Team Abu Dhabi’s Rashed Al Qemzi has become the most successful driver in the history of the UIM F2 World Championship after securing the driver’s title for a fifth time with a commanding victory in Portugal.

The Emirati rounded off his record-breaking season with an emphatic third Grand Prix triumph of the 2024 campaign, repeating his race win on the Tagus River circuit at Vila Velha de Rodão, Castelo Branco, last year.

This victory secured his place in the record books, surpassing Sweden’s four-time F2 champion, Erik Stark, and marking the 18th world title for Team Abu Dhabi since Guido Cappellini took over as team manager nine years ago.

After qualifying in second place for the sixth and final round of the championship, Al Qemzi held a six-point lead over Lithuania’s Edgaras Riabko and knew that a second-place finish would be enough to retain the F2 crown.

Any doubts over the title race outcome were swiftly dispelled as Al Qemzi made a superb start, overtaking Monaco’s pole position winner, Giacomo Sacchi, to take an immediate lead.

He maintained this lead comfortably, underlining his status as one of the world’s top powerboat racing talents, and won by more than three seconds from Sacchi, with Riabko taking third place to finish as championship runner-up.

Despite making an early exit due to mechanical issues, Team Abu Dhabi’s Mansoor Al Mansoori secured third place overall in the championship, following up on his Grand Prix victory in Portugal the previous week.

Delighted to share the championship podium with his teammate, Al Qemzi said, "I’m very happy to be world champion again, and I want to thank my team for the great support they’ve given to both myself and Mansoor this season.

"Compared to my other four titles, this one was very difficult. The competition was tough, and I missed some podiums. But we worked hard to get the points we needed."

Al Qemzi first gained attention by winning the Nations Cup and F4-S world titles before making his debut in the F2 World Championship in 2016, finishing ninth overall.

He secured his first F2 world title the following year, with further triumphs in 2019, 2021, and last year, when he wrapped up the championship in Portugal with one round to spare.