JEDDAH, SAUDI ARABIA (24 January 2026) – Jeddah once again underlined its importance to the UIM E1 World Championship presented by PIF and further enhanced its status as a world-class sports destination by hosting a spectacular season-opening race.
E1, the world’s only all-electric raceboat series, has begun each of its three seasons on the Jeddah Corniche – and with this year’s competition expanded to 10 teams and eight races, expectations were high for an event that has set the benchmark for both previous seasons.
Jeddah duly delivered with two days of riveting racing, with thousands of fans watching on with a dramatic day of qualifying on Friday and culminating in Saturday’s action-packed races.
After four fiercely-contested rounds, it was Aoki Racing Team – piloted by Sara Misir and Dani Clos – who won a second successive Jeddah title, earning 40 points and setting a marker for the rest of the championship.
Defending Series champions Team Brady took the runner-up spot and 33 points, while Saudi-backed Team AlUla championed by LeBron James completed the podium and earned 24 points.
The victory on the Red Sea was a repeat for Aoki Racing, who clinched the trophy in 2025 when piloted by Saudi pioneer Mashael Al Obaidan alongside Clos. Al Obaidan was absent from Jeddah this year but has signed for Team Blue Rising and will join her new team for the remainder of the season, once she recovers from injury.
His Royal Highness Prince Abdulaziz bin Turki Al-Faisal, Minister of Sport, presented the winners’ trophy to Aoki Racing, while His Royal Highness Prince Sultan bin Fahd bin Salman, President of the Saudi Water Sports and Diving Federation, presented the second-place trophy to Team Brady.
Prince Sultan said: 'A fantastic event
I’m most proud of the fact that as Saudis, we can do things other people cannot do. We have no roof for what we can achieve, so I’m super proud of the team and of everyone that contributed to this. We will celebrate today, and then <a href="https://saudi-journal.com/glmc-2026-opens-tomorrow-in-riyadh-under-patronage-of-the-custodian-of-the-two-holy-mosques/”>tomorrow, we work for the next race.
‘Having so many kids at E1 has been absolutely vital. I’m a very firm believer in getting to people as early as possible, teaching them things like how to use sports to better the environment, which you can see with E1 being 100 percent electric boats. We designed the event to be more kid-friendly than adult-friendly. We want kids to enjoy it. This is for them. This is for their family.’
Throughout the weekend, the Jeddah Corniche was transformed into a festival of electric boat racing. A lively E1 Fan Zone welcomed families, friends, and race fans to watch the action shoreside, enjoy activities, and take in the atmosphere, while the E1 Ocean Club delivered an exceptional hospitality experience.
In the middle of the E1 Fan Zone, a booth dedicated to Driving Force Presented by PIF 360 hosted several sessions with Saudi youth. Open to students aged 8 to 18, the programme provides hands-on education focused on STEM subjects, sustainability, and the future of electric mobility. The initiative reached more than 60,000 students globally in 2025 and is aiming to inspire an additional 50,000 this year.
Presented by the Saudi Water Sports and Diving Federation (SWSDF), the E1 Jeddah GP 2026 once again showcased Saudi Arabia’s commitment to sustainable water sports, marine protection, and responsible coastal development, while reinforcing Jeddah’s role as a global destination for innovation-led sport.
Saudi Arabia’s influence within E1 is a key driver of the championship and its mission of sustainability and ocean protection. In addition to the presence of a Saudi pilot and a Saudi-backed team, the Saudi Public Investment Fund (PIF) as presenting partner is a vital factor in E1’s ever-increasing success, both as a world-class sports competition and in its environment-led innovation.