Certain sports are lauded for the excitement of the game, others for the luxuries they provide those in attendance. For the latter, images of a Formula One Grand Prix or the Wimbledon tennis championships spring to mind, both of which are notorious for a heavy portion of champagne popping and celebrity spotting to accompany the sporting spectacle. And though both sports are watched for the tenacity of the game in question, in the eyes of the media, Brad Pitt’s choice of watch worn in Wimbledon gets far more attention than it arguably should.
But many of our most watched sports and their respective fan bases have now been established for decades, if not centuries, one of the youngest being Mixed Martial Arts, the first ever UFC event taking place in 1993, one that is still considered a ‘growing sport’. So how does one suddenly decide to create a new sport, nonetheless get potential fans in attendance? Is it simply as easy as ‘build it, and they will come’?
Probably not if you’re a regular guy, but if you get Tom Brady, Steve Aoki, Didier Drogba, and Marc Anthony as the new faces of the operation, then you’re off to a good start.
Enter the E1 Boat Racing World Championship, or the E1 Series, the world’s first all-electric race boat championship. Founded by Alejandro Agag and Rodi Basso, this new sport sees the proprietary electric boat known as the RaceBird, competing across the globe while spotlighting the possibilities of electric vehicles.
And much like its automobile counterpart, the Formula 1 Grand Prix, a large portion of the excitement doesn’t only come from the sport itself, but rather the luxurious and exclusive lifestyle it promotes.
With the first ever E1 Race having taken place February 3, 2024 in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, the following events will span across Venice (Italy, not L.A.), Marbella, Geneva, Monaco, Rotterdam, and Hong Kong. In a time where Greta Thunberg lambasts the rich and famous for heading out to buy milk in a private jet, a major selling point of the E1 series is that the boats are all, in fact, electric.
“Obviously, the sustainability aspect was extremely important for me and a very big selling point,” says Steve Aoki, whose father was a race boat driver, and who has a major stake not just in the sport, but with his own Aoki Racing Team as well. “But I am really in it to win it. Getting to be a part of a brand new sport is so exciting, and the fact that there are both male and female pilots competing at the same events also adds to the novelty of the sport.”
But perhaps surprising to most was that, in the mandatory absence of alcohol, nevertheless champagne, which has become synonymous with opulent sporting events, the dynamic of attendees was anything but sedated. Perhaps this is a sign that we can put the booze aside and rely solely on watermelon juice for a good time (doubt it, but who knows)?
“I may retire from music entirely and just focus on boat racing full time,” Marc Anthony said during our interview. “I’ve never had this much fun before. I got to pick my own drivers, and getting to watch them do their thing in the water has been unbelievable. With its emphasis on sustainability, I truly believe this is the sport of the future.”
As Tom Brady predicted in the Instagram video above, Team Brady did in fact win the first ever race in Jeddah, with Team Miami (Marc Anthony) in second, and Team Rafa in third, despite Brady not even attending the race himself. Team Drogba came in sixth, and Team Aoki came in seventh, second to last place.
Quickly en route to becoming the fight capital of the world, it should come as no surprise that Saudi Arabia was quick to call dibs on hosting the first ever E1 Boat race in the local waters of Jeddah. As the Kingdom now boasts football teams, F1 races, and major boxing and MMA events, with all the financial backing they can provide, one can understand why investors and celebrities alike would feel safe in the affluent embrace of Saudi Arabian financial security.
After only one event it is far too early to predict the trajectory of a sport in such infancy, but having been broadcasted to over 1 billion screens worldwide, if the celebrity attendees and applaudable sponsorships continue at upcoming events, one can only assume it will generate future guestlists that mirror those of Wimbledon and the F1 Grand Prix.
