Team Abu Dhabi’s decision to revamp their powerboat team for this season’s F1 H20 UIM World Championship was spurred by a need to put results first.
The team ended long associations with the leading Emirati driver Ahmed Al Hameli and team manager Scott Gillman in February. Al Hameli had been with the team for nearly a decade and Gillman since 1999.
In their place came Guido Cappellini as the manager and three-time world champion Alex Carella.
On Monday, Al Hameli expressed a degree of discontent at his departure from Team Abu Dhabi.
“We moved out because we were not happy with what is going on with Team Abu Dhabi,” he said.
“We left because they prefer to bring in an Italian driver so they weren’t looking for local drivers any more. I wasn’t happy about that.”
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Team Abu Dhabi has rejected that suggestion and pointed to the presence of several young Emirati drivers involved with the team.
“My answer is that Ahmed was with us and he is Emirati,” said Salem Rashed Al Romaithi, assistant general manager at the Abu Dhabi International Marine Sports Club, which runs the team.
“We have three new drivers in Formula 4 who are a new generation working their way up. We want them to get to Formula 2 and then to the top: Mohammed Al Mehairbi, Rashid Al Qamzi and Rashid Al Romaithi.
“Maybe five years ago we had a gap, with Al Hameli and then nobody else. But we start to find new people over the last three years.
“Before we had only two local drivers, now we have seven local drivers. They need time to grow and be at the top.”
Officials played down the idea of lingering tension between Al Hameli and the club, pointing out that he is a regular visitor to the organisation, including the day he launched his own team Emirates Racing Team, along with Gillman.
Al Romaithi insisted there was nothing personal in the decision to part with Al Hameli, though in their stated search for more success, there was an implication that Al Hameli’s six race wins over the years were not enough.
“They started with our team and we still support them, we are happy for them, for whatever they achieve. Every team is looking to the future, for winning,” Al Romaithi said.
“Ahmed was a good driver but in all other sports, new drivers come in. We brought in a new driver, Alex Carella, who is a three-time world champion.
“Guido is a very established name. We’ll not say he is more experienced but he has a great background.
“In other sports, you give the team manager one season, two, three, four and if there are no results then you look for others.”
Carella finished fifth in the season’s opening race in Doha, in March, and Al Romaithi is confident about the team’s prospects this year.
“We have the best team manager, the best engine builder and we have become stronger and stronger. I hope this season we get something good,” he said.
osamiuddin@thenational.ae
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