Sunday, November 23: The UIM F1H2O World Championship is heading into its decisive phase after a spectacular season marked by three dramatic Grand Prix and three different winners in Indonesia, Shanghai and Zhengzhou. Now, 20 of the world’s elite powerboat racers from 10 teams prepare for an historic milestone - the first-ever Grand Prix of Jeddah takes place in Saudi Arabia on the stunning Red Sea coastline on November 27th-29th.
With the fight for the UIM F1H2O Drivers’ Championship tighter than ever, Jeddah promises to deliver one of the most pivotal and high-stakes rounds of the 2025 campaign. The new Saudi venue not only provides a spectacular backdrop but also sets the tone for a dramatic season finale on Khalid Lagoon in Sharjah just before Christmas.
Flying Finn Alec Weckström may have only 10 Grand Prix starts to his name since debuting in 2021, but the 24-year-old Helsinki racer arrives in Jeddah as the surprise championship leader. Fresh from his maiden victory in Zhengzhou — where he out-duelled teammate Shaun Torrente in difficult weather conditions — Weckström heads the standings by seven points. His rapid rise from former karting prodigy to genuine title contender has been one of the stories of the season.
The Dubai-based Victory Team will look to extend their advantage in both the Drivers’ and Teams’ championships, with Torrente aiming to keep his own title hopes alive. The three-time World Champion has shown flashes of brilliance in Sprint formats but has battled mechanical issues in the main races. A strong result in Saudi Arabia could reset his campaign before the final showdown in the UAE.
Canadian star Rusty Wyatt continues to prove he is no one-season sensation. The outright winner on Lake Toba for a second successive year was also third in Zhengzhou. The Ontario racer sits just one point behind Torrente and remains firmly in the hunt for the crown in his second season on the tour. His aggression and consistency have lifted the Sharjah Team into second in the Teams’ standings.
Reigning triple World Champion Jonas Andersson has endured a turbulent season — combining dominant speed with costly setbacks. After a nightmare in Zhengzhou, he sits 16 points off the lead and arrives in Jeddah in must-win mode. Proving that he has been the fastest racer when the going has been good, the Swede leads the F1H2O Pole Position Trophy by 11 points from Torrente.
Australia’s Grant Trask has impressed since joining Team Sweden, claiming a podium in Shanghai, while Team Abu Dhabi’s Erik Stark continues to rebuild momentum after early-season technical frustrations. Both are poised to fight at the front in Jeddah and currently hold fifth and sixth positions in the Drivers’ Championship.
Young Estonian Stefan Arand has shown immense pace at times, including a remarkable pole position performance in Shanghai, but reliability woes have cost him crucial points. Should everything fall into place in Saudi Arabia, he could be a major contender for a first Grand Prix victory. He is seventh in the points’ standings.
For the China CTIC Team, Peter Morin seeks more consistency, while rookie Kyle Maskall – who competed in both of the Chinese races as a stand-in for the recovering Brent Dillard - steps aside for this round to be replaced by German rookie Stefan Hagin. Dillard has now recovered from spinal surgery and is expected to return in time to join Morin for the Sharjah finale.
The Comparato F1 Team pairing of Alberto Comparato and Damon Cohen have shown promise without the results to match, while Britain’s Ben Jelf — a standout with his maiden podium in Indonesia — will be looking for a return to early-season form. Teammate Duarte Benavente will also be looking to close out the year strongly.
Two-time World Champion Sami Seliö and teammate Ferdinand Zandbergen continue to refine their new Sharjah-designed Red Devil-SMC Team hulls, while Strømøy Racing’s Marit Strømøy pushes ahead with the development of the four-stroke Apex V8 engine. The Norwegian driver’s Polish teammate Bartek Marszalek perseveres with the Mercury two-stroke powerplant that has propelled him to 15th in the championship, two places and three points behind Strømøy. Maverick Racing features the French duo of Alexandre Bourgeot and Cédric Deguisne. They will also look to convert glimpses of speed into tangible results in Jeddah.
With the championship on a knife-edge and history waiting to be made in Saudi Arabia, all eyes now turn to the Red Sea race weekend for what promises to be a defining moment in the 2025 UIM F1H2O World Championship.
A hectic three days of action gets underway with three one-hour free practice sessions from 10.00hrs, 14.00hrs and 15.00hrs on Thursday (November 27th).
The three-part qualifying session takes centre stage at 10.00hrs on Friday morning and precedes the two Sprint races, starting at 15.35hrs and 16.15hrs, respectively.
A last one-hour warm-up session is permitted on Saturday (November 29th) morning from 10.00hrs before the Grand Prix of Jeddah fires into life at 16.05hrs.
