Team Abu Dhabi heads to Shanghai to defend F1H2O Teams’ Championship lead
Team Abu Dhabi travels to Shanghai for the third round of the UIM F1H2O World Championship (3–5 October) leading the Teams’ standings and fielding three boats.
Abu Dhabi team seeks to protect narrow advantage in Shanghai
Team Abu Dhabi will contest the third round of the UIM F1H2O World Championship in Shanghai, China, from 3 to 5 October, arriving at the circuit top of the Teams’ Championship standings on 61 points. The Chinese round follows the official opening of the paddock, registration and technical scrutineering on 3 October, with on-water competition on 4 and 5 October.
The team travels with a three-boat line-up: Sweden’s Jonas Andersson in boat No. 5, countryman Erik Stark in boat No. 6, and Emirati Rashed Al Qemzi in boat No. 35. AD Ports Group continues as Team Abu Dhabi’s official logistics partner.
The standings entering Shanghai underline the significance of the weekend. Team Abu Dhabi leads by a single point over Victory Team, which has 60, while Sharjah Team and Stromoy Racing are level on 53. In the Drivers’ Championship, Andersson sits fourth on 31 points, Stark is tied for fifth on 30, and Al Qemzi has 11. American Shaun Torrente of Victory Team leads the individual rankings on 40 points.
Recent form has favoured Team Abu Dhabi. At the previous round on Lake Issyk-Kul in Kyrgyzstan, Andersson took pole position and won one of the Sprint races, while Stark secured second place in the Grand Prix. Those results contributed directly to the team’s move to the top of the Teams’ table ahead of Shanghai.
Shanghai holds particular resonance for Andersson, who claimed victory there in the 2025 Shanghai Grand Prix — his most recent Grand Prix win in the series. Across his career the Swedish driver has amassed 17 Grand Prix victories, 38 podium finishes and 18 pole positions, and he is a three-time UIM F1H2O World Champion.
The Shanghai weekend is expected to produce intense competition among the championship’s leading crews, with the narrow points gaps amplifying the stakes for both team and individual honours. For Team Abu Dhabi, preserving and extending its slim advantage in the Teams’ Championship will be the clear aim as practice and qualifying unfold ahead of the sprint and Grand Prix races.
Source: WAM