Stars Aligned: How E1 Series is Capitalising on Celebrity Influence 🚤
The combination of commercial appeal, media coverage, and genuine engagement from high-profile owners provides a solid foundation for the E1 Series to grow...
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BIG IDEA
Launching a new sport is a monumental challenge, especially when competing against established leagues and the broader entertainment landscape.
This was the task facing the E1 Series, the world's first electric powerboat championship, as it prepared for its inaugural season in Jeddah earlier this year.
E1 combines elements of powerboating, sailing, and motorsport to create a unique format. Co-founded by Alejandro Agag—known for pioneering Formula E and Extreme E—it also has sustainability at its core. However, what truly sets the series apart is its strategy of pairing this sustainable vision with the glitz of locations like Monaco and the influence of celebrity team owners like Rafa Nadal, Tom Brady, Virat Kohli, and Will Smith.
While manufacturers typically own and name teams in motorsport, this approach proved difficult for E1's early stages, as Douglas Jakobi, E1’s Director of Team Development, explained on the Sports Pundit Podcast.
“We [realised] early on that getting manufacturers or luxury companies involved for an unproven concept would be difficult…We decided [instead] to go after celebrities because we saw it as an opportunity to bring more eyeballs to the championship.”
Celebrity ownership isn’t unique to E1 but reflects a broader trend of stars taking stakes in emerging sports properties like TMRW Sports’ TGL, supertri, Kings League, and the Hexagon Cup—where Agag is also involved.
What sets E1’s approach apart is both the all-in nature and the diversity of its celebrity owners.
By enlisting stars like Didier Drogba, Sergio Perez, and Steve Aoki, E1 has created a foundation that spans multiple sports and markets. This reach is especially impactful on social media, where E1’s content engages well beyond typical new sports properties.
“If you put them together, it creates a powerful story and an amazing reach of almost a billion people on social media,” explained Jakobi.
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When E1 announced its celebrity owners on TikTok, the video amassed 5.4 million views—compared to the typical 1-50k views on other posts.
The series has also seen a surge in traditional media interest thanks to its celebrity team owners. Headlines often feature familiar names like Will Smith or Tom Brady, drawing in audiences unfamiliar with powerboating. This celebrity association likely eases conversations with broadcasters as well.
Although only one season in, E1’s model should resonate particularly well with fans of women’s sports, where athlete fame and personal stories play a pivotal role.
A report by Sid Lee notes fans of women’s sports are 51% more likely to be influenced by individual athletes’ social media presence than fans of men’s sports, highlighting the potential of star power to drive engagement. E1’s format includes one male and one female pilot per team, with a female team owner announcement anticipated.
While celebrity involvement generates initial interest, building lasting fan bases requires genuine engagement. Moving into season two, the series aims to amplify the profiles of its pilots and team principals, alongside the meaningful connections many of the celebrities have to the sport.
“Steve's father, Rocky Aoki, who founded Benihana, was a big powerboater back in the day. So, Steve wanted to get involved to continue his father's legacy.”
It’s not just Steve, either.
“Naturally, it’s a fit for a lot of these guys—they like the glitz and glam, sustainability is important to them, and they enjoy boating on the ocean,” he added.
Nadal, for instance, has had a partnership with yacht manufacturer Sunreef even before his involvement in E1. It’s fitting, then, that he has since brought them onboard as a sponsor of Team Rafa—underscoring how celebrity ownership opens doors to commercial partnerships that might otherwise be out of reach.
“A lot of brands are particularly interested in working with these celebrity names,” Jakobi added. “An E1 team is another asset for sponsors…it’s an indirect way of working with these celebrities, who can charge a lot of money for brand deals.”
It goes both ways, too. For celebrities, the series extends their values and creates new sponsorship inventory for them, which becomes particularly important post-retirement.
In aiming to carve out a new space in the sports landscape, E1 offers one of the best early blueprints for leveraging celebrity influence to build credibility. The combination of commercial appeal, media coverage, and genuine engagement from high-profile owners provides a solid foundation for the series to grow.
THE PODCAST
Want to hear more from my conversation with Douglas?
We discuss aspiring to be 'F1 on water,' bringing in celebrity owners like Tom Brady, Virat Kohli, Will Smith, and Rafa Nadal, converting a combined social audience of almost one billion followers into a fanbase, sourcing and telling the stories of the pilots, expanding race locations to the US, and much much more.
Listen to the full podcast via the link below - and I’d love to hear what you think! 👇
Not yet a subscriber? Join over 3,000 sports business leaders, from Formula 1 to the Premier League, that read Sports Pundit every week to get impactful industry insights.