Rashed Al Qemzi Faces Tough Challenge in Lithuania as Palfreyman Secures Pole Position
Team Abu Dhabi’s four-time UIM F2 World Champion, Rashed Al Qemzi, faces a challenging race in the Grand Prix of Lithuania as he strives to maintain his lead in the 2024 championship. Al Qemzi, who won last year in Klaipėda, will start from seventh place in the third round of the series after a setback in today’s qualifying session, where Britain’s Matthew Palfreyman clinched pole position.
Al Qemzi appeared poised to advance to the final six-boat shootout but was unexpectedly edged out by Lithuania’s Edgaras Riabko, who is just one point behind him in the overall standings. This leaves Al Qemzi with a difficult task ahead as he aims to secure valuable points to protect his championship lead.
The day brought further disappointment for Al Qemzi’s teammate, Mansoor Al Mansoori, who failed to make it past the second qualifying phase and will start tomorrow's race from near the back of the grid. Al Mansoori’s performance fell short of the strong showing he delivered in Norway, where he finished second behind Al Qemzi.
Despite these challenges, Al Qemzi remains determined to chase his fourth career victory in Lithuania and second consecutive win at Klaipėda. The morning’s free practice session underscored the competitiveness of this year’s championship, with only 0.219 seconds separating the top three times set by Finland’s Jarno Vilmunen, Riabko, and Al Qemzi.
The first qualifying session saw Sweden’s Mathilda Wiberg set the fastest lap, with Vilmunen and Portugal’s Duarte Benavente following closely. Al Qemzi managed to secure sixth place but was unable to carry that momentum into the second session.
In the final moments of Q2, Riabko delivered a dramatic last lap to push Al Qemzi out of the top six, with Monaco’s Giacomo Sacchi setting the fastest time of the session. The shootout brought even more excitement as Palfreyman, the winner of the season’s first round, saved his best lap for last, securing his first F2 pole position and setting the stage for an intense battle in tomorrow’s race
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