Friday, 12 February: Eighteen drivers from nine teams representing 11 countries will line up for the Grand Prix of Dubai on 2-4 March when the F1H2O World Championship kick-starts its 33rd season.
Leading them out and carrying the prestigious number 1 plate for the second consecutive season will be French race ace Philippe Chiappe who heads into 2016 the man 17 other drivers want to beat, the target for the defending World Champion is the title hat-trick.
Another impressive season in 2015 for the CTIC F1 China Team driver with two wins and two seconds but marred by two DNFs was still enough to give him his second crown and become one of only four drivers to win back-to-back titles. This season he will be looking to become a member of an even more exclusive club of drivers to win three titles on the bounce.
The line-up for 2016 is littered with talent boasting three World Champions and 12 drivers who have won Grand Prix and or made the podium. Two changes in driver line-ups sees Mike Szymura stepping up to into F1H2O to join Team EMIC and Christophe Larigot going over to F1 Atlantic, with two team name changes, Selio and Roms running as BABA Racing and Cantando and Marszalek as Blaze Performance.
On Wednesday 2 March the Teams will get their first taste of what looks to be a potentially fast five-pin 1964 metre circuit set close to the beach in front of Le Meridien - Mina Seyahi Beach Resort and in the shadow of the iconic Palm Jumeirah.
CTIC F1 CHINA TEAM – CHINA
1 PHILIPPE CHIAPPE (FRA) / 2 XIONG ZIWEI (CHN)
EMIC RACING TEAM – UAE
50 MARIT STROMOY (NOR) / 51 MIKE SZYMURA (GER)
BABA RACING – ITALY
11 SAMI SELIO (FIN) / 12 FILIP ROMS (FIN)
F1 ATLANTIC TEAM – PORTUGAL
9 CHRISTOPHE LARIGOT (FRA) / 10 DUARTE BENAVENTE (POR)
EMIRATES RACING TEAM – UAE
27 AHMED AL HAMELI (UAE) / 28 ERIK STARK (SWE)
VICTORY TEAM – UAE
3 NADIR BIN HENDI (UAE) / 4 SHAUN TORRENTE (USA)
TEAM SWEDEN – SWEDEN
14 JONAS ANDERSSON (SWE) / 15 JESPER FORRS (SWE)
BLAZE PERFORMANCE – ITALY
23 BARTEK MARSZALEK (POL) / 24 FRANCESCO CANTANDO (ITA)
TEAM ABU DHABI – UAE
5 THANI AL QAMZI (UAE) / 6 ALEX CARELLA (ITA)
