UAE's Rashed Al Qemzi Secures Pole Position, Leads UIM F2 World Championship

Rashed Al Qemzi of Team Abu Dhabi secured pole position for the Grand Prix of Italy, positioning himself to reclaim the lead in the 2024 UIM F2 World Championship. His teammate, Mansoor Al Mansoori, qualified second after winning the Q1 and Q2 sessions and leading the six-boat Q3 shoot-out before being edged out by Al Qemzi.

Defending F2 world champion Al Qemzi aims to become the first driver to win the title five times. He enters tomorrow’s race just four points behind Lithuania’s Edgaras Riabko, who will start in fifth place. Sweden’s Mathilda Wiberg, tied on points with Al Qemzi, faces a challenging race starting behind the two Abu Dhabi boats in third position.

The competition promises an exciting Sunday in San Nazzaro, with everything at stake before the final two rounds of the championship in Portugal over consecutive weekends in September. Last year, Al Qemzi won in San Nazzaro on his way to securing his fourth F2 world crown and aims to repeat that success this year.

Al Mansoori showed strong form throughout qualifying. After setting the fifth-best time in official practice, he was quickest early in the afternoon’s Q1 session. Despite dropping several places later, he recorded another best lap to advance in first place, just ahead of Al Qemzi.

In Q2, Al Mansoori maintained his momentum with another fastest lap, reaching the six-boat shoot-out ahead of Britain’s Palfreymen and Wiberg. Al Qemzi was fourth ahead of Riabko and Frenchman Nelson Morin.

Final Shoot-Out Drama

The final shoot-out saw a similar pattern as earlier sessions. Al Mansoori clocked the best early lap but was nudged out of pole position by Al Qemzi. This gives Al Qemzi a crucial advantage heading into tomorrow’s Grand Prix.

Al Qemzi started well by setting the fastest time in this morning’s official practice session. Championship leader Riabko was down in eighth position while Wiberg secured third spot.

The stage is set for an intense race day with key positions determined during today’s qualifying sessions. The performances of both Abu Dhabi drivers have set high expectations for tomorrow's event.

The upcoming Grand Prix will be pivotal for all contenders as they vie for crucial points ahead of the final rounds in Portugal. The battle between Al Qemzi and Riabko is particularly significant given their close standings.

The anticipation builds as fans look forward to seeing if Al Qemzi can leverage his pole position to regain the championship lead or if other competitors will rise to challenge him.

With inputs from WAM