During the UIM general assembly a year ago in Fujairah, the UIM council nominated Christopher Loney as the chairman of the Formula Committee. Mr. Loney diligently tackled technical issues and successfully launched the season with the help of his fellow UIM committee chairpersons.

However, a few months ago, Christopher Loney resigned from his position with immediate effect due to personal reasons. Following his resignation, the UIM administration took over the daily management of the formula committee.

As the annual UIM general assembly approaches this month in Amsterdam, the UIM council now needs to select a new chairperson for the committee.

Recently, powerboatracingworld.com received a message from Mr. Paulo Ferreira, the President and local promoter of the UIM F2 World Championship rounds in Portugal. He expressed his intention to run for the position of chairman.

“I would like to contribute to the F2 class and work towards securing sponsorship for the series. I have some excellent ideas,” said Mr. Paulo Ferreira.

When asked about other candidates, Mr. Ferreira mentioned that he had heard Pelle Larsson has also been approached for the role, making them two potential contenders.

Pelle Larsson had previously resigned as Racedirector after the final 2022 round in Portugal. As such, the UIM council must now determine who is the better-suited candidate to lead the Formula Committee.

Both Paulo Ferreira and Pelle Larsson are strong contenders for the position. When asked, the majority of F2 drivers expressed their preference for Pelle Larsson. While Larsson has indicated his availability for the role, he will not actively campaign for it.

It will be intriguing to see how this unfolds, particularly as Mr. Paulo Ferreira is actively seeking support for the vacant position. The UIM’s selection process and their approach to presenting themselves for the job will be fascinating to observe.

Powerboatracingworld.com will follow up with the candidates and pose five questions to them:

1. How do you assess the state of Formula racing today?

2. What will be your top priority in the first 100 days?

3. How many races do you believe would be ideal for F2 in 2024?

4. How do you plan to develop the sport in the next 1, 3, and 5 years?

5. What do you consider the most crucial improvement for 2024?

Once the candidates respond, their answers will be shared.

According to the UIM website, the Formulae Committee isresponsible for overseeing all aspects of promoted formulae racing, excluding Formula 1. The current members of the committee include:

– Christopher Loney (Chairman, Great Britain)

– Fred Hauenstein (Cominsport President, USA)

– Owen Jelf (F2 Drivers Representative, United Kingdom)

– Elek Kozma (F2 Team Representative, Hungary)

– Mikael Lundblad (Comintech President, Sweden)

– Tom Stanley (Safety Cockpit Chairman, Canada)

– Robert Wartinger (Cominsafe President, USA)

As the selection process for the new chairperson unfolds, it will be interesting to see how the candidates position themselves and address the future of Formula racing.

Powerboatracingworld.com will closely follow the developments and share further updates once the candidates have provided their responses.