Alberto Comparato (born 1 October 1997) is an Italian powerboat racer who competes in the Formula_1_Powerboat_World_Championship, the premier class of inshore powerboat racing. The Chioggia resident has now competed in 22 Grand Prix and is the lead driver of the Comparato F1 team under the guidance of his experience father Fabio. He was the youngest driver to set pole, win a race, and ultimately take the UIM F2 World Championship title at the age of 20.[1]
Only two Italians have ever won this championship: Alberto and his father, Fabio and this unique father-son achievement encapsulates the remarkable story of the Comparato racing dynasty.[1]
Early life and career beginnings
Alberto Comparato's entry into motorsport followed a familiar path, karting at the age of six laid the foundation, and he moved to powerboat racing at the age of 11.[1] Born and raised in Chioggia, in the Veneto region of Italy, Alberto is the son of Fabio Comparato, himself a former F1H2O driver and multiple world champion. Già all'età di soli 12 anni dimostra la stoffa del campione ottenendo grandi risultati nelle categorie minori (Already at just 12 years old, he demonstrated the makings of a champion, achieving great results in the minor categories).[2]
F4 Championships (2014–2015)
The young Italian's ascent through the ranks was nothing short of meteoric. In 2014, at just 16, Alberto achieved the F4 triple crown. He captured the World Championship, European Championship, and Italian Championship in the same season, becoming the youngest driver ever to claim the F4 World and European titles.[1]
Nel 2014, per Alberto, arriva il primo Titolo Mondiale nella categoria F4, motorizzata Mercury 40hp, dove le imbarcazioni, pur avendo soltanto 40 cavalli, raggiungono velocità superiori ai 100Km/h in acqua (In 2014, Alberto's first World Title came in the F4 category, powered by Mercury 40hp engines, where the boats, despite having only 40 horsepower, reach speeds of over 100km/h on water).[2]
Not content with a single dominant campaign, Alberto repeated his F4 World Championship success in 2015, adding another Italian title to his growing collection.[1] His dominance in the F4 category established him as one of powerboat racing's most promising young talents. Dopo aver vinto l'europeo a Brodenbach (Germania), il sedicenne pilota di motonautica Alberto Comparato conquista a Nottingham (Inghilterra) anche il titolo mondiale della classe F-4S, dominando la quarta ed ultima tappa del circuito (After winning the European championship at Brodenbach, Germany, the sixteen-year-old powerboat pilot Alberto Comparato also conquered the world title of the F-4S class at Nottingham, England, dominating the fourth and final round of the circuit).[3]
UIM F2 career (2016–2018)
Alberto's move to UIM F2 in 2016 marked the beginning of his most impressive chapter so far. At 18, he became the youngest driver ever to compete in the F2 World Championship.[1]In Finlandia, sul lago Peurunka, nella zona centrale dei laghi, il giovane pilota chioggiotto ha messo il muso del suo scafo nero davanti a tutti portando a casa la prima vittoria assoluta nella categoria (In Finland, on Lake Peurunka, in the central lake region, the young pilot from Chioggia put the nose of his black hull ahead of everyone, bringing home the absolute first victory in the category).[4]
At his debut race in Finland, he won, becoming the youngest F2 Grand Prix victor in history, and he claimed the F2 pole position in 2018, again as the youngest ever.[1]Al termine di 50 tiratissimi giri, Comparato ha tagliato il traguardo al primo posto con il tempo di 58'31"31, precedendo la coppia svedese Johan Osterberg e Bimba Sjoholm, rispettivamente secondo e terzo (At the end of 50 very tight laps, Comparato crossed the finish line in first place with a time of 58'31"31, ahead of the Swedish pair Johan Osterberg and Bimba Sjoholm, second and third respectively).[4]
That same year, Alberto's meticulous preparation yielded exceptional results. After completing over 1,500 testing laps during winter preparation, he won the 2018 UIM F2 World Championship at the age of 20, once again setting the record as the youngest champion in the category's history.[1]
F1H2O career (2019–present)
Debut season (2019)
The natural progression led Alberto to F1H2O in 2019, where, at 21, he became the youngest driver in the paddock.[1] His rookie season with the F1 Atlantic Team showed immediate promise, with six races yielding a best finish of sixth place in Sharjah and a tenth-place championship position that earned him F1 Rookie of the Year honours.[5]
Comparato F1 Team years (2021–2023)
From 2021 to 2023, Alberto raced under his family's team, reviving a squad that had competed from 2001 to 2010 during his father's era.[6]
Alberto's F1H2O career has been marked by steady progress and breakthrough moments and his first pole position came in 2021 at San Nazzaro, making him the youngest driver ever to achieve that milestone in the premier class.[1]A San Nazzaro la sorpresissima arriva dal giovane rampollo veneziano Alberto Comparato, l'unico pilota a scendere sotto i 42 secondi (At San Nazzaro the surprise comes from the young Venetian scion Alberto Comparato, the only driver to drop below 42 seconds).[7]
The following year brought his first podium, a third-place finish in Sharjah that helped him achieve his best championship result of eighth place.[5] His 2022 season represented the peak of his F1H2O performance to date.
In 2023, after finishing 11th with Comparato F1 – the highlight being fourth place in Olbia – the team struggled for consistency despite competitive moments.[5]
Team Abu Dhabi (2024)
After a challenging stint with Team Abu Dhabi in 2024, where he replaced Shaun Torrente, Alberto returned to Team Comparato F1 for 2025.[8] The switch didn't work out for either party.[5]
Return to Team Comparato F1 (2025)
H2O Racing officially confirmed the return of Team Comparato for the 2025 UIM F1H2O World Championship season. Now partnered with Australian Damon Cohen, with Fabio serving as team owner and Alberto piloting a DAC hull, the Comparato racing operation has come full circle.[9]
"I would like to sincerely thank Guido (Cappellini) and the entire Abu Dhabi Team for the incredible opportunity they gave me this past season," Comparato stated regarding his return to the family team.[9]
The Comparato name has been synonymous with powerboat racing excellence since Fabio Comparato first took to the water in 1984 at Boretto, Italy.[1] Fabio's career exemplifies consistency and excellence – Over 11 years in F1H2O, he accumulated 93 career starts, 19 podiums, and 42 top-five finishes. His crowning F1H2O moment came in Malaysia in 2004, where he claimed victory from pole position during what would be his best season, a third-place championship finish.[1]
However, Fabio's dominance extended far beyond the premier class. He captured world championships in UIM F2 (2001), four T750 titles, and two T850 crowns.[1]Fabio si aggiudica a Corfù il titolo mondiale di Formula 2, unico Italiano a vincere questo titolo fino al 2018 quando Alberto Comparato, il figlio, eguaglia il risultato (Fabio won the Formula 2 world title in Corfu, the only Italian to win this title until 2018 when Alberto Comparato, his son, equaled the result).[2]
The statistical achievements of the Comparato father and son are impressive. Together, they have accumulated 10 world titles, seven European titles, and six Italian titles.[1] The family business, Nautica Comparato, was established in 1983 and continues to support the racing operation.[2]
Records and achievements
Alberto Comparato holds several significant records in powerboat racing:[1]
Youngest ever F4 World Champion (age 16, 2014)
Youngest ever F4 European Champion (age 16, 2014)
Youngest ever F2 Grand Prix winner (age 18, 2016)
Youngest ever UIM F2 World Champion (age 20, 2018)
Youngest ever F1H2O pole position holder (age 23, 2021)
Only two Italians have ever won the UIM F2 World Championship: Alberto and his father, Fabio. They remain the only father-son duo to both win UIM F2 World Championships.[1]
Technical details and equipment
Alberto currently races with a DAC (Dalla Antonio Catamaran) hull under the Team Comparato F1 banner. The team's technical crew includes experienced mechanics led by his father Fabio Comparato, along with team manager Matt Palfreyman from Great Britain.[5]
Personal life
Alberto resides in Chioggia, Italy, maintaining the family's connection to the Veneto region where the Comparato racing legacy began.[1] He is in a relationship with Swedish powerboat racer Mathilda Wiberg, who won the UIM F2 World Championship in 2024 with Alberto serving as a key member of her technical team.[1]
This page is based on this Wikipedia article Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply. Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.
