What you need to know about the E1 Series electric boat world championship, which begins this Friday in Monaco

Monaco will once again host a round of the Electric Boat World Championship . The event was created by the E1 Series and the International Motorboat Union (UIM) in 2024.

Presented by PIF, the Saudi Arabian Public Investment Fund, this is the world's first all-electric racing boat championship.

After a first stopover in 2024 in the Principality, the competition will once again drop anchor for two days in the waters around the Yacht Club of Monaco. Qualifying will take place this Friday , followed by the race day on Saturday.

No Monegasque this year

Each team - made up of a male and a female driver - is supported by celebrities such as Didier Drogba , Rafael Nadal and Will Smith . In the first edition, it was Tom Brady 's team that won the championship and the Monaco stage.

Present in the Team Blue Rising of former Indian cricketer Virat Kohli, Monegasque Lisa Caussin Battaglia and her team finished in seventh place overall out of nine participants.

Unfortunately, the darling of the Monegasque public was not selected during the formation of the teams for this 2025 edition.

Up to 111 km/h

This stage in the Principality will be the fifth of the season after Jeddah, Doha, Dubrovnik and Lago Maggiore, in this championship which includes seven races in emblematic coastal destinations.

The 1.5 km long circuit is made up of buoys around which the competitors must turn. The goal is logically to go as quickly as possible aboard these electric boats propelled up to 60 knots, or 111 km/h .

Friday will be devoted to free practice, between 1:05 p.m. and 3:15 p.m., as well as qualifying, from 4:20 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. The drivers will complete timed laps. Each driver's fastest average lap determines their ranking. The top five and bottom four teams will then compete separately in two qualifying races. This will determine Saturday's starting order.

In the race between the top five teams, the top three will earn points for the championship currently dominated by Team Rafa with Cris Lazarraga, a Spanish rider, and Tom Chiappe, a Frenchman.