Co-owned by entrepreneur Chris Taylor and 11-time kite-ski world champion Maxime Nocher, the new E1 franchise aligns with the missions of the Prince Albert II Foundation and the Princess Charlene Foundation
E1, the all-electric raceboat championship, has confirmed that Team Monaco will join the series from 2026, adding a home-nation storyline to one of its most glamorous calendar stops.
The reveal in the Principality, attended by Prince Albert, cast the new team as a standard-bearer for Monaco’s twin credentials in maritime heritage and sustainability leadership.
The team is co-owned by Monaco-based entrepreneur Chris Taylor and French athlete Maxime Nocher, an 11-time kite-ski world champion, and says it will support the Prince Albert II Foundation’s ocean work and the Princess Charlene Foundation’s water-safety initiatives.
Monaco already features prominently in E1 as one of the championship’s prestige race locations on the waters of Port Hercule. Formalising a Monaco entry adds another layer to that relationship, offering the Principality a platform that combines competition, destination marketing and purpose-led messaging around cleaner marine technology.
Founder and chairman Alejandro Agag said Team Monaco “embodies everything E1 stands for – performance, technology, and purpose,” while CEO Rodi Basso called Monaco a “cornerstone” of the calendar and said the team’s arrival “takes this relationship to new heights.” Both positioned the franchise as a natural extension of E1’s aim to use sport to accelerate ocean preservation and sustainable mobility.
The addition also dovetails with E1’s audience-building strategy. The championship says it is now broadcast in over 140 territories, providing an immediate global platform for any new entrant. Monaco’s brand, synonymous with elegance and innovation, should be attractive for premium sponsors across sectors such as marine tech, luxury, finance and hospitality as the team builds out its roster and partnerships ahead of 2026.
Talent development is another strand where Monaco is already invested. The Principality hosts the La Belle Classe Academy, supported by the Yacht Club de Monaco, which E1 highlights as a training and development hub for aspiring pilots in sustainable racing and marine technology. With a local pathway in place, a home franchise could create clear progression routes for Monaco-linked athletes and engineers into the international series.
Key details such as Team Monaco’s pilot line-up, technical leadership and commercial partners are still to come. Those announcements will shape competitive expectations and reveal how the franchise chooses to express the Principality’s identity on the water.
