Alex Carella won the UIM F1H2o Grand Prix of Xiamen today, his first race win since Sharjah in 2017, when he also won the World Championship for Team Abu Dhabi.

The Italian lead the 32 laps from the start to the chequered flag to secure a convincing victory for his new team, Maverick Racing.

Alex Carella won the UIM F1H2o Grand Prix of Xiamen

Carella told F1H2o’s Nigel Quilter after taking his 16th career win:

Getting pole was already enough for me but to win today means absolutely everything.

It was a hard race and Morin pushed me all the way.

I knew that he had jumped the start and I could have let him pass but I wanted this win, to take the chequered flag, more than any other time.

This is for everyone who has supported me, it’s unbelievable and one of the best days of my life.

Peter Morin’s jump start and subsequent post-race 1 lap penalty, dropped the CTIC F1 Shenzhen driver to fifth, while Jonas Andersson took second, and those valuable 15 points now give him the lead of the 2019 UIM F1H2o World Championship.

Jonas Andersson – ‘To be leading the championship is such a great achievement for this small team’.

He said:

It was a really tough race. The conditions were very rough and I had Marit breathing down my neck for the whole race.

To be leading the championship is such a great achievement for this small team.

Tonight we will make some adjustments and get ready for tomorrow.

Three points behind him is Shaun Torrente, who clawed his way up from 9th to 4th, which was impressive as he looked to have set-up issues, and his DAC was not handling well in the strong gusts of wind.

Marit – ‘I tried everything but I just could not get passed Jonas’.

Marit Stromoy’s third place puts her behind Torrente in the World Championship with 28 points, the highest position that the lady driver from Norway has enjoyed in her F1H2o career.

I tried everything but I just could not get passed Jonas.

But to be on the podium is good and to be third overall at the moment is great.

Thani Al Qemzi, who went into the race third in the World Championship, dropped out on lap 12 with an engine issue and now sits 1 point behind Stromoy.

Phillippe Chiappe, who performed a spectacular somersault in qualifying, was forced out with technical issues on lap 24, one lap later, Sami Seliö joined him.

Greg Foster produced another strong showing to get his best finish of the year in sixth and was involved in a great fight with teammate Francesco Cantando in the middle of the race before his retirement from ninth and in front of Foster on lap 18.

Alberto Comparato produced his best result of the season coming home in seventh ahead of Erik Edin, with Bartek Marszalek and Duarte Benavente rounding out the top ten.

2019 UIM F1H2o Grand Prix of Xiamen