QUY NHON: Emirati driver Rashed Al-Qemzi will replace Alberto Comparato in the Team Abu Dhabi line-up for the rest of the inaugural Grand Prix of Bình Định-Vietnam race weekend.
The young Italian crashed at the start of the second qualifying session for Sunday’s second round of the UIM F1H2O World Championship, with his boat badly damaged after it barrel-rolled.
Comparato was uninjured but shaken by the accident, and Team Abu Dhabi manager Guido Cappellini took the decision to rest him. Al-Qemzi will now drive the team’s spare boat in Saturday morning’s sprint races ahead of the following day’s Grand Prix on Thi Nai Bay.
Al-Qemzi, who secured his fourth UIM F2 World Championship title last season, is no stranger to the F1H2O series. Sunday will see his 11th race start, with Victory Team’s Erik Stark in pole position.
Stark edged out reigning world champion Jonas Andersson in the six-boat qualifying shootout, while Sharjah Team’s first round winner in Indonesia, Rusty Wyatt, went through in fourth.
Al-Qemzi will be aiming to fight back from 10th place on Sunday after missing out on the final qualifying phase. His cousin, Rashed, will step in to join him as he did last season in Sardinia and Sharjah.
Before his crash, Comparato underlined his potential when he recovered from engine failure on the first lap of free practice to set the third fastest lap time.
Cappellini, a 10-time world champion, has no doubt that veteran Al-Qemzi and Comparato will be a powerful combination as the championship progresses.
“Of course, I have enough experience to be able to help Alberto settle into the team,” he said. “But Thani is also very good from that point of view. In fact, Thani is the best team-mate Alberto could ever have, and together they’re working in one direction to give their best for the team.”
Cappellini, who has guided Team Abu Dhabi to 17 world championship titles since taking charge in 2015, also welcomed the addition of another destination for the series.
“Vietnam is the second race in Asia and this is another new venue, which is very good for the team, and for Formula One in general,” he said.
