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E1 SeriesRace gets underway in Luanda for the first time – Team Drogba Global Africa is missing

Leonie Meyer

 · 11.09.2026

The RaceBird belonging to the Westbrook Racing by Visit Angola team is being prepared for this weekend’s race.
Photo: Getty Images / Malcolm Griffiths
The E1 Luanda Grand Prix brings the Electric Boat World Championship to Angola for the first time on 12 and 13 September. Following Team Drogba’s maiden victory in Monaco, all eyes are now on the title decider. Ironically, it is the team led by former football star Didier Drogba will not, however, stand for election.

The E1 Series heads to the southern part of the African continent for the Luanda Grand Prix. The races will take place at the Luanda Yacht Club, on the Atlantic coast of the Angolan capital. The qualifying heats are scheduled for Saturday (12 September), followed by the races on Sunday (13 September). This is the first event in Angola for the fledgling championship for fully electric foiling boats. Luanda had already been announced as a new venue back in the spring. At that time, E1 and team owner Will Smith the Grand Prix.

New venue for the E1 Series

Following the races on Lake Como, in Dubrovnik and Monaco, the teams will face a new course in Luanda. If a boat falls off the foils and back into the water due to waves or a mistake, it costs speed and seconds. Nevertheless, the technical conditions remain the same for everyone. In the The teams compete in the E1 Series with identical RaceBirds, which take to the air at speeds of around 18 knots and can reach up to 50 knots. Each team also fields one female pilot and one male pilot, whose results count towards the overall standings.

A close race for the top spot

After four of the seven rounds this season, the reigning champions, Team Brady, lead the championship with 119 points. Westbrook Racing by Visit Angola, Will Smith’s team, are right behind them on 110 points. Team AlUla are in third place with 75 points.

​Further articles on the E1 Series:

However, one team is missing from the paddock this time round. Team Drogba Global Africa celebrated its first-ever E1 victory at the Monaco Grand Prix in July. According to the organisers, the team is unable to compete in Luanda due to delays in the transport of its cargo from the European customs territory. Nine teams are therefore set to compete in the fifth race of the season.

You can find further information about the race here.

Which team will win the race in Luanda? Have a chat with us in the comments.

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Leonie Meyer

Leonie Meyer

Editor News & Panorama

Leonie Meyer was born in Detmold in 1997. The passion for boating runs in her family: every year they spend their summer holidays in Croatia with their boat. Even as a child, she leafed through her father's BOOTE magazine.

After training as a design assistant at school, she moved to Magdeburg to study International Journalism. During this time, she completed an internship abroad at a German daily newspaper in Greece and an internship at BOOTE magazine. After graduating with a BA (2020), Leonie did a graduate internship in Mallorca. Her last stop was a cross-media traineeship at a daily newspaper in OWL. Leonie Meyer has been working as an editor in the watersports digital editorial team since 2023 and turned her passion into a career.

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