Team Abu Dhabi’s Al Qemzi Finishes Sixth as Palfreyman Wins UIM F2 Opener in Brindisi

Team Abu Dhabi’s Rashed Al Qemzi commenced his UIM F2 World Championship title defense with a sixth-place finish at the Grand Prix of Italy in Brindisi. The race was marked by three yellow flag interruptions, complicating Al Qemzi’s progress following a challenging qualifying session. His teammate, Mansoor Al Mansoori, retired after eight laps due to technical issues.

Briton Matt Palfreyman clinched victory, making a spectacular return to the sport after several years. Lithuanian Edgaras Riabko and Portuguese veteran Duarte Benavente completed the podium following Italian Tullio Abbate’s disqualification for a racing infringement.

Al Qemzi and Al Mansoori started in ninth and tenth positions respectively, with Abbate on pole. Al Qemzi moved up to eighth early on, but Al Mansoori slipped to 12th and eventually retired. Despite challenging conditions, Al Qemzi managed to finish sixth after moving up a place in the final laps and benefiting from Abbate’s disqualification.

Palfreyman maintained his lead throughout the race, despite interruptions. The race saw several position changes, particularly after Sacchi flipped his boat out of second place, allowing Abbate and Benavente to move into podium positions temporarily.

The morning warm-up session saw 17 of the 18 drivers participating, with Al Qemzi and Al Mansoori completing 19 and 12 laps respectively. Edgaras Riabko topped the timings with a lap of 42.585 seconds.

The UIM F2 World Championship continues with the Grand Prix of Norway in Tønsberg from August 2nd to 4th.