Victory Team opened the Grand Prix of Shanghai-China in style, with Alec Weckstrom and Shaun Torrente delivering a clean sweep of Sunday's two sprint races.
Weckstrom led Sprint Race 1 from start to finish, while Torrente did the same in Sprint Race 2, putting the team in a commanding position heading into tomorrow's Grand Prix, the third round of the 2026 UIM F1H2O World Championship season.
In Sprint Race 1, Weckstrom shot clear of the field from the start and had carved out a healthy gap within just two turns. Behind him, former World Champion Jonas Andersson produced one of the drives of the race, climbing from last on the grid, after an engine change forced him to start at the back, up to sixth within the opening turns.
Andersson then went side by side with Marit Stromoy for four consecutive turns before finding the pace to move clear into fifth. He immediately set his sights on Team Abu Dhabi team mate Erik Stark in fourth, but the anticipated battle never materialised. Stark's boat ground to a halt with mechanical trouble on lap four, and Team Abu Dhabi's day worsened further when Rashed Al Qemzi also retired, leaving Andersson as the squad's only driver still in the race.
With Weckstrom uncatchable out front, the real fight was for second, where Sami Selio held the position at the halfway mark ahead of Grant Trask, with Andersson close behind. Trask defended well before turning the tables with two laps remaining, snatching second from Selio. Andersson pushed hard for third, at one point narrowly avoiding sending his boat airborne, but ran out of laps to complete the move.
Weckstrom crossed the line comfortably in first, with Trask second, Selio third and Andersson fourth.
Sprint Race 2 belonged to current World Champion Shaun Torrente, who nailed the start and the opening turn to build a 2.198 second lead over Stefan Arand by the end of lap one. Rusty Wyatt, starting at the back after an engine change, charged through to fifth by lap one and set about chasing down fourth-placed Alberto Comparato.
Maverick Racing's Alexandre Bourgeot, who had looked strong in qualifying, suffered mechanical failure after four laps to end his race early. At the front, Arand kept Torrente honest, with just 2.720 seconds separating the pair heading into the final third of the race.
Wyatt eventually reeled in Comparato with five laps to go, but the Italian held firm in defence for several laps before Wyatt found a way past on the outside with two laps remaining, using the superior acceleration of his Sharjah Team boat.
Torrente went on to win in dominant fashion, with Arand second, Stefan Hagin third, and Wyatt holding off Comparato for fourth.
