By Neil Perkins
EVIAN-LES-BAINS, France — Team Abu Dhabi’s Alex Carella claimed a stunning start-to-finish victory after dominating the 21st Grand Prix of France on Lac Leman Sunday afternoon.
A second successive victory in France for the driver of the Abu Dhabi International Marine Sports Club (ADIMSC) pushed him into title contention after the premature retirement of defending World Champion and series leader Philippe Chiappe threw the title race wide open.
Carella also moved into the lead in the UIM F1 H20 Pole Position Trophy after his second successive pole position in Evian.
Two-time World Champion Sami Selio finished second and holds a one-point lead in the Drivers’ Championship over Carella. Victory Team’s Shaun Torrente recovered well from a crash in qualifying to finish third, while Thani and Rashed Al-Qemzi put their Portugal disappointments behind them to claim sixth and 12th places.
“This is why we go racing for days like this,” said a delighted Salem Al-Remeithi, general manager of the Abu Dhabi International Marine Sports Club (ADIMSC). “We had a disappointing start to the year in Portugal, but the whole team has knuckled down and this victory for Alex is the reward for meticulous planning, attention to detail and hard work. Thani also had a strong performance and it was great experience for Rashed.”
The Emirati trio qualified for the 45-lap race from pole position, fourth and 13th after BRM Qualifying was switched to Sunday morning following the inclement weather on Lac Leman Saturday. A one-hour official practice session was also arranged for the morning and qualifying followed 30 minutes later. Race officials were able to restore the original timetable for the afternoon’s race.
Etihad Airways is the official carrier for Team Abu Dhabi that is also supported by the Abu Dhabi Sports Council and runs under the patronage of Sheikh Dr. Sultan Bin Khalifa Al-Nahyan, advisor to the Head of State and chairman of the board of directors of the Abu Dhabi International Marine Sports Club and under the guidance of Sheikh Mohammed Bin Sultan Bin Khalifa Al-Nahyan, Vice President and CEO of the ADIMSC.
The racing team runs under the auspices of the ADIMSC and board member and general manager Salem Al-Remeithi and team manager Guido Cappellini.
