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THE My Qi Meritus.Mahara - sporting GulfWeekly's name on its cars - aims to challenge for a podium finish this weekend in front of thousands of adoring fans in Bahrain.
Competing for the second season in GP2 Asia Series the Arab team, who finished ninth in the inaugural championship and stand eighth this season, have come a long way since their debut.
Team chairman Raad Abduljawad has worked tirelessly behind the scenes to ensure a smooth transition from their debut season to one where they feel they can challenge not just for a podium but a race win.
This is something they are confident of achieving in Bahrain during the F1 weekend.
"The team have ambitions to be one of the major teams in GP2 Asia Series and we will work hard to achieve this ambition," said Raad. "We had one podium already this season and we are working towards having more in the last two races."
After a brilliant start to the season where the team earned eight points from the opening two races, including a podium for Earl Bamber, the team have only earned one extra point through Alvaro Parente's fastest lap in the last race at the Malaysian F1 weekend on April 5. But, despite the lack of points, there are plenty of positives to be taken from a hard fought season.
For one, the team and the cars clearly have the pace to trouble their more established rivals, as proven by the lap times in Doha, Dubai and Sepang. Also, the team have solved tyre problems which have hindered the team's progress since after the China round last October.
Asia's most successful motorsports team with 32 international titles in the past 12 years, My Qi Meritus.Mahara have learnt to adapt and analyse any problem to help their cause. The team have spent hours on end in simulators to bring an end to their problems and without much testing as their European counterparts, have risen to eighth with nine points to their credit.
Raad, who shies away from the limelight, has been instrumental in the team's rise with his pep talks and support from behind the scene and is optimistic the team's two drivers, Parente and Marco Bonanomi, can end the season on a high in Bahrain.
"We have two good drivers on board with Marco and Alvaro providing the team with good feedback," he said. "I'm delighted they are driving for us. They have helped us on the car set-up as this is evident from our timing in the last few races. I'm confident they have what it takes to win in Bahrain."
Team founder Peter Thompson said: "Raad has been a great source of inspiration for the team and he has always supported us. It would be great if we can pay him back by winning in Bahrain, and this is something I feel is possible.
"We have kept pace with the other cars and if we can sort out our qualifying form, I don't see any reason why we can't be challenging for a win or two in Bahrain."
The season started brightly with a podium finish in the opening round in China last October. Back then, rookie sensation Earl Bamber was the team's top driver and he cruised to the runners-up spot in the second race of the season after collecting points in the opening race. Bamber, 18, also became the youngest ever driver in GP2 history to finish on the podium.
But a switch from hard compound tyres to soft ones, disrupted the team's preparations as without the benefit of testing on the new set of tyres, their hopes of building on their successes in China were soon dashed.
Undaunted by this setback, they have gradually worked their way back into the reckoning. Even when Bamber and his Malaysian team mate Alex Yoong had to opt out of the championship for business reasons, My Qi Meritus.Mahara didn't panic and in Parente and Bonanomi, have found the perfect replacements
Portugal's Parente earned the Arab team a point when he set the fastest lap of 2:03.508 in the second race at Sepang International Circuit. His team mate, Bonanomi of Italy, who started 21st on the grid after failing to finish the first race, worked his way up to 14th in the 26-car field.
