Al Ain to decide on Mamic’s future
Victory Team driver sets goal for season in company of Carella as Portimao F1 beckons
Victory Team’s talented driver Ahmad Al Hameli is banking on the team’s pre-season headstart to play his role in delivering a first-ever world crown when the 2018 UIM F1H2O World Championship takes place in Portugal this weekend.
Al Hameli will be joined by four-time defending world champion Alex Carella in the two blue boats when the F1 season gets under way on the Arade River in Portimao, Portugal, from May 18-20. This is Victory Team’s third full year in the UIM F1H2O World Championship following their trial run in 2015. Their first full season came in 2016 with American Shaun Torrente — now with Team Abu Dhabi — ending runner-up on the overall drivers’ standings as Victory Team claimed a third place with 86 points in the teams’ standings.
Last season, Victory Team weathered a slow start and a series of unfortunate incidents to finish fourth in the teams’ standings with 58 points. But this year, with brand-new home-made boats in Jebel Ali, Al Hameli is hoping for the best.
“Our confidence going into this week is very high. We have a brand new boat built by our team and we’ve had some fantastic testing in Dubai. I know we are going to be competitive, and all that we need is a bit of luck during 2018 so that we can improve on the team’s performance in F1 powerboat racing,” Al Hameli told Gulf News from Italy yesterday.
Veteran of 73 races
Since his debut for Team Abu Dhabi in 2006, Al Hameli is a veteran of 73 races. He has won seven times and picked up a further eleven podiums, and his best has been a fourth place in the drivers’ standings in 2011. Considered one of the most talented men in the world of F1 racing, Al Hameli has been through tough times especially after he had to battle with a brain tumour in 2012 while leading the championship. However, the fighter that he is, the Abu Dhabi-born lad returned stronger than ever.
“Personally, I am ready. I just need a little bit of luck. Portimao is the first race of the season and from experience we all know that there are always surprises in the opening race,” Al Hameli expressed. “The good thing for us is that we’ve made a great and early start to the season and that is one thing to be happy about.”