The fifth round of the 2024 UIM F2 World Championship headed to Portugal’s Peso da Regua today as the competition reached a pressure point.
The Grand Prix weekend as always started with free practice where the sixteen World Championship drivers were ready to put themselves and their boats through their paces to ensure they chose the right set up and propeller for the afternoon’s qualifying session.
The ninety-minute session saw the lead change hands several times with Mathilda Wiberg of Sweden once more looking strong ahead of the qualifying session. Abu Dhabi’s Mansoor Al Mansoori and Rashed Al Qemzi were also finding the course and conditions favourable as they both transitioned the way around the course.
In a turn in fortune Norway’s Tobias Munthe-Kaas was finally getting to grips with the DAC hull after having to replace his hull following the collision in Norway and was sitting in fifth in free practice and ready to fight for position in qualifying.
As crowds gathered along the shores of Douro River in the Portuguese late afternoon sunshine. With sixteen boats heading out for qualifying Q1 which would normally see the fleet of boats whittled down to the top fifteen. Q1 was scrapped and Q2 would consist of forty minutes of intense action as the sixteen drivers fought to make it into Q3 as the top six boats.
The top six boats changed throughout the forty-minute session with the drivers intensifying the pressure with each lap.
Lithuania’s Edgaras Riabko and Johan Osterberg both suffered with engine problems during the practice session and both teams were left with a fight to make the qualifying session with Edgaras’s team having to replace his engine completely. But the Lithuania reward the team with third place in the session seeing him firmly through to the final qualifying group.
As the minutes dwindled away Abu Dhabi’s Mansoor Al Mansoori grabbed the lead and was determined to cement his place in the top six. Teammate Rashed Al Qemzi was fighting hard but just couldn’t find the perfect lap and was sitting just outside of the top 6 with 0.3 of a second outside proceeding through.
British drivers, Scott Curtis and Matthew Palfreyman put in strong performances to see them both secure their position in the final qualifying session of the day joining, Riabko, Wiberg and Giacomo Sacchi-Abbate to make the top six.
In a last lap attempt Rashed secured 7th place on the grid only to be knocked into 8th place by Tobias Munthe-Kaas in the very last lap of the session determining their starting positions for the Grand Prix Race.
A brief break in proceedings let the River Douro River traffic disembark their passengers, and we were back in action!
In the search for the 30th UIM F2 World Champion tensions are high, and the pressure is almost at boiling point with any of the top six drivers capable of claiming the pole position and with championship standings so close that the decider will go down to the last lap of the final Grand Prix race.
Halfway through the session Mansoor Al Mansoori had grabbed pole position with both hands and with half a second lead over Brit Matthew Palfreyman he was determined not to let it go.
Scott Curtis was putting in a commanding performance and was sat in third when Sweden’s Mathilda Wiberg spectacularly barrel rolled out of the competition and damaging her Molgaard hull beyond repair. With Mathilda safely back a shore and her boat being recovered onto the pontoon proceedings got back underway.
As the clock restarted Lithuania’s Edgaras Riabko was sitting in fifth ahead of Monaco’s Giacomo Sacchi-Abbate and both were looking for that perfect lap to boost them up the table.
Mansoor Al Mansoori took pole position with Palfreyman taking second place on the grid for the Grand Prix race and in a last lap ditch attempt Edgaras Riabko stole third on the grid from Giacomo Sacchi-Abbate.
On claiming pole for tomorrow’s race Mansoor Al Mansoori commented “Qualifying was extremely hard, and the course is very tricky. I’m pleased for the Team that I have secured Pole Position.”
He continued “Tomorrow we focus on the Start and the first turn of the race and hopefully from there I can control the race and come home with the Grand Prix gold medal position.”
Sunday morning will see the teams head back out on the water for a final warm up session before the Grand Prix race begins with a parade lap at 15:30 local Portuguese time.
