Campione d’Italia, Italy:
Team Abu Dhabi’s Rashid Al Qamzi faces one of the most important tests of his relatively short racing career when he heads to Campione d’Italia to defend a 12-point lead in the UIM F2 World Championship at this weekend’s Grand Prix of Switzerland.
The rookie Emirati has been a revelation in this year’s F2 series and a victory at the opening round in Lithuania in June followed by third position in Norway last month has given the driver from the Abu Dhabi International Marine Sports Club (ADIMSC) a total of 32 points with just two races remaining. Mohammad Al Muhairbi will be the second Team Abu Dhabi driver this weekend.
This week, Al Qamzi is certain to face formidable opposition in the form of a small armada of Scandinavian drivers on Lake Lugano, which separates southern Switzerland from northern Italy. The Emirati’s closest championship rival is the experienced Swede Pierre Lundin on 20 points, while Frenchman Nelson Morin and Sweden’s Johan Österberg and Ola Pettersson are both well-placed to challenge for the top of the podium.
Another Swede, Erik Edin won the recent European Championship title at Kupiškis in Lithuania, but he trails Al Qamzi by 27 points with 40 still at stake over the two remaining races. Others to watch out for over race weekend include Norway’s Tobias Munthe-Kaas, Spain’s Héctor Sanz Lopez, the rapid British duo of Matthew Palfreyman and Owen Jelf and Russia’s Konstantin Ustinov.
Heavy rain curtailed qualifying and practice at this race last year and drivers faced a hectic final day’s action, which saw Al Qamzi and Al Muhairbi finish in sixth and 14th positions on their Campione d’Italia debut.
Lundin won the race last season from Palfreyman and Edin, but Al Qamzi’s third place at the recent EDH Tønsberg Båtrace in Norway proved that his Lithuanian race win was no flash in the pan and Al Qamzi is confident that he can extend his 2017 series lead.
“This is a vital Grand Prix to decide the outcome of the title race,” said Salem Al Rumaithi, manager of Team Abu Dhabi.
“Rashid is ready, focused and determined and we know that a podium finish would be a massive step towards a first-ever F2 title for Team Abu Dhabi,” he added.
After technical checks and scrutineering on Friday (September 8), on course action at the fourth round of the UIM F2 World Championship gets underway with free practice from 10.25 hours on Saturday morning. The three qualifying sessions then take centrestage from 14.30 hrs and there will be a qualifying or repocharge race at 17.20.
After warm-up and the customary parade lap, the Grand Prix of Switzerland fires into life at 14.35 hrs (4.35pm UAE) on Sunday afternoon.
UIM F2 World Championship positions after Round 3: 1. Rashid Al Qamzi (UAE) Team Abu Dhabi (32pts); 2. Pierre Lundin (Sweden) Lundin F1 Racing (20); 3. Nelson Morin (France) F1 China CTIC Team (16); 4. Johan Österberg (Sweden) Team AJO (15); 4. Konstantin Ustinov (Russia) New Star (15); 6. Ola Pettersson (Sweden) Skåne Racing Team F2 (13); 6. Edgaras Riabko (Lithuania) F2 Lithuania (13); 8. Owen Jelf (Great Britain) Owen Jelf Racing (7); 9. Daniel Segenmark (Sweden) Segenmark Racing (6); 9. Oskar Samuelsson (Sweden) OS Racing (6).
