The global landscape of motorsport is undergoing a silent, high-voltage revolution—one that has traded the roar of internal combustion engines for the high-pitched whine of electric hydrofoils slicing through coastal waters. This past weekend, the Adriatic Luxury Hotels E1 Dubrovnik Grand Prix 2026 provided a masterclass in this paradigm shift. Against the breathtaking, medieval backdrop of Croatia’s Old Town—where ancient stone walls meet turquoise seas—Angola Westbrook Racing, owned by Hollywood icon Will Smith, claimed a hard-fought victory.
Piloted by the formidable duo of Sara Price and Lucas Ordóñez, the Westbrook squad capitalized on grueling coastal conditions to secure the top step of the podium. With this triumph, Westbrook Racing vaults past two-time reigning series champions Team Brady—anchored by NFL legend Tom Brady—to take command of the overall E1 season championship standings. Meanwhile, Team AlUla, championed by NBA superstar LeBron James, lurks dangerously in third.
As the E1 Series progresses through its third round of the 2026 calendar, the championship has evolved far beyond a high-profile novelty backed by celebrities. It has cemented its status as a fiercely contested, technologically advanced battleground for elite athletes. Blending cutting-edge marine engineering, gender-equal co-piloting formats, and high-stakes athletic drama, the E1 Series is rapidly carving out a permanent home in the international sports ecosystem.
Detailed Chronology: The Dubrovnik Grand Prix Weekend
The road to glory along the Dalmatian Coast was anything but smooth. While the waters off Dubrovnik’s historic port present a postcard-worthy panorama of terracotta roofs and copper-green domes, they pose a uniquely treacherous obstacle course for the 23-foot, all-electric hydrofoiling Racebirds.
Friday: The Qualifying Battle Against the Elements
The weekend kicked off with Friday’s high-stakes qualifying rounds. The waters outside Old Town are notoriously deceptive. Unlike the sheltered freshwater expanse of Lake Como—the site of Westbrook’s only previous win—Dubrovnik throws unpredictable rollers at the fleet from multiple directions. Refracted waves bouncing off ancient stone fortifications collide with deep-sea swells from the Adriatic, while unpredictable gusts churn down from the surrounding coastal mountains.
For the Racebirds, which depend on an exquisite balance of aerodynamic and hydrodynamic lift to stay elevated on their hydrofoils, chop is the ultimate enemy. Natural waves or the wake of competing vessels disrupt this delicate equilibrium, forcing boats off their foils and drastically increasing energy consumption.
Despite these challenges, Friday’s qualifying sessions ran largely true to form. Westbrook Racing, Team Brady, and Steve Aoki’s Aoki Racing Team locked down the top three positions, mirroring their placement in the overall championship standings. Sara Price and Lucas Ordóñez demonstrated an innate understanding of the changing water states, laying down clean, aggressive runs.
Saturday’s racing introduced the intense multi-race playoff format. Westbrook Racing maintained their blistering momentum through the Group Stages, dominating their bracket and securing a coveted, direct bye straight into the Finals.
"This is amazing for our team," an elated Sara Price remarked after securing the group win. "I don’t think we’ve ever actually won qualifying."
Arch-rivals Team Brady, steered by the seasoned pairing of Emma Kimiläinen and Sam Coleman, mirrored Westbrook’s dominance in their respective group, punching their own direct ticket to the Finals and keeping the pressure squarely on Smith’s outfit.
However, fortune did not smile upon every star-backed team. Team Drogba Global Africa—owned by former Chelsea FC and Ivory Coast football talisman Didier Drogba—suffered a heartbreaking setback. Despite New Zealand pilot Micah Wilkinson putting in a stellar shift to top his early group race, a costly disqualification for dangerous driving levied against teammate Tara Pacheco (a four-time Spanish Olympian and world champion sailor) dashed the team’s hopes of reaching the Finals.
For the remaining six teams, a high-intensity "Race Off" was required to determine the final four slots and starting grid positions for Sunday’s showdown. Here, Tom Chiappe of Rafael Nadal’s Team Rafa delivered a masterclass in recovery driving. Despite fighting a difficult handling setup all weekend, Chiappe steered his Racebird into the Finals, a performance that rightfully earned him the prestigious PIF Pilot of the Day honors. They were joined in the final bracket by Team AlUla, Marc Anthony’s Team Miami, and the resurgent Team Monaco.
Sunday: The Finals and Dramatic Climax
The E1 Finals format splits competition into two distinct races, combining the times of the female and male co-pilots to crown the weekend winner.
Final 1 saw Team Brady’s Emma Kimiläinen execute a brilliant start, beating Westbrook’s Sara Price to the first turning mark and masterfully defending her lead to the checkered flag.
Final 2, however, delivered high-octane chaos. Disaster struck Team Miami when Timmy Hansen suffered a high-impact collision with a massive, rogue wave. The violent impact tore the entire nose section clean off his Racebird, triggering an immediate red flag and knocking Miami out of the contention.
Once the course was cleared and racing resumed, Westbrook’s Lucas Ordóñez found an extra gear. Exploiting every ounce of battery energy and clean water available, Ordóñez drove past the field to capture the checkered flag—and with it, the overall Dubrovnik Grand Prix victory.
"This weekend has been incredibly special," Ordóñez reflected in the pit lane. "We’ve triumphed in difficult conditions and proved our fight and resilience as a team. Will has backed us all the way, so it’s amazing to pay back that trust."
