Sami Seliö (born 5 May 1975 in Lohja, Finland) is a Finnish powerboat racer and two-time Formula 1 Powerboat World Champion. Seliö races for the Mad Croc BaBa Racing team and has competed in the series since 1998.[1]

Sami Seliö
Sami Seliö (left) in 2008
NationalityFinnish
Born (1975-05-05) May 5, 1975 (age 49)
Lohja, Finland
F1 Powerboat World Championship career
Debut season1998
Current teamBaBa Racing
Former teamsTeam Europe
Velden Racing Team
Seliö F1 Powerboat
Starts138
Wins13
Poles25
Fastest laps10
Best finish1st in 2007, 2010
Previous series
1996
1988-90
World Formula 4
Finnish SJ-15
Championship titles
2007, 2010
1990
F1 Powerboat World Championship
Finnish SJ-15

Racing career

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Seliö began his career in Finland in the national SJ-15 class in 1988, a category which he won 1990. By the mid 1990s he had progressed up the classes and in 1996 finished third overall in the Formula 4 World Championship. In 1998 he made his debut in Formula 1 and a string of points finishes brought with it the Rookie of the Year award for 1998. Over the following years Seliö gained experience and in 2005 enjoyed his best season to date as he finished second in the championship. Two years later in 2007, Seliö won the first of his World Championships. He was 16 points behind Italian Guido Cappellini entering the last race of the season in Sharjah, but as Cappellini wrecked his boat with ten laps to go, Seliö won the race to give him the championship by a margin of just four points.[2]

The 2007 season began a sequence of four consecutive years where Seliö never ended lower than third in the championship. In his title defence year of 2008, he finished runner-up and he slipped one place to third at the end of 2009. The 2010 season would see Seliö clinch his second world title, again coming from behind in the points, this time to beat Jay Price, at the final race of the year.[3]

In October 2011 in Liuzhou, China, Seliö lost control of his boat at 200 km/h and was concussed, broke his ribs and coccyx, and his right eye developed a hematoma.[4] He missed the final two races of the season, but was able to return in time for 2012, where he eventually finished fourth overall. In 2013 Seliö would also finish fourth at the end of the season but entered the final race leading the championship. Having crashed out of qualifying[5] he started well down the field and a retirement in the race meant no points, and the chance at a third title was lost.[6]

Racing record

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Complete Formula 1 Powerboat World Championship results

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Year Entrant Hull Engine 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 WDC Points
1998 Team Europe Velden Mercury 2l ITA RUS FRA
Ret
FIN
6
GRE
9
ITA
5
HUN
5
RUS ABU
4
9th 30
1999 Team Europe Velden Mercury 2l POR
9
ITA
DNS
RUS
C1
FRA
Ret
HUN
Ret
RUS TUR
32
AUT
63
ABU
Ret
11th 14
2000 Team Finland Velden Johnson 3l POR
DNS
BEL
DNS
HUN
DNS
LAT
Ret
FRA
DNS
ITA POL BUL TUR ITA
6
AUT
Ret
SHA
Ret
ABU
5
15th 12
2001 Team Finland DAC Johnson 3l MAL
2
POR
Ret
HUN
5
LAT
9
ITA
Ret
ITA
13
GER
Ret
IRE
6
SHA
7
ABU
Ret
9th 33
2002 Vivid Velden Racing Team DAC Johnson 3l POR
2
ITA
Ret
FIN
Ret
HUN
5
ITA
Ret
GER
Ret
MAL
Ret
IRE
Ret
SHA
Ret
ABU
DNS
11th 22
2003 Viemerö F1 DAC Mercury 2.5l POR
Ret
FIN
Ret
ITA
Ret
GER
DNS
MAL
Ret
SIN
7
SHA
5
ABU
5
10th 18
2004 Seliö F1 Powerboat BaBa Mercury 2.5l IND
4
KSA
3
POR
Ret
ITA
2
ITA
9
CHN
9
SIN
3
MAL
Ret
KOR
44
SHA
3
5th 64
2005 Seliö F1 Powerboat BaBa Mercury 2.5l POR
12
ITA
2
SIN
25
QAT
3
ABU
Ret
SHA
2
2nd 49.5
2006 Red Devil Seliö F1 BaBa Mercury 2.5l QAT
6
POR
Ret
ITA
Ret
CHN
10
ABU
6
SHA
4
10th 20
2007 F1 Team Energy BaBa Mercury 2.5l POR
4
FRA
1
CHN
3
CHN
3
QAT
5
QAT
7
ABU
1
SHA
1
1st 104
2008 Woodstock Red Devil Racing BaBa Mercury 2.5l QAT
4
POR
8
FIN
Ret
RUS
2
CHN
Ret
CHN
1
ABU
5
SHA
2
2nd 69
2009 Team Mad Croc BaBa Mercury 2.5l POR
1
Ret
POR
2
Ret
FIN
1
5
FIN
2
3
RUS
1
Ret
RUS
2
2
CHN
1

