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San Nazzaro, Italy – May 14, 2025: Swedish driver Erik Stark, piloting boat No. 6 for Team Abu Dhabi, recorded a time two full seconds faster than his seasoned Emirati teammate Thani Al Qemzi (boat No. 5), during technical and timed trials currently underway as part of the team’s training camp in San Nazzaro, Italy. These preparations are in advance of the F1H2O World Championship season launch.

This significant time gap serves as a key technical indicator at this stage of the preparations, where the focus is on testing boat performance under realistic race conditions, including starts, sharp turns, and propeller selection tailored for each boat.

Team Technical Director Guido Cappellini emphasized the importance of these results, stating:
“Achieving such a time difference between the drivers is a valuable technical metric, but it is not a final result. Each driver is working on developing different performance elements, and we will continue analyzing and refining until we reach peak readiness ahead of the Lake Toba round in Indonesia.”

Stark's strong showing in his first outing with the team—after officially replacing American driver Shaun Torrente—highlights his impressive capabilities and his ability to quickly adapt to the new boat setup.

For his part, Thani Al Qemzi praised his teammate, saying:
“Erik is a fast and intelligent driver. The time gap doesn’t diminish the importance of the work we are doing. We operate as a unified team, and every test brings us experience and insights that will benefit us in the upcoming round.”

Team Abu Dhabi continues its second day of training in San Nazzaro under a rigorous technical program aimed at enhancing the competitiveness of both boats and drivers ahead of the global season kickoff.