E1 Series, the turn towards a global sport in Miami

Behind the decision to hold a grand prix in Miami there is a precise strategy, but also an authentic feeling with the city. On the other hand, the most dandy metropolis overseas is natively home to several of these testimonials and founders of the teams that most attract audiences and digital fans to the sport with unprecedented concentration and diversity. Steve Aoki, one of the world's most famous deejays, Marc Antony, the absolute king of Latin music and Tom Brady, are literally at home in South Florida. The other peculiar figure of the star-studded big names, Lebron James, on the other hand, who has appeared on the motorboat roster since 2025, is a resident of Beverly Hills.

'Miami is an extraordinary meeting point between sport, finance and entertainment,' Basso continues. 'For the past five years it has been establishing itself as the gateway to the United States for emerging sports and new technologies. We have received exceptional support from Mayor Francis Suarez, who has been present since the announcement of the competition. And then many local entrepreneurs, personalities from the world of entertainment, music and sports: the city has really adopted us'.

Confirming the special atmosphere on the docks of the harbour, right in front of the famous cruise terminal, is also the response of the public: 'The American public is energetic, entertainment-driven, likes to experience the event in all its dimensions. It is not - in this case - a lounge or grandstand audience: it is here to have fun, to meet, to feel part of something. Less corporate, more lifestyle. And this is perfectly in line with the E1 philosophy.

Precisely to intercept this spirit, Miami offers a more experiential format than ever before. "We do not have a classic fan zone, but a huge hospitality area, one of the largest ever organised," says Basso. "In two days we will host around 1,500 people, including partners, investors, ambassadors and celebrity team owners. It is a dimension closer to great entertainment than to a traditional sporting event'.

The new technical format, introduced in the second season, is consolidating the spectacularity of the races.

'The sprint qualification races worked,' Basso explains, 'making the competition more dynamic. For next year we want to introduce long and short laps also in qualifying, to increase the tactical variables. It is a championship that is won with strategy, driving sensitivity and communication between team and driver. Everything happens in ten minutes, and every decision can change the outcome.

Miami's debut is not only a sporting achievement, but also a media and strategic one. In addition to social channels and global networks such as Dazn, the final matches were broadcast on CBS and Paramount in the US and in over 140 countries worldwide.

'It is a very powerful showcase,' Basso confirms. 'Each appointment in a different country brings with it new connections, new opportunities. After Lagos, for example, we were contacted by several African cities interested in hosting the series. Our goal is the same here: we hope that Miami's energy will act as a catalyst for expansion into the US, where there would be endless venues suitable for E1's format and message. Boston, Chicago and New York would be my first choices, but of course there is also Lake Tahoe as a premium yachting destination in America, and Dallas, Austin and Las Vegas would also have perfect lakes to host this event,' he says. In Africa, moreover, it was the first motorsport competition ever to be contested with participants exclusively in all-electric vehicles.

In this regard, Agag, who has built an entire ecosystem of electric sports between Formula E, Extreme E and now E1, hosting races on all continents, also dreams of a landing in Japan, 'perhaps combined with a car race given the proximity to the track for the Formula E race'. And speaking of combinations with his main series, he wouldn't mind "going back to Switzerland, maybe even to Lake Zurich", where his open-wheel cars had already held a grand prix, followed a year later by a stop in Bern.

The media impact is growing steadily: 'After an already strong start, we have increased between 20 and 40 per cent on the different channels, including broadcast, digital and print,' Basso continues. "Considering our resources and the fact that we are only in our second season, this is an achievement we can be proud of."

An important role is played by the celebrities involved as team owners: 'Overall, our owners and ambassadors add up to more than 1.1 billion followers. This gives us direct and measurable access to a global audience, much more precise and profiled than traditional channels".

Behind the rise of E1 there is also the silent but decisive work of the UIM, the international powerboat federation, which has officially recognised its worldwide significance. President Raffaele Chiulli, who was also present in Miami, emphasises how the American event represents a strategic stage for the entire movement: "The US market is one of the most complex but also one of the most stimulating, a necessary step to bring electric powerboating to the level of global maturity.

Chiulli sees E1 as a laboratory of real innovation, where sustainability and spectacle coexist without compromise. 'Our commitment,' he explains, 'is to ensure that the words sustainability and innovation do not remain slogans, but become measurable and replicable parameters. In Miami, the UIM relaunched the Blue Impact project, dedicated to the regeneration of coastal waters, and confirmed its desire to expand the zero-emission platform towards hydrogen, considered the next frontier in the sector.

