JEDDAH: The Aoki Racing Team of Mashael Alobaidan from Saudi Arabia and Spain’s Dani Clos won the season opener of the UIM E1 World Championship presented by PIF in Jeddah on Saturday.
The event marked the start of a second season of the world’s only all-electric power boat race circuit.
E1 features top teams owned by some of the best-known celebrities in the world, including sport stars Tom Brady, Didier Drogba, and Rafael Nadal, and actor Will Smith.
Each team has two pilots — one male, one female — driving futuristic, all-electric “RaceBirds.”
The team backed by international DJ Steve Aoki surged to victory on the Red Sea in front of thousands of spectators.
Alobaidan and Clos finished ahead of Rafael Nadal’s Team Rafa in second place, and Virat Kohli’s Team Blue Rising, who made their first appearance on the podium in third.
Aoki pilot Alobaidan — Saudi Arabia’s first woman rally driver — said the win was the best of her career so far.
“Last year, I think we placed last or close to last,” she said. “So, it just goes to show the underdog has a chance when you have determination, passion, and love for the sport.
“We came together and we retooled everything we possibly could; we put our heart and determination into it, and just to see this all happening right here, right now, winning this one, it’s just a dream come true.”
Her teammate Clos is a former Formula 1 test driver and new to the team for the 2025 season.
Following the Jeddah event, the E1 season travels to six more stops, including Doha, Lake Como, Monaco, and Miami.
