Stefan Arand
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| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Nationality | Estonian |
| Born | 2001 (age 24–25) |
| Height | 1.84 m (6 ft 0 in) |
| Weight | 90 kg (198 lb) |
| Sport | |
| Sport | Powerboat racing |
| Club | Sharjah Team (2025–present) Team Bình Định-Viet Nam (2024) Stefan Arand Racing (2023) |
Stefan Arand (born 2001) is an Estonian powerboat racer from Tallinn. He is a seven-time world champion and nine-time European champion across multiple powerboat racing categories.[1][2] He became the first Estonian driver to compete in the F1H2O World Championship when he made his debut in 2024.[3] He was three-time UIM Junior Driver of the Year from 2016 to 2018.[2]
Arand began powerboat racing in 2012.[4] He won back-to-back GT15 World and European Championships in 2014 and 2015.[1][2] He won the GT15 World Championship again in 2016 and 2017, and the GT15 European Championship in 2017 and 2018.[4] In the GT30 class, he won world championships in 2017 and 2018, and the European Championship in 2019.[2][4]
His consistency across these championships earned him the UIM Junior Driver of the Year award three consecutive times in 2016, 2017 and 2018.[2][1] In 2019, he won the Offshore 3J World Championship, demonstrating his versatility beyond circuit racing.[2][1] He also secured a bronze medal in the S3 Endurance World Championship.[4]
F4 career
F2 career
In 2023, Arand made his debut in the UIM F2 World Championship racing under the Stefan Arand Racing banner with a DAC hull.[2][7] He finished third overall behind Rashed Al-Qemzi and Edgaras Riabko, earning the bronze medal in his debut season.[1][7] He was voted F2 Rookie of the Year.[2] His top F2 result was winning the 2023 Baltic Cup.[4]
In the 2025 F2 season, Arand competed over four rounds and finished seventh overall.[1] His season highlight came at the final round in Vila Veha, where he secured fourth place after maintaining his position through multiple yellow flags.[1]
F1H2O career
2024: Rookie season
In 2024, Arand made history as the first official driver to represent Estonia at the top level of powerboat racing when he joined the F1H2O World Championship.[3] He raced for Team Bình Định-Viet Nam alongside defending World Champion Jonas Andersson.[7] In December 2023, he was awarded the 2023 Driver of the Year at the Estonian Powerboating Union Awards' Ceremony.[7]
His debut at the Pertamina Grand Prix of Indonesia on Lake Toba resulted in fourth place in both the sprint race and Grand Prix.[1][2] At the inaugural Grand Prix of Vietnam in Quy Nhơn, he finished second in a sprint race behind his team-mate but failed to finish the Grand Prix.[8] He finished fifth in the weather-shortened Grand Prix of Shanghai but did not start at Zhengzhou and was absent from the Sharjah finale.[2][8] He finished 10th in the Drivers' Championship with 34.5 points, contributing to Team Vietnam winning the Teams' Championship.[2]
2025: Sharjah Team
For the 2025 season, Arand joined the Sharjah Team, partnering with Canadian Rusty Wyatt under team manager Scott Gillman.[1][8] Gillman, a four-time F1H2O World Champion, provides mentorship for developing championship-calibre drivers.[1]
Arand opened his campaign with fourth place at the Grand Prix of Indonesia on Lake Toba.[9] At the Grand Prix of Shanghai in October, he claimed pole position with a time of 40.222 seconds, becoming the youngest-ever F1H2O pole-sitter at age 23.[10] He dominated Sprint Race 1 from pole but suffered engine failure four laps from victory.[11] An engine change relegated him to 19th on the grid for the Grand Prix.[12]
Arand claimed his maiden F1H2O victory at the season finale in Sharjah on 21 December, winning by 12.594 seconds.[9][13] He became the first Estonian driver to win a Grand Prix in the F1H2O class.[14] He finished fourth in the championship with 83 points behind Shaun Torrente, Jonas Andersson and Rusty Wyatt, securing a contract renewal with Sharjah Team for 2026.[14]