MEDIA INFORMATION
2015 UIM F1 H2O WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP
19th Grand Prix of France, June 26-28
TEAM ABU DHABI’S HOPES IN FRANCE REST WITH ALL-
ITALIAN LINE-UP OF ALEX CARELLA AND DAVID DEL PIN
American Shaun Torrente leads UIM F1 H20 series after opening round in Qatar
ÉVIAN-LES-BAINS (FRANCE): Tuesday, June 23: Team Abu Dhabi’s hopes of success at this weekend’s 19th Grand Prix of France will rest with the former UIM F1 H20 World Champion, Alex Carella, and his fellow Italian colleague David Del Pin.
Revisions have been made to the Team Abu Dhabi line-up since last season and the introduction of nine-time World Champion Guido Cappellini as team manager. Carella was signed before the season started from the now defunct Qatar Team to spearhead the emirate’s challenge for F1 honours and Del Pin replaced Thani Al-Qamzi at the 11th hour in Qatar.
Cappellini has retained the young Italian’s services after the Carella and Del Pin pairing finished the opening round in fifth and ninth positions, despite challenging weather conditions on Doha Bay and a disappointing qualifying session for both drivers. “We are confident, excited and raring to go,” said Carella. “We have been working hard to get everything perfect for the next race and I am sure that we can win the race for Team Abu Dhabi.”
Carella’s former team-mate Shaun Torrente led the opening round from start-to-finish and holds a five-point lead over defending World Champion, Phillipe Chiappe, of France. Until last week it looked as though Torrente’s title challenge had stopped when the Qatar Team withdrew from the series, but the American has put together a last-minute deal with Dubai’s Victory Team and will be on the start pontoon in France with a BaBa boat.
Another driver keen to bounce back to winning ways with new sponsorship will be Team Abu Dhabi’s former driver Ahmed Al-Hameli, who now races for the Emirates Team and qualified third for the opening race in Doha.
The field is as strong as ever for France’s return to the UIM F1 H20 series for the first time since 2007, with Chiappe keen to impress on home waters and the likes of Sweden’s Erik Stark and Jonas Andersson, Finland’s Sami Selio and Kuwait’s Yousef Al-Rubayan all keen to kick start their seasons in a championship that still has to visit Porto, Liuzhou, Shanghai, Abu Dhabi and Sharjah.
Évian-les-Bains is a commune in the Rhône-Alpes region in south-eastern France and is renowned as a spa town on the shores of Lake Leman. It is famous for its mineral water that is bottled and sold across the world.
Team Abu Dhabi is supported by Etihad Airways as the official carrier and sponsor and runs under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Dr. Sultan Bin Khalifa Al-Nahyan, advisor to the Head of State and chairman of the board of directors of the Abu Dhabi International Marine Sports Club (ADIMSC).
The weekend’s activities get underway with technical scrutineering and administration on Friday (June 26) and free practice takes centre stage from 10.15hrs (12.15hrs UAE time) on Saturday morning, before F1 qualifying starts at 16.25hrs. Further free practice is permitted from 10.15hrs on Sunday and the Grand Prix of France fires into life at 15.00hrs.
2015 UIM F1 H2O Pole Position Championship – after round 1:
1. Shaun Torrente (QAT) Qatar Team 20 pts
2. Philippe Chiappe (FRA) China CTIC Team 15 pts
3. Ahmed Al-Hameli (ARE) Emirates Team 12 pts
4. Youssef Al-Rubayan (KUW) F1 GC Atlantic Team 9 pts
5. Sami Selio (FIN) Mad-Croc Baba Racing Team 7 pts
6. Erik Stark (SWE) Team Nautica 5 pts
2015 UIM F1 H2O World Championship – after round 1:
1. Shaun Torrente (QAT) Qatar Team 20 pts
2. Philippe Chiappe (FRA) China CTIC Team 15 pts
3. Erik Stark (SWE) Team Nautica 12 pts
4. Jonas Andersson (SWE) Team Sweden 9 pts
5. Alex Carella (ITA) Team Abu Dhabi 7 pts
6. Marit Stromoy (NOR) Team Nautica 5 pts
7. Youssef Al-Rubayan (KUW) F1 GC Atlantic Team 4 pts
8. Filip Roms (FIN) Mad-Croc Baba Racing Team 3pts
9. David Del Pin (ITA) Team Abu Dhabi 2 pts
10. Duarte Benavente (PRT) F1 GC Atlantic Team 1 pt
– Ends –
For further media information and information about Team Abu Dhabi:
Please contact: Khalid Al Saadi, Media Incharge, Abu Dhabi International Marine Sports Club, P.O. Box 45656, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, Mobile Telephone: + 971 50 768 6761, E-mail: alsaadi@adimsc.ae.
www.f1h20.com
www.adimsc.ae