BRASILIA, BRAZIL //Team Abu Dhabi's powerboats team have been boosted by the return of Ahmed Al Hameli to the fold as they prepare for this weekend's Grand Prix of Brazil, the opening round of the 2013 UIM F1 H20 World Championship.
Al Hameli missed the end of last season and potentially lost out on his first world title after having surgery to remove a blood clot in his head.
He has travelled to Brazil along with Thani Al Qamzi and Rashed Al Tayer, who will represent Team Abu Dhabi in the first of seven races this season. Al Hameli is still recuperating from the health scare, yet has received his Super Licence, which means he may test a boat during the week.
A decision will then be made as to whether the Emirati is fit and competitive enough to enter Sunday's race.
"It has been such an uplifting experience to watch Ahmed fight through his struggle that dates back to August of last year," said Team Abu Dhabi's team manager, Scott Gillman.
"Ahmed has given us all a lesson in courage and fortitude by showing us what can be accomplished if the mind and the body are willing."
Team Abu Dhabi won last year's UIM F1 Teams World Championship with Al Qamzi finishing third in the Drivers' Championship behind Qatar's Alex Carella and Frenchman Phillipe Chiappe. The highlight of Al Qamzi's campaign last season was winning in Sharjah, but the Emirati took up the mantle of the team's leading driver well in Al Hameli's absence and scored two second places toward the end of the year in Liuzhou and Abu Dhabi.
Al Tayer has made the transition from Class 1 racing to join the F1 H20 team.
Technical work on the boats and equipment takes place on Friday, with practice and qualifying on Saturday.
Mohammed Al Mehairbi is representing the team in the UIM F-4S Championship.
Sunday's grand prix on Lake Paranoá in Brasilia, the country's federal capital, is the first F1 H20 race to be staged in South America.
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