After finishing fourth overall in the 2025 World Cup, Team Aoki made a successful return in Saudi Arabia. With the two pilots Sara Misir and Dani Clos, they won the Jeddah GP by a clear margin. Second and third place went to Team Brady and Team AlUla. They were followed by Sierra Racing Club in fourth place and the new Team Monaco in fifth place.
Crash in turn one
Pilot Sara Misir from Team Aoki sits in the cockpit and checks the systems of her pink RaceBird. The crews in the control centre get ready for take-off. Clouds are gathering. In front of the surreal desert landscape in Jeddah, the boats slowly move into starting position. The signal sounds, the RaceBirds accelerate. The race can begin. After a few hundred metres, the spray fog behind the boats subsides. With the right foil setting, they lift themselves out of the water and begin to float.
The first bend is quickly in sight and the field moves close together. Suddenly, the orange boat of Cris Lazarraga (Team Rafa) appears to the right of Sara Misir. Both steer hard and contact is made. Under the surface of the water, the foils of the RaceBirds collide. However, Sara Misir stays on track and is the first rider out of the left-hand bend. A manoeuvre that will ultimately give Team Aoki the overall victory.
Difficult conditions
Difficult weather conditions prevailed in Jeddah on the first race weekend. While the sun normally burns mercilessly on the boats in the desert, this time a cloud front over the Red Sea provided diffuse light and high humidity. The water was choppier than last year, which presented the pilots with a number of challenges, as the foiling boats are more likely to fall out of their floating state in unstable waves. Despite the difficult conditions, the teams got into a better rhythm over the course of the semi-finals and adapted their course to the waves.
E1 Series: Backgrounds
All teams in the E1 compete with technically identical boats, as unauthorised modifications to the boats are strictly prohibited. From a speed of around 18 knots, the hull of the so-called RaceBirds lifts out of the water thanks to the foils and transitions into a stable glide. A truly unique selling point compared to other racing series.
The principle of parity is also unusual: each team must compete with one male and one female driver, with both taking part in the same number of races. The points of both drivers are added together at the end and make up the overall ranking. Prominent athletes and musicians such as Tom Brady, Rafael Nadal, LeBron James and Steve Aoki also act as team captains and raise awareness for the fledgling racing series.
Further news:
Expectations for the new season
Expectations for the new season are high. With the entry of two new teams, including Team Monaco, the field has been expanded to ten boats. At the same time, fans can look forward to more races and venues. Instead of five as last year, eight races will be held in 2026. The technology has also been refined. Thanks to optimised battery systems, the drivers can now distribute the "power boost" more easily over the entire race distance for a brief increase in speed.
