(MENAFN- The Peninsula) The Qatar Team will be right at the heart of the action when the 2009 UIM F1 World Championship reaches a potentially thrilling conclusion in Khalid Lagoon, Sharjah, tomorrow and Friday afternoon.
Thirty-five points from a possible 40 in last weekend's race meeting at the Abu Dhabi International Marine Sports Club in Abu Dhabi have catapulted the Qatar Team back into contention for a second successive UIM F1 Drivers' Championship title. Jay Price will be going for maximum points in the final two events of the season along the Gulf coast in Grand Prix of Sharjah.
The DAC driver looked to be down and out after a pair of disappointing mechanical problems in the Grand Prix of Qatar two weeks ago, but second position last Friday and a sixth F1 career win on Saturday have moved Price into third in the championship hunt, 24 points behind Italian nine-time World Champion Guido Cappellini and 14 behind Team Abu Dhabi's former championship pace-setter Thani Al Qamzi.
The team runs under the auspices of the Qatar Marine Sports Federation (QMSF), under the presidency of Sheikh Hassan bin Jabor Al Thani and the management of Khalid bin Arhama Al Kuwari, Head of Formula Racing at the QMSF.
It will be far from easy for the Qatar Team driver to beat his two main rivals and also stay ahead of his other two championship rivals, Jonas Andersson and Sami Selio, but Price is brimming with confidence after the Abu Dhabi successes.
"Obviously Abu Dhabi was a great weekend for our team," enthused Price, who also leads the UIM F1 Fast Lap Slam Trophy heading into the final two rounds. "We are back on track now. Sheikh Hassan was in Abu Dhabi and he added a new element to the team's strategy. We went back to basics. I know that we need to win the races in Sharjah, especially the first one and then we can make a strategy for the second one on Friday.
"Under Sheikh Hassan's and Khalid Al Kuwari's direction, the team seems to work great under pressure. We should now have the time to dial in the set-up for a top qualifying position on Thursday morning, as starting from the front makes it a lot easier to control the race."
"We showed in Abu Dhabi that we are a very strong team," added Al Kuwari. "We suffered from a lack of good luck for most of the season. When we have finished, we have always taken first or second positions. We tried some new technology in Qatar with the boat and this did not work out. So, in Abu Dhabi, we reverted to the set-up that had been so successful in 2008 when we took the title. The decision paid off.
"I always say to Jay that he is the best driver with the best team in F1. With a little good luck, I am confident that we can end the season on a very positive footing."
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