Supporting Context & Metrics: The Machines and the Rules
To truly appreciate the engineering marvels and strategic complexities of an E1 race weekend, one must look beneath the hull of the Racebird.
The Racebird Engineering
Designed by Sophie Horne of Seabird Technologies, the Racebird is a marvel of twenty-first-century sustainable marine architecture.
Length: 7 meters (23 feet)
Propulsion: 150 kW (200 brake horsepower) electric outboard system engineered by Mercury Racing, powered by advanced Kreisel batteries.
Performance: Utilizing carbon-composite hydrofoiling wings, the boat lifts its entire hull completely clear of the water at speed, drastically reducing drag. This allows the craft to achieve top speeds of 90 kmph (50 knots / 55 mph).
Championship Points Structure
The E1 season spans eight grueling weekends in iconic international ports, culminating in a season-ending showdown in the Bahamas. Points are heavily guarded commodities:
Weekend Podiums: 1st (38 pts), 2nd (30 pts), 3rd (23 pts), down to 10th (3 pts).
Qualifying Bonuses: Fastest qualifier earns 3 points, 2nd earns 2, and 3rd earns 1.
Fastest Lap: 1 bonus point is awarded for the fastest single lap recorded over the entire weekend.
Strategy, Laps, and "Boosts"
E1 races are tactical chess matches played out at 50 knots. A standard weekend alternates male and female pilots across various heat stages, ensuring strict gender equity—there are no separate "men’s" or "women’s" races.
Courses feature variable lap lengths (Short, Normal, and Long) ranging from 900 to 1,700 meters. Saturday races require pilots to complete six laps, mandating at least one Short and one Long lap. Furthermore, pilots have access to tactical energy "boosts," allowing temporary surges of high-voltage output. However, the energy recovery system requires a recharge cooldown period twice the duration of the boost itself, creating intense risk-reward scenarios managed in real-time by dockside "Mission Control" teams.
Official Statements and Celebrity Presence
Beyond the technical prowess on the water, the Dubrovnik GP drew an unprecedented constellation of global sports and entertainment royalty to the Dalmatian Coast. LeBron James, fresh off his NBA hardwood exploits, was spotted trackside alongside fellow NBA star and Sierra Racing Club co-owner Kyle Kuzma, as well as tennis legend Rafael Nadal.
The star power, however, runs deeper than mere marketing. These cultural icons share a genuine stake in E1’s broader environmental manifesto.
Jamie Copas, Chief Executive Officer of the E1 Series, summarized the weekend’s impact:
"This has been an extraordinary weekend of racing in one of the world’s great coastal cities, and today’s final delivered everything E1 stands for—fierce competition, gifted pilots, and the most spectacular setting in motorsport. The 2026 Championship is shaping up to be one of the most compelling seasons we have seen. We head to Monaco next month with the standings far from settled, and every point between now and the finale will matter."
The competitive fire burns just as brightly behind closed doors. Team owners communicate through a fiercely active WhatsApp group chat. Following Westbrook’s victory, Will Smith cheekily messaged Tom Brady: "YES! Finally ahead of you, Brady." The NFL legend, refusing to back down, fired back with the oldest adage in professional sports: "We’ll see you at the next one."
Parallel to the racing, Dubrovnik hosted a high-level Blue Economy Summit, drawing municipal officials, financial leaders, and marine tech innovators to discuss climate-resilient coastal development. E1 serves not merely as a sport, but as a high-visibility testbed for zero-emission marine technology at scale.
Future Outlook
As the circus packs up its high-voltage chargers and hydrofoils, the 2026 E1 Championship standings present an enticingly tight leaderboard:
Position
Team
Owner
Female Pilot
Male Pilot
Points
1
Westbrook Racing
Will Smith
Sara Price
Lucas Ordóñez
101
2
Team Brady
Tom Brady
Emma Kimiläinen
Sam Coleman
89
3
Team AlUla
LeBron James
Nerea Martí
Rusty Wyatt
70
4
Aoki Racing Team
Steve Aoki
Sara Misir
Dani Clos
59
5
Team Blue Rising
Virat Kohli
Mashael AlObaidan
John Peeters
47
6
Team Rafa
Rafael Nadal
Cris Lazarraga
Tom Chiappe
35
7
Team Monaco
Unassigned
Oban Duncan
Maxime Nocher
33
8
Sierra Racing Club
Thibaut Courtois / Kyle Kuzma
Catie Munnings
Erik Stark
27
9
Team Miami (Magnus)
Marc Anthony
Rianna O’Meara-Hunt
Timmy Hansen
26
10
Team Drogba Global Africa
Didier Drogba
Tara Pacheco
Micah Wilkinson
20
With Westbrook Racing sitting atop the table with 101 points, a 12-point cushion separates them from Tom Brady’s defending champions. Yet, with the season not yet at its halfway mark, and a maximum of 38 points up for grabs every single weekend, the title race remains wide open.
The fleet now sets its sights on the iconic waters of Monaco on July 17–18, followed by stops in Luanda, Lagos, Miami, and a dramatic season finale in the Bahamas this November. For Will Smith’s Westbrook Racing, the target is now firmly planted on their backs. For the rest of the fleet, the hunt for the title of "Champions of the Water" has only just begun.
