Team Abu Dhabi’s Mansoor Al Mansoori recorded a convincing victory in the Grand Prix of Portugal on Sunday as team-mate Rashed Al Qemzi stayed on course for a record fifth title triumph in the UIM F2 World Championship.
Starting from pole position, Al Mansoori produced a flawless drive in the penultimate round of the 2024 championship, while fourth place ensured Rashed Al Qemzi goes into next weekend’s final Grand Prix at Vila Velha de Ródão holding a six-point lead from Lithuania’s Edgaras Riabko.
It means a third victory of the season to add to his wins in Norway and Italy will ensure Al Qemzi retains the F2 crown.
Having upstaged his team-mate by claiming pole position 24 hours earlier, Al Mansoori climbed to third in the championship, just four points adrift of Riabko, who took the third podium spot in Peso Da Régua.
Second place for Matthew Palfreyman saw the British driver draw level in the standings with Sweden’s Mathilda Wiberg, and they will both be fighting for a championship top three finish next weekend.
A second F2 Grand Prix win for Al Mansoori underlined his status as a serious F2 challenger.
After succeeding Al Qemzi as F4-S world champion in 2017, Al Mansoori recorded two top ten finishes in the 2019 F2 series before joining Team Abu Dhabi for the 2021 season.
Last season, Al Mansoori took fifth place in the championship, when his best performance was a third-place finish in Régua. He arrived in Portugal in a confident mood a few days ago after taking second place behind Al Qemzi in San Nazzaro, a repeat of their dominant 1-2 success in round two in Norway.
