E1: LeBron James' Team AlUla wins the Blue Impact Championship

The E1 World Championship, the all-electric raceboat series, has named the winner of its Blue Impact Championship: Team AlUla, backed by LeBron James. The announcement was made in Miami on 13 November, as the season-ending double-header runs on 13 and 14 November on Biscayne Bay. This prize is not won on the water: it recognises the strongest and most concrete sustainability programme of the year.

A sustainability award, not a drivers' title

The Blue Impact Championship is in its second edition and is presented by Bombay Sapphire as part of E1's Blue Impact Programme. It rewards the team whose work for the ocean and aquatic ecosystems best fits the series' strategic pillars. Team AlUla's programme, "Powered by Data. Driven by Impact.", was judged the best of the season.

The sporting title is separate and is decided in the finale. Going into the weekend, according to the event's presentation, Team Brady (Tom Brady) led the standings, ahead of Westbrook Racing by Visit Angola (Will Smith) by 9 points and Team AlUla by 35 points.

What Team AlUla put in place

• A partnership with WATR to monitor water quality in real time at every race, with a public dashboard.
• One mangrove planted for each WATR reading, 3,200 so far in 2026.
• A bilingual children's book, Cori, the Turtle in Danger, produced in Luanda with the Kissama Foundation: 1,000 copies printed, with an expected reach of more than 20,000 children.

Three new awards

E1 also created three categories in 2026:

• Environmental Impact Award: Team Brady, last year's overall winner. It doubled its pledge with the 4Ocean Foundation to 200 kg of plastic removed from the ocean per championship point, more than 30 tonnes after five of seven rounds.
• Social Impact Award: Team Rafa, for ocean literacy workshops reaching 24,000 people.
• Tech Award: Westbrook Racing by Visit Angola, for a satellite partnership with the European Space Agency and EOMAP to gather environmental data at race locations.

The judges

Six experts in marine science, ocean conservation and sustainability assessed the entries, led by Carlos M. Duarte, E1's chief scientist. The ceremony followed an afternoon of sustainability panel discussions.

Key takeaway

While the teams fight for the sporting title in Miami, E1 is putting another ranking in the spotlight: environmental impact. Team AlUla comes out on top, ahead of rivals who were also rewarded in their own categories.