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The eight teams and eighteen drivers currently on the grid for the
2026 F1H2O World Championship, the UIM premier category for tunnel boat racing,
returned to competition last Sunday and Monday in Shanghai, China. The third
round of the 2026 season followed a round of the UIM Aquabike World
Championship, with both events taking place during China’s Golden Week.
Victory Team driver Alec Weckström got the event off to a good
start, snatching pole position and winning the first sprint race on Sunday. His
teammate Shaun Torrente was not far behind in terms of making an ideal start to
the competition, finishing second in qualifying and winning the second sprint
race, scoring valuable points towards the Drivers’ World Championship
standings, which he led heading into Shanghai.
Torrente’s closest rival in the standings, Sharjah Team’s Stefan
Arand, finished third in qualifying and second in Sprint Race 2, bouncing back
after a disappointing Grand Prix of Kyrgyzstan that had seen him retire from
Sunday’s main race.
At the start of Sunday’s Grand Prix, Weckström confirmed his
excellent form and made a strong start to the race, retaining the lead through
the first turn. Behind him, Torrente was under pressure from a hard-charging
Arand. But the first yellow flag of the race quickly erased the lead Weckström
had built, forcing all the boats to slow down after Brent Dillard of China CTIC
Team barrel-rolled his race boat at the circuit’s sole right-hander.
At the restart, Torrente had closed significantly on Weckström and
attempted to overtake him on the inside, at the very same right-hander where
Dillard had flipped his boat. In a dramatic moment, Torrente collided with his
teammate Weckström, who had run wide, although there was still enough room for
two boats. Torrente’s Victory Team boat spun out and another yellow flag was
raised.
When the green flag came out again, Weckström now faced competition
for the lead from a fast Stefan Arand, who had moved into second place, while
Torrente retired from the race. The two young drivers ran side by side through
several turns and were never separated by more than three seconds before
another yellow flag was raised. Arand’s Sharjah Team teammate, Rusty Wyatt, had
been immobilised in the middle of the circuit due to technical issues.
The final restart saw Weckström and Arand retain their respective
positions, and the two drivers continued to the chequered flag, giving
Weckström his second Grand Prix victory and allowing Arand to take the lead in
the Drivers’ World Championship standings. Another Sharjah Team driver, Grant
Trask, finished third and moved into second place in the Championship
standings, behind Arand.
Photos: F1H2O World Championship
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