Victory Team seal 1-2 in extra free session
ABU DHABI: Teams got their irst taste of the ive-pin race course that will host this weekend’s Grand Prix of Abu dhabi in a 90-minute free practice session on Thursday afternoon.
Team Abu Dhabi’s trio of Shaun Torrente, Erik Stark and Thani Al-qemzi have tested effectively in recent days and decided to sit out an opening session where Ahmed Al Hameli of the Victory Team clocked the fastest lap of 43.93sec to claim the session win from four-time World Champion and team-mate Alex Carella.
Only a handful of drivers took to the water in the opening 30 minutes of the session and Peter Morin of the CTIC F1 Shenzhen China Team carded the target lap of 44.27sec.
He went on to finish the stint in fifth place behind third-placed Marit Stromoy of the Emirates Racing Team and Team Amaravati’s Jonas Andersson. Finland’s Filip Roms complained of a water leak from his Baba’s engine.
The 26th race to be held in the UAE capital is being hosted by the Abu Dhabi International Marine Sports Club (ADIMSC). Team Abu Dhabi drivers Shaun Torrente, Erik Stark and Thani Al-qemzi are locked in a three-way battle for the Drivers’ Championship with Torrente holding a seven-point cushion over Stark heading into the weekend.
Salem Al Remeithi, board member and general manager of the ADIMSC, said: “To be honest we have a lot of pressure on us and the team. I hope that the team can keep leading after this race and then we can see what happens in Sharjah. Then we can make our people happy.
“Thani (Al-qemzi) has a good chance to win the race and create his own piece of history. We have achieved something amazing this season and look as though we have the Teams’ Championship again. I just hope that we have the three Abu Dhabi drivers in contention this weekend and then in Sharjah.”