LeBron James invests in E1 by launching new team

credit: A.RICARDO / Shutterstock
credit: A.RICARDO / Shutterstock

NBA superstar LeBron James has joined the E1 World Championship by launching the new AlUla Team. 

He will join as the latest investor in the all-electric raceboat championship, which involves other prominent sports stars such as Tom Brady, Rafael Nadal, Virat Kohli and Didier Drogba

James commented: “As a lifelong fan of sports and competition, the opportunity to own an E1 team that represents such a high level of innovation in sports is incredibly exciting, E1 is a new type of global competition that’s revolutionising water racing and I’m proud to be at the forefront of its expansion in season two.”

Team AIUla, named after the ancient city of Saudi Arabia, will be led by racers Rusty Wyatt and Catie Munnings. They took the team to its first race at the E1 Jeddah GP last Saturday, ultimately finishing 8th with nine points. 

DJ Steve Aoki’s Aoki Racing team came first at the Jeddah GP, followed by Nadal’s Team Rafa in second and Kohli’s Blue Rising team in third to round out the podium, with Team Drogba placing ninth. 

E1 has been described as F1 on the sea, powered by electric speed boats that incorporate a blend of speed and technology in the hope of bringing the same entertainment F1 provides. 

The speedboats, also known as RaceBirds, from all the competing teams go into qualification round to determine starting positions on race day. The highest ranked teams then progress to the quarter-finals, then to the semi-finals. The four highest ranked teams then progress to the Championship final to compete for the title. 

After a successful season 1 last year that saw a plethora of aforementioned sports stars invest in teams, the Saudi Public Investment Fund increased its backing of E1 by becoming a presenting partner.

The second season of the E1 Championship this year will host races in a myriad of global cities, such as Monaco and Doha, with Miami setting the stage for the final in November 2025. 

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