Team Abu Dhabi’s Thani Al-Qamzi enjoyed a stunning return to UIM F1 H20 racing action by taking second place behind defending world champion Alex Carella in the 20th Grand Prix of China on Liuzhou’s Liu River yesterday.
Carella led the 39-lap race from the start to claim a hat-trick of wins at the popular Chinese venue, but both Al-Qamzi and Team Abu Dhabi colleague Ahmed Al-Hameli were forced to battle their way through the field from ninth and 10th positions.
Al-Qamzi finished the race in third place until Sweden’s Erik Stark – who had crossed the finish line in second place – was awarded a penalty for striking a course turn buoy. He slipped to fifth and promoted Al-Qamzi to second and tied second in the UIM F1 H20 Drivers’ Championship points’ standings.
“This was a challenging race and we had to battle hard for our position from the start,” said Al-Qamzi. “We missed the first race in Qatar in March and it’s great to come back with a podium finish in China and to stay in contention for the title after two rounds.”