Business

E1 produces new wave of celebrity ownership in sport

History was made as the first all-electric speedboat race concluded in Jeddah, with the level of celebrity ownership in the series equally as ground-breaking.

Tom Brady, Didier Drogba, Rafael Nadal, Virat Kohli and Sergio Perez.

E1, a new all-electric speedboat racing series, has attracted some of the biggest names in sport and entertainment as team owners.

With a combined Instagram following of over 500 million, the line-up also includes global DJ Steve Aoki and Grammy-winning musician Marc Anthony.

|Driver: Marc Anthony|Team: Team Miami|Number: 16||Driver: Erik Stark|Number: 16|Team: Team Miami|Car: E1 Race Bird||Driver: Anna Glennon|Number: 16|Team: Team Miami|Car: E1 Race Bird||Photographer: Shiv Gohil|Event: Jeddah GP|Circuit: Jeddah|Location: Jeddah|Series: E1 Series|Season: 2024|Country: Saudi Arabia|Keyword: season 1|Keyword: season one|Keyword: S1|Keyword: photography|Keyword: photos|Keyword: images|Keyword: motorsport|Keyword: powerboat racing|Keyword: boat|Keyword: 2024|Keyword: Asia|Keyword: February|Keyword: E1 Series Photography|Keyword: marine|Keyword: boat racing|

"When we first bought the Miami Dolphins, in the first seven years we knew that we were restructuring the team. I learnt that losing hurts when you're an owner of a team, it burns differently," said Anthony.

Former McLaren Motorsport business director and NASA consultant Rodi Basso is the co-founder and chief executive of E1. Basso joined forces with Formula E and Extreme E founder Alejandro Agag in lockdown to electrify racing on water.

 

"Rafa Nadal, before he listened to the E1 project, spoke to his managers and his team, and he said, 'when I stop playing, find me a project with Impact'."

Professor Carlos Duarte is world-leading marine ecologist and E1's chief scientist.

"Now thanks to the relationship with E1, Carlos [Duarte] is working on a project to make the Academy of Rafa more sustainable," said Basso

Basso explained that each team owner was attracted to E1 due to its potential for growth, but also the small matter of legacy. "The other point is a bit more romantic," he said.

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