LAKE TOBA, INDONESIA – Team Sweden’s three-time world champion Jonas Andersson snatched pole for the 3rd Grand Prix of Indonesia with a lap of 55.995 seconds in breezy conditions after a gripping qualifying session on Friday afternoon.
Just 0.684 seconds covered the top four in the first qualifying session of the 2025 UIM F1H2O World Championship in Balige. Andersson led early in Q3 before Victory Team pair Alec Weckström and Shaun Torrente went quicker, but his storming final lap secured a 15th career pole. Weckström (56.190sec) and Torrente (56.454sec) qualified second and third.
It has been a superb day. From the beginning, we were very fast. I have a new boat for this race. It worked fantastic and the team have been working non-stop since we arrived here. Everything was working great and, at the end of Q3, I had a good lap and broke some small things in the boat. Then I heard from Jane (Persson) that they (Alec and Shaun) were very close and I had to push. I could not get a better time because I have some small issues. We are here and we are on the top, so I am really happy.
Jonas Andersson
Last year’s Indonesia winner Rusty Wyatt of the Sharjah Team starts fourth after a best lap of 56.680sec. Britain’s Ben Jelf of the F1 Atlantic Team managed only one Q3 lap but it was enough for fifth, while Norway’s Marit Strømøy took a big step with the four-stroke V8 360 APX Mercury engine by reaching Q3 and qualifying her DAC sixth.
Team Abu Dhabi’s Erik Stark and China CTIC Team’s Peter Morin just missed the top six in seventh and eighth. Team Abu Dhabi rookie Mansoor Al-Mansoori qualified 18th on his debut, while 2023 winner Bartek Marszalek and two-time champion Sami Seliö were knocked out in Q1 and start 16th and 17th.
Q1
Eight of the 20 drivers were eliminated in Q1, making an early lap in cleaner water vital. The session was yellow-flagged twice early on due to a timing issue after Wyatt set the early pace (1min 01.130sec) ahead of Morin. When racing resumed with 20 minutes reinstated, Stark climbed to second; a late-arriving Andersson then went top with a single lap of 59.324sec. After another brief yellow flag, Q1 restarted with 10min 48sec remaining. Al-Mansoori, Johan Österberg, Marszalek, Ferdinand Zandbergen, Alexandre Bourgeot, Seliö, Duarte Benavente and Cédric Deguisne failed to progress, with Andersson fastest from Weckström, Wyatt, Torrente and Jelf.
Q2
Six more boats dropped out in the 15-minute Q2. Alberto Comparato was late out with a pickle fork issue, while Andersson opened with 58.130sec ahead of Wyatt, Stark, Strømøy, Morin and Jelf, all under a minute. Wyatt briefly went top with 12 minutes left before Andersson replied with 57.180sec. Damon Cohen, Grant Trask, Comparato, Stefan Arand, Morin and Stark – who pulled out before the end – were eliminated.
Q3
Andersson, Wyatt, Weckström, Strømøy, Torrente and Jelf made the final shoot-out as a swirling wind built. After a short delay to reposition a drifting turn buoy, Andersson set 57.262sec for provisional pole, with Weckström (57.503sec) and Jelf (57.584sec) next, before Wyatt went second with 57.276sec. Andersson then improved to 56.490sec, only for Weckström and Torrente to go even quicker – before the Swede answered with his 55.995sec flier with two minutes left to seal pole.
Saturday’s two Sprint races start at 11:10 and 11:40.
Qualifying result
- Jonas Andersson (SWE) Team Sweden – 55.995sec
- Alec Weckström (FIN) Victory Team – 56.190sec
- Shaun Torrente (USA) Victory Team – 56.454sec
- Rusty Wyatt (CAN) Sharjah Team – 56.680sec
- Ben Jelf (GBR) F1 Atlantic Team – 57.584sec
- Marit Strømøy (NOR) Strømøy Racing – 58.135sec
- Erik Stark (SWE) Team Abu Dhabi – 58.560sec
- Peter Morin (FRA) China CTIC Team – 59.130sec
- Stefan Arand (EST) Sharjah Team – 59.160sec
- Alberto Comparato (ITA) Comparato F1 Team – 59.204sec
- Grant Trask (AUS) China CTIC Team – 59.758sec
- Damon Cohen (AUS) Comparato F1 Team – 1min 01.793sec
- Johan Österberg (SWE) Team Sweden – 1min 02.871sec
- Ferdinand Zandbergen (NED) Red Devil-SMC F1 Team – 1min 02.966sec
- Alexandre Bourgeot (FRA) Maverick Racing – 1min 03.028sec
- Bartek Marszalek (POL) Strømøy Racing – 1min 03.172sec
- Sami Seliö (FIN) Red Devil-SMC F1 Team – 1min 03.515sec
- Mansoor Al-Mansoori (UAE) Team Abu Dhabi – 1min 03.943sec
- Duarte Benavente (POR) F1 Atlantic Team – 1min 06.517sec
- Cédric Deguisne (FRA) Maverick Racing – 1min 06.555sec
Pole Position Trophy after round 1
- Jonas Andersson – 20pts
- Alec Weckström – 15pts
- Shaun Torrente – 12pts
- Rusty Wyatt – 9pts
- Ben Jelf – 7pts
- Marit Strømøy – 5pts