1
CHN
2

Ret
CHN
1

4
CHN
2

1
QAT
1

Ret
QAT
2
6
ABU
1

3
ABU
2

Ret
SHA
1

2
SHA
2

1
3rd 135
2010 Team Mad Croc BaBa Mercury 2.5l POR
DSQ
RUS
1
CHN
2
CHN
Ret
CHN
4
QAT
2
ABU
1
SHA
2
1st 94
2011 Mad Croc F1 Team BaBa Mercury 2.5l QAT
14
POR
4
TAR
DNS
UKR
3
CHN
Ret
ABU SHA 7th 21
2012 Mad Croc F1 Team BaBa Mercury 2.5l QAT
3
TAR
4
UKR
1
CHN
Ret
ABU
3
SHA
5
4th 60
2013 Mad Croc Baba Racing Team BaBa Mercury 2.5l BRA
1
UKR
4
CHN
2
QAT
Ret
ABU
1
SHA
Ret
4th 64
2014 Mad Croc Baba Racing Team BaBa Mercury 2.5l QAT
Ret
CHN
8
MID
3
ABU
4
SHA
4
4th 33
2015 Mad Croc Baba Racing Team BaBa Mercury 2.5l QAT
Ret
FRA
5
POR
Ret
CHN
3
ABU
4
SHA
5
7th 35
2016 Mad Croc BaBa Racing BaBa Mercury 2.5l DUB
DNS
FRA
Ret
POR
2
CHN
1
CHN
3
ABU
5
SHA
3
3rd 66
2017 Mad Croc BaBa Racing BaBa Mercury 2.5l 6th 30
2018 Mad Croc BaBa Racing BaBa Mercury 2.5l 8th 28
2019 F1 Sharjah Team BaBa Mercury 2.5l 9th 15
2020* F1 Sharjah Team BaBa Mercury 2.5l

* Season still in progress.

  • ^1 The 1999 Grand Prix of Russia was halted after 12 laps with results annulled and no points awarded.
  • ^2 The starting grid for the 1999 Grand Prix of Turkey was formed on the basis of current championship standings following the İzmit earthquake, with the race held as planned on Sunday 22 August.
  • ^3 The 1999 Grand Prix of Austria was stopped after seven laps, with the results taken from the completion of the seventh lap, and no points awarded.
  • ^4 The 2004 Grand Prix of Korea was run under the 'match race' format, and the event thus did not count towards the final championship standings and no points were awarded.
  • ^5 The 2005 Grand Prix of Singapore was halted after 18 laps, with half points awarded.

References

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  1. ^ "Driver Profile: Sami Selio". F1H2O. Retrieved 1 January 2014.
  2. ^ "Selio Wins Sharjah And Is New World Champion!". F1H2O. 14 December 2007. Retrieved 12 January 2016.
  3. ^ "Selio's 2nd Place Seals A World Title In Sharjah!". F1H2O. 10 December 2010. Retrieved 12 January 2016.
  4. ^ "Selio Hopes for Return To Emirates Despite Injuries!". F1H2O. 16 October 2011. Retrieved 12 January 2016.
  5. ^ "Carella-Torrente One-Two While Selio Crashes Out!". F1H2O. 12 December 2013. Retrieved 12 January 2016.
  6. ^ "Carella Locks Down Third Straight Title With Win In Sharjah!". F1H2O. 13 December 2013. Retrieved 12 January 2016.