Press Release: Team Brady Battles Through Challenges to Secure Fifth Place in Doha
Doha, Qatar, Saturday 22 February: Team Brady faced a weekend of highs and lows in Doha, the team showcased strong performances but ultimately finished in fifth place overall.
The weekend started on a steady note with the third fastest time in qualifying time trials before securing fifth place in the qualifying race on Friday. By Saturday, the team demonstrated impressive speed, securing P1 in the group stages and setting up a promising run for the finals. However, the team was plagued by radio communication issues throughout the weekend, resulting in crucial messages not reaching the pilots at key moments, adding an extra layer of difficulty to an already challenging race.
In the final showdown, Emma delivered a commanding performance, securing first place, while Sam fought hard to claim third.However, a post-race 20-second penalty for clipping a smart mark cost the team valuable points, dropping them from a potential podium finish to fifth place overall.
With valuable lessons learned, Team Brady is determined to convert their pace into success at the next race. The team remains focused and ready for the challenges ahead.
Emma Kimiläinen, Team Brady Pilot said, “I’m absolutely gutted about the result, especially as we had the pole position after my finals. It’s been an emotional rollercoaster of a weekend, as it always is!This is what E1 is all about and it proves that nothing is certain until the last race.
This is a team sport, and communication is key to success, but radio issues throughout the weekend impacted our performance, causing us to miss crucial strategy calls. That said, there’s been some incredible racing, and we’re looking forward to the next event because we know we have the pace.We’re learning and growing stronger every session, refining our tactics and strategy, and we’re pleased to have secured some solid points along the way.”
Sam Coleman, Team Brady Pilot said, "The final result was pretty disappointing - I was a little tight on one of the smart marks and gave it a slight kiss as I went past, which unfortunately led to a penalty.There were a few communications issues throughout the race so I didn’t receive the radio message from our Co-Team Principals, we could have taken the penalty on the water and minimised the damage.
Strategy wise, we’re always hunting for clear water because the lead boat has a huge advantage with less disturbance, allowing them to fly faster. We tried to create gaps to show our pace and get back in the fight, but an alternative strategy to Team Rafa left us stuck in traffic. Still, there are positives to take away this weekend; we had strong pace, we’ve regained speed in the boat, and we secured some good points once again."