Rashed edged out of pole position in Portugal

TDT | Manama                          

The Daily Tribune – www.newsofbahrain.com

Team Abu Dhabi’s Rashed Al Qemzi narrowly missed out on pole position for tomorrow’s Grand Prix of Portugal on a day of drama in the penultimate round of the 2022 UIM F2 World Championship. The three-times F2 world champion looked to be heading through as the fastest qualifier, before he was edged out by 0.320 seconds as Monaco’s Giacomo Sacchi made a late surge to win the six-boat shoot-out. It was a difficult day for Al Qemzi’s team-mate, world championship leader Mansoor Al Mansoori, whose challenge in qualifying was cut short by engine problems and will start tomorrow afternoon’s Grand Prix near the back of the field.

The consolation for Al Mansoori was that his closest challenger in the title race, Germany’s Stefan Hagin who lies three points behind him, was also forced out by technical problems in the first of two back-to-back Grand Prix race weekends in Portugal.

Barring non finishes for Al Mansoori and his two closest challengers, Hagin and Sharjah Team’s Sami Seliö, Al Qemzi cannot retain his world title. The Emirati, however, is determined to round of the season with victory in Ribadouro, and then produce a repeat performance in Vila Velha de Ródão next weekend, as he did last year to secure his third world F2 crown. He underlined that mood in today’s delayed free practice session on the River Douro, setting the fastest time ahead of Sacchi and Selio, with Norwegian Tobias MuntheKaas, home favourite Duarte Benavente, and Al Mansoori completing the top six.