30-03-2025
How Lebron James and Team AlUla united to target E1 success
It will surprise exactly no-one to learn that Lebron James – the record-breaking NBA superstar who has played more than 1,700 games and scored more than 50,000 points in a trophy-laden career – is competitive. But few could have foreseen how 40-year-old James is currently channeling that competitive streak off the basketball court.
Earlier this year, 'King James' announced that he had become the owner of Team AlUla, which competes in E1 – the world's first all-electric raceboat series. The list of his fellow owners, and therefore rivals, reads like a who's who of global sports and entertainment royalty.
From Will Smith to Tom Brady, and Steve Aoki to Rafa Nadal – E1 has managed to attract some of the world's most recognizable names, despite only being in its second season.
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'Getting the owners on board has been super important,' Rodi Basso, the CEO and Co-founder of the E1 Series, told Al Arabiya English. 'We launched the E1 Series from a blank sheet and when you go to the media, the first thing they ask about is the reach.
'To be able to immediately say that we have 1.1 billion followers through our owners and pilots helped make us a more viable commercial proposition and we have built on that to create our own ecosystem of content.
'The owners get involved because they want to be part of an impactful project and they find E1 a cool idea – in terms of technology and sustainability. They are also competitive and see a potential financial upside. All these ingredients together is what makes them interested in the sport.'
Just like their owners, the E1 teams' pilots come from a variety of backgrounds, both on and off the water. Team AlUla embodies this, with its partnership of Rusty Wyatt and Catie Munnings.
Wyatt is a powerboat racer who came 2nd in the 2024 F1H2O World Championship, while Munnings is a rally driver who has competed in the Extreme E electric off-road racing series.
'I love being at the forefront of racing the newest technology,' Munnings told Al Arabiya English. 'It has been electric in E1 and Extreme E but I'm now testing hydrogen for the new Extreme H series too.
'For me it's really important to showcase to other sports how we are doing things sustainably. That's not just the electric motors and the tech but also things like the shipping [of the equipment] and the fact we have smart markers on the water without anchors [so they don't disturb the seabed].
'I think it sets a really good example to other championships to make small changes because these small changes add up.'
Although marine sustainability is at the heart of the E1 series, Team AlUla is also playing an important role in championing a land mammal. Each team can customize the design of its boat, known as a 'Racebird'. AlUla's eye-catching livery is inspired by the Arabian Leopard, a critically endangered animal that has recently returned to the Saudi region, where it once roamed freely.
Due to his basketball commitments with the Los Angeles Lakers, James has so far been unable to see his Racebirds compete in person at either of the 2025 season's first two races in Jeddah and Doha. It means that Munnings and Wyatt haven't yet met their new boss.
'LeBron is a huge icon for many of us and I am super grateful to be racing for him,' Wyatt told Al Arabiya English. 'We have put a good team together here but it's only our first season so there's obviously a lot to come – we're still learning.'
With several races slated to take place after the end of the 2025 NBA playoffs, there is a good chance that James will be in attendance when the E1 Series rolls into Monaco in July, Lake Como in August or Miami in November.
'He's planning to come to a few races this year and it will be great to have his energy,' Munnings said. 'When you have somebody leading a team that really understands sport and that mindset of being willing to take risks, it makes a massive difference.
'It gives you more confidence when you are behind the wheel and I am definitely expecting that winning energy to come through when he is at the races with us.'
For Munnings, it was not only the Lebron link that attracted her to Team AlUla. Having raced regularly in Saudi Arabia over the past five years, she has played an active role in the growth of motorsport in the Kingdom. And the 27-year-old Brit has been particularly heartened to see more female competitors.
'Year on year I'm noticing how many more Saudi women are getting into motorsport,' Munnings said. 'I did Rally Jameel [the first navigation off-road rally for women in the Gulf] last year, which covered pretty much the whole of Saudi Arabia; it was amazing to see how many women are getting involved across all levels of motorsport.
'Personally I am thankful for the role that Saudi Arabia is playing in motorsport – in E1 now we are supported by the Public Investment Fund [PIF], which has also been involved in Formula E and Extreme E – this has massively affected my career and I wouldn't be here without that.'
Every team in E1 has one female and one male pilot, with Munnings hoping that other motorsport series will sit up and take note.
'I think we are showing how competitive championships like this, that combine male and female talent, can be,' she said. 'In Extreme E there was initially a big gap in times between female and male drivers but those quickly closed when women were given the same time in the seat as men.
'E1 is an exciting series with some amazing team owners involved. We also have some incredible engineers and drivers – and everyone is learning on the job. I expect things to develop rapidly over the next few years and it is cool to be here at the start.'
