Why E1 Is One of Sport's Most Interesting New Ventures
Dubrovnik revealed a sports property designed around competition, celebrity ownership, sustainability, equality and modern fan behaviour.
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Written by David Skilling
After attending E1 Dubrovnik as a guest of the championship, I left thinking about how sports properties today have to be much more than competition alone to carve out their place in the sporting landscape, and why E1 may be building something much bigger than a racing series.
The E1 Dubrovnik GP took place alongside the walls of one of Europe’s most popular coastal cities, with electric race boats skimming across waters frequented by luxury yachts, cruise ships, and a setting better known as the backdrop to Game of Thrones.
But what is E1?
E1, at its core, is a racing championship, but probably not one that most sports fans have come across yet. It’s the world’s first all-electric raceboat series, bringing together a who’s who of team owners, including Tom Brady, LeBron James, Rafael Nadal, Didier Drogba, Steve Aoki, Virat Kohli, Will Smith, Marc Anthony, Thibaut Courtois and Kyle Kuzma, with male and female pilots competing in waterfront destinations such as Miami, Monaco, Lake Como and Dubrovnik.
The racing itself was certainly entertaining, but after spending time around the championship, discussing the distribution set-up in the broadcast centre, and sitting in on a roundtable discussion with E1 CEO Jamie Copas, I came away believing the story is far bigger than just what’s happening on the water.
What became increasingly clear over the weekend was that E1 isn’t trying to position itself solely as a racing series. The championship’s conversations around ownership, sustainability, equality, content distribution, and destination-led events suggest an organisation attempting to build a modern sports property around how today’s audiences engage with sport, rather than just focusing on what happens between the start and finish lines.
On paper, that combination of celebrity ownership, electric technology and sustainability messaging could easily invite scepticism because modern sport has become crowded with properties attempting to position themselves as purpose-driven brands. Plenty of leagues and events talk about changing the future, while others borrow celebrity influence and environmental messaging to create differentiation in increasingly competitive markets.
What struck me in Dubrovnik, however, was how many of those ideas appear embedded within the structure of the championship itself rather than attached to it as a marketing tool, which is very different. The clearest example is the ownership model.
During the roundtable discussion, Copas acknowledged the obvious marketing value of celebrity involvement, but he also pointed to something broader that caught my attention because it touched on a conversation I’ve spent years having with professional athletes about life after sport.
Many of E1’s owners are athletes who have been proactive about their second careers, and team ownership represents a natural progression for people who have spent decades operating in highly competitive environments. As athletes continue to build investment portfolios, production companies and business interests beyond their playing careers, sports ownership increasingly feels like the next logical step.
That creates a very different dynamic from the celebrity endorsement model most sports properties rely upon. Modern sport is full of ambassadors, promotional appearances and short-term partnerships, yet ownership requires a different level of commitment because the relationship becomes financial, strategic and long-term.
LeBron James isn’t appearing in a campaign for Team AlUla, Tom Brady isn’t attending races as a guest, and Will Smith isn’t lending his image to a marketing campaign. Their names are on the door, and their level of commitment was clear to see with LeBron James, Kyle Kuzma, and Rafa Nadal all in attendance.
As a result, the celebrity involvement feels more authentic than many sports marketing partnerships because ownership carries risk alongside opportunity. Investing in something feels very different from endorsing it, and these owners have to believe in the sport’s future to commit at this level.
The same thinking appears in E1’s approach to distribution.
Traditional sports properties still tend to treat social media as a marketing channel that sits alongside the main product. The race happens, broadcasters show it, and social media helps promote it. E1 appears to be approaching the relationship differently.
Across the European leg of the 2026 season in Lake Como, Dubrovnik and Monaco, the championship partnered with TikTok on a creator-led collaboration built around exclusive access, live content and social-first storytelling, which says a lot about how E1 views audience growth.
Through the E1 x TikTok Live Creator Programme, creators, fans and pilots become part of the entertainment product rather than just helping to market it. TikTok is also producing bespoke live content around events, helping introduce the championship to people who may never actively search for electric boat racing but are interested in sport, travel, entertainment or lifestyle culture.
That approach feels aligned with how younger audiences discover sport today. Modern Formula 1 benefited enormously from fans first connecting with drivers, personalities and clips before becoming invested in the racing itself, while many established sports organisations are still trying to adapt to that reality. E1 appears to recognise that modern fans don’t always arrive through the broadcast. Instead, they often arrive through a creator, an athlete, a destination, or a story that centres on the competition before they become invested in the competition itself.
Sustainability follows a similar pattern. Rather than existing as a marketing message attached to the championship, it has been built into how the series presents itself and operates.
The championship’s Blue Economy Summit ran alongside the racing in Dubrovnik, bringing together public authorities, business leaders and industry figures to discuss coastal development and environmental protection. Team Brady has also linked points earned on the water to commitments around removing plastic waste, creating a direct connection between sporting performance and environmental initiatives.
Some readers will inevitably question how much impact these programmes can ultimately deliver, which is a fair conversation to have, but the environmental agenda is at least embedded within the championship rather than attached to it as a corporate responsibility exercise.
The same applies to equality. Every E1 team must field both a male and female pilot, making female participation a structural requirement rather than an aspirational objective. Copas spoke positively about increasing female representation throughout the championship and expressed a desire to see female team owners join the ownership group in future, although Team Drogba already includes co-owner Gabrielle Lemaire alongside the former footballer. Many sports organisations discuss equality as something they hope to improve over time, but E1 built it directly into the competitive format from the beginning, which is a real statement.
Another thing that interested me was the broader positioning opportunity. Formula 1’s growth over the past decade has demonstrated that many fans aren’t just buying tickets for racing; they’re buying access to an experience that combines sport, hospitality, entertainment, networking, and culture. And E1 feels like it belongs within that same conversation.
E1 could have chosen any number of venues to host its races, yet it has deliberately built the calendar around locations such as Miami, Monaco, Lake Como and Dubrovnik. The championship’s leadership understands that people increasingly travel for sporting experiences, while brands, creators and hospitality partners are often looking for something broader than a race weekend. This reflects how modern sports properties increasingly compete for leisure time and experiences rather than just competing against other sports platforms.
Viewed individually, celebrity ownership, social-first storytelling, sustainability initiatives, and destination events can appear to be separate strategic decisions. After spending time around the championship, they felt more connected than that. Each appears designed around the same belief: that modern sports fans engage with sport through multiple entry points, not exclusively through the competition itself.
The championship remains young, awareness is still developing, and every emerging sports property faces questions about long-term growth. But after a first-hand experience getting behind the scenes, I came away believing the concept rests on stronger foundations than many new sports ventures.
The simplest interpretation is that E1 is celebrity-backed electric boat racing.
The more interesting interpretation is that E1 is building a sports property around the realities of modern fandom, where ownership, sustainability, equality, social-first storytelling and destination experiences sit alongside the competition rather than outside it. It’s easy to see why so many athletes, entertainers and investors have bought into the idea.
If you’re interested in checking out E1, its next stop is in Monaco on 17–18 July. More info here: E1 Series.
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