Team AlUla Championed by LeBron James showed determination and promise at the E1 Lagos GP presented by FirstBank, delivering strong pace throughout a demanding weekend that didn’t fully reflect their potential in the final results.
The sixth and penultimate round of the UIM E1 World Championship presented by PIF (E1) took place in Lagos, Nigeria — marking the series’ first-ever race in Africa. The historic event attracted huge local interest, