Rafael Nadal team wins in ‘best ever E1 electric speedboat race’

In the second event of the second season of the E1 all-electric raceboat series, the team of tennis legend Rafael Nadal powered to its first-ever victory. The race course was set in and around the famed Pearl Island of Doha, Qatar – a man-made island with yacht-lined marinas, villas, towers, hotels, restaurants and boutiques.

The Series pits nine teams against each other, racing in the one-design Racebird foiling electric speedboat created by Seabird Technologies. Top speed is about 50 mph (80 kmh). Each team has a female and male pilot and each is owned by a prominent global sport, entertainment or business personality.

In what is being called the most exciting race in the E1’s short history (see video below), the second of the two Finals Races had all five pilots jockeying for position with their wing tips and foils almost touching at full speed before Team Rafa’s Cris Lazarraga eventually pulled away from the pack.

Dani Clos of DJ/Producer Steve Aoki’s team finished in second place with Yousef Al-Abdulrazzaq of the team owned by footballer Didier Drogba coming in third. At this early stage, those are also the 1-2-3 standings for the season. Full points standings for all teams are at the bottom of this page.

Mixed fortunes for last season’s Champions

“For the last year we’ve been looking for this win” said Lazarraga, who had to fight back tears in an emotional post-race interview. “We were determined to win. This is our mantra. Everything went smoothly and after so much hardwork this is where we deserve to be.”

See Plugboats coverage of all races in the E1 Series 2025 Championship:
Jeddah Dubrovnik  Maggiore  Monaco  Lagos Miami

Will Smith, the Hollywood icon and owner of E1 team Westbrook Racing, was at the event to provide some star power and witness his pilots secure fourth place.

There were mixed fortunes for Team Brady, last year’s Champions, who are backed by NFL legend Tom Brady. The team’s Finnish pilot Emma Kimiläinen finished fastest in Final 1 but her teammate Sam Coleman fell back to fifth place from third in the second race after receiving a time penalty for hitting a marker.

The 2025 season of the series, officially the UIM E1 World Championship presented by PIF, is proving to be incredibly competitive as the pilots for all nine teams get more in touch with how the Racebird is best handled in different waters.

They are also refining and honing their strategies on the tactical aspects of each race. The racecourses have a long lap which must be taken at some point in the 6 lap race and the Racebirds also have a ‘boost’ capacity that can be utilized for short periods but drains the battery more quickly.

“Around 10,000 fans witnessed a race punctuated by drama and jeopardy as we welcomed new winners of an E1 race,” said E1 Series CEO Rodi Basso. “This demonstrates the strength and depth of the competition and sets the stage for an incredible season ahead.”

Mr. Basso also announced a host of new international broadcast deals and several rights renewals for the upcoming season that will bring the races to millions more fans across the world.

New international broadcast agreements

In the Nordics region of Europe, regarded as world leaders in sustainability, the Championship will be carried by Viaplay, the region’s leading streaming service. The region carries significant local interest too – it is home to several E1 pilots including the Finnish reigning E1 champion Emma Kimiläinen and Swedes Erik Stark of Marc Anthony’s Team Miami and Timmy Hansen of Claure Group’s Team Brazil.

MBC – the largest and leading media company in the Middle East and North Africa – has renewed its deal with E1 for the 2025 season and a new broadcast deal has been struck with beIN across the Middle East and Asia-Pacific regions.

Other new carriers:

• India- Fancode
• Extended Subcontinent – Tapmad
• Eurasia – Setanta
• 
Africa – Sporty Africa
• 
Australia – Fox Sport
• Ukraine – Divisport
• China – Huya, Jiangsu and Douyin

Expanded agreements include:

• UK – ITX with increased coverage across ITV4 and ITVX
• USA – CBS
• 
Brazil – Globo
• 
Turkiye – S SPort
• Balkans – Arena Sport
• Iceland – Livey

E1 Series website  

2025 E1 Championship: Standings after Race 2, Doha