The president also points out that the UIM is working on a synergy with the FIA and FIM for a sustainable 'multi-motorsport' future, where water, land and air can share technologies and best practices. "Miami," he adds, "is proof that this model works: a modern (motor) sport can be competitive, spectacular and at the same time responsible towards the planet.

If Miami represents the most spectacular side of E1, behind the scenes the series continues to grow in terms of technology and logistics. Indeed, there are many new features introduced between the first and second seasons.

"We have gone from five to seven races, from two continents to four," Basso emphasises. "And this has taught us that there is a sustainable limit in the number of events that can be organised with one set of boats. We never use planes: only transport by boat or road, to reduce the environmental impact. But to grow we will have to build a second set, which will allow us to race in America and then, two weeks later, in Asia. It is a process that is already underway, with interested investors and reasonable costs.

On the technical side, the vision is also clear: "Next year we will continue with incremental improvements in stability and performance. But we are already working with technology suppliers for a real second generation of boats, planned for two to three years from now. We might keep some parts of the current chassis, updating only the propulsion systems or the foils: the aim is to be efficient and sustainable in development as well."

The growth also continues with new elite teams: already a host venue and unmissable for its soul that has always been devoted to the defence of marine ecosystems, Monaco has recently announced its presence from 2026 in E1 also as a team, under the patronage of Prince Albert II of Monaco. Captained by Formula E co-founder Chris Taylor, it also counts on the support of kite super-champion Maxime Nocher, an 11-time world champion on the traditional board and a recent exponent of the most funambulist of its evolution into 'kite foil'. Nocher is a sportsman who perfectly embodies the values of the E1 as he himself represents the technical transition between the 'traditional' and foil worlds of his medium of origin, demonstrating how technology is now playing a leading role in pushing the sport towards new horizons thanks to a perfect mix of efficiency, speed and spectacle. The world of kite foil is therefore very close to that of motor boats, which similarly hover above the surface of the water in a delicate interplay of aero and hydrodynamic balances, and Nocher is the most interesting 'case study' from which to draw inspiration.

Announced in Miami, in the heart of the stage that marks the global expansion of E1, the new Team Sierra represents perhaps the most surprising novelty of the season. It will make its debut in 2026 and will bring with it a unique technological DNA: behind the team are Kerem Ozmen and Dominik Madani, members of the Ozmen family, owners of Sierra Space, an American company that develops advanced aerospace systems such as the Dream Chaser, the reusable spaceplane destined for low orbit missions. The link with research and innovation is deep: Team Sierra was set up to transfer the same pioneering spirit that drives the space race to the water, with the aim of making electric competition a platform for sustainability and frontier technology. An entry that confirms E1's vocation as a global laboratory where sport, industry and the future meet.

The arrival of Nocher and ambitious dreams like Sierra's in the circus is therefore emblematic in the strategy and narrative of this still relatively young but far from immature discipline. The E1 Series was not only conceived to be 'just another' electric powerboat championship, but it can and seems to be succeeding in consolidating itself as a laboratory for new generations of pilots, engineers and fans of motorised water sports which, for well-known reasons (risks and environmental impact), through the other series with endothermic engines no longer seemed to have any margin for improvement. This is why it attracted drivers from water sports, but also personalities from the world of four wheels, above all Dani Clos, who has competed in Gp2 and also in Formula 1 as reserve driver and tester for the HRT team. By winning the first ever E1 event at Jeddah in 2024, he proved that he could bring added value as a complete and experienced driver even without having specific experience on water before having the official 'training' of the circuit, which was largely carried out in the waters of Lake Maggiore.

"The Academy has worked," Basso confirms. "We have trained new drivers who are ready to compete and have an increasingly high athletic level. Some come from sports other than motorsports, but they are growing rapidly. And in parallel we are working on new content formats, to talk to the new generations through gaming, interactivity and social media. We want kids to be able to challenge our athletes in real time, to experience the competition from the inside.

When asked how he sees E1 five years from now, Basso answers without hesitation: "I see an E1 with fifteen races, twelve teams and a global ecosystem of sport, technology and entertainment. I see celebrities and champions competing together, and cities all over the world wanting to host the series. Above all, I see a young, curious, engaged audience. Miami is our turning point, the confirmation that the idea works, that we can really become a world sport'.

And if the challenge has only just begun, the signal coming out of Miami is loud and clear: E1 is changing the rules of the sport and pioneering new avenues in the race format but also in communication and marketing that open a breach in the creativity of other disciplines as well.