Inaugurated in 1981, the F1 Powerboat World Championship is similar to F1 car racing and similar rules apply. Each F1 Powerboat race lasts approximately 45 minutes following a circuit marked out in a selected stretch of water, usually a lake, river, or sheltered bay.
Qualifying periods decide the formation of the grid, and timing equipment records the performance of competitors to decide the final classification and all-important allocation of championship points.
The sport is governed by the Monaco based U.I.M. Union Internationale Motonautique (International Power boating Association). Nicolo di San Germano has been responsible for promoting the F1 World Championship since 1993 and has expanded the sport’s geographical reach and its global stature.
Picture the scene: 24 sleek, powerful, and lightweight catamarans line up at the start pontoon. Inside each cockpit sits a lone individual peering through his tiny windscreen. One hand grasps the steering wheel while the other stands poised over the start button. The tension inside the cockpit is intense as the pilot awaits the crucial start. Beyond the cockpit, an eerie silence descends over the entire arena all attention fixed on the start.
No sooner does the wait end than 10,000hp of highly tuned brute power bursts into life sending the fleet of 24 screaming towards the first corner leaving nothing but a glorious fountain of white spray in its wake.
However, with the thrilling high-speed action comes the risk of ruin as drivers endure brain-numbing G-forces - their rigs taking hairpin turns at over 90mph while they dice deck to deck in often zero visibility.
Over the last three decades, Formula One powerboats have attracted a worldwide audience of millions. Few would argue that the sight of these awesome machines skimming across the water’s surface at speeds of up to 225 kph is a truly breathtaking spectacle.
While today’s F1 catamarans bear a striking resemblance to those in action throughout the 1980’s there is a world of difference in terms of driver protection and general safety. Earlier boats were constructed from thin plywood. They would reach phenomenal speeds but the driver sitting in an exposed cockpit - would face a high probability of death should he suffer an accident.
Over the years, F1 boat construction has been developed and today few craft are built of timber instead of modern composites. While F1 Powerboat racing is still a dangerous sport by any standards, driver welfare has been improved to such a degree that while craft are still involved in spectacular and horrifying accidents, the unlucky victim usually swims away unscathed.