Tuesday, August 11 – Eleven years after making history with her first F1H2O podium – and her first Grand Prix victory – at the Grand Prix of Sharjah in 2015, Marit Stromoy has returned to the podium.
At the inaugural Grand Prix of Kyrgyzstan, the Norwegian produced a remarkable drive to finish third, adding another chapter to a career that has already secured her a unique place in the history of the UIM F1H2O World Championship.
For Stromoy, this was her sixth career F1H2O podium, following her historic victory in Sharjah in 2015, a second-place finish in Abu Dhabi in 2017, another second place in India in 2018 and third-place finishes in Xiamen in 2019 and Portugal in 2021.
But the significance of this latest podium goes far beyond the statistics.
Marit Stromoy has always been a pioneer. She remains the only woman ever to win an F1H2O World Championship Grand Prix and the only female driver to have stood on an F1H2O podium. Across more than a decade at the highest level of powerboat racing, she has repeatedly challenged conventions, broken new ground and, above all, refused to stop believing.
That spirit was tested once again when Stromoy committed to the Championship's new four-stroke technology ahead of the 2024 season, becoming the first driver to make the complete transition from the traditional two-stroke engine.
It was a decision that demanded courage and patience. Her Stromoy Racing team had to redesign its boat around an entirely different concept, while the early results provided little immediate reward. There were difficult days, setbacks and moments when the project demanded more faith than results could offer.
Stromoy never gave up.
And in Kyrgyzstan, that belief finally came good.
Saturday had offered few signs of what was to come. Stromoy narrowly missed progressing from Q1 in Qualifying and finished sixth in her Sprint Race, meaning she would start Sunday's Grand Prix from 14th on the grid.
Then came the Warm Up.
Stromoy completed more laps than any other driver and set the fastest lap of the session among all 18 competitors. Suddenly, the potential was there. Driver and boat had found a rhythm around the spectacular Lake Issyk-Kul circuit.
When the Grand Prix began, Stromoy seized the opportunity.
From 14th on the grid, she produced a sensational opening lap, climbing eight positions to sixth. It was a statement of intent: decisive, aggressive and full of the racecraft that has been one of her trademarks throughout her career.
After the Yellow Flag restart, she continued her charge, overtaking teammate Bartek Marszalek before passing Erik Stark to move briefly into fourth. Stark would retake the position, but Stromoy refused to let the opportunity slip away. She stayed in the fight, maintained her pace and waited for the race to come to her.
When Alec Weckstrom was handed a one-lap penalty for failing to line up correctly for the restart, and Jonas Andersson slowed, Stromoy seized the opportunity once again.
Third place was hers.
For Stromoy, it was the first podium for the four-stroke project she had believed in for so long. For her team, it was the reward for years of commitment, development and perseverance. And for F1H2O, it was another unforgettable moment from one of the Championship's most remarkable competitors.
Some podiums are about points. Some are about trophies.
This one was about belief.
Belief in a different technology. Belief in a team. Belief in a project that demanded patience. And, above all, belief in herself.
Eleven years after she first made history in Sharjah, Marit Stromoy is still writing it.
From becoming the first woman to win an F1H2O Grand Prix, to returning to the podium in China, to embracing one of the biggest technical challenges of her career and finally bringing that project to the podium in Kyrgyzstan, her story is one of resilience, courage and an extraordinary passion for racing.
At Lake Issyk-Kul, Marit Stromoy did more than finish third.
She reminded everyone why she belongs on the podium.
