who had built a career on reliability and technical excellence—undone by a component that costs less than a sandwich.
The blown fuse that killed his engine represents everything that makes motorsport simultaneously fascinating and heartbreaking. No amount of preparation, experience, or skill can protect against the random failure of the smallest component. Champions are made not just by speed and racecraft, but by the mercy of ten thousand parts working in harmony.
As Morin’s stricken boat prompted the first yellow flag of the race, television cameras captured the moment his championship dreams died. The image of the veteran sitting motionless on the water, watching the field circulate past him, will endure as one of motorsport’s most poignant moments.
A Career Defined by Excellence
To understand the magnitude of Morin’s heartbreak, one must appreciate the extraordinary breadth of his achievements. His seven consecutive World Endurance Championships in Class 3 from 2011-2016 represent a level of dominance rarely seen in any motorsport discipline.
His mastery of the Rouen 24-hour race—five consecutive victories from 2013-2017—established him as endurance racing royalty. These weren’t sprint races decided by pure speed, but gruelling tests of strategy, boat management, and mental fortitude that separated the good from the great.
In F1H2O, powerboat racing’s premier category, Morin has consistently competed against drivers half his age with nine podium finishes from 38 Grand Prix starts. His third-place finish in the 2023 championship proved that class truly is permanent.
Yet for all his success across multiple disciplines, a second F2 world title—he was runner-up in 2014—continued to elude him. Sunday’s failure represented perhaps his last realistic chance to add that crown to an already remarkable collection.
The Veteran’s Wisdom
What makes Morin’s story particularly compelling is how his multi-discipline approach has kept him competitive well into what should be his sporting twilight. While younger competitors focus on single categories, Morin’s varied racing schedule has maintained his sharpness across different boat types and racing formats.
The technical knowledge accumulated from decades of development work gives him advantages that pure speed cannot replicate. When conditions change or technical issues arise, Morin’s experience becomes decisive. That wisdom, however, couldn’t overcome the random failure of a €1 component.
Dreams Deferred, Not Destroyed
At 45, Morin’s continued competitiveness in F1H2O suggests his racing story may not be over. While championship opportunities become rarer with each passing season, his dedication to competing across multiple disciplines keeps alive the possibility of future glory.
The French master’s approach to motorsport—treating each race as an opportunity to showcase his craft rather than merely chase points—ensures that even in defeat, his legacy remains untarnished. Champions are remembered not just for their victories, but for how they handle motorsport’s inevitable cruelties.
The Smallest Margins
Motorsport history is littered with championships decided by the finest margins—mechanical failures in the final laps, split-second mistakes under pressure, or the random failure of seemingly insignificant components. Morin now joins that unfortunate fraternity of drivers whose greatness was undermined by circumstances beyond their control.
The €1 fuse that ended his championship bid serves as a reminder that in motorsport, preparation and talent can only take you so far. Sometimes, the gods of racing demand their tribute in the cruellest ways imaginable.
As the powerboat racing community reflects on the 2025 season, Morin’s story will endure as both inspiration and cautionary tale. His pole position performance proved that age is just a number when combined with skill and determination. His retirement proved that in motorsport, heartbreak can arrive in the smallest, cheapest packages.
For Peter Morin, the championship that got away will always be remembered as the one decided by less than a euro’s worth of electrical component. In a sport where victory margins are measured in thousandths of seconds and tens of thousands of euros are spent chasing marginal gains, sometimes it’s the cheapest part that costs the most.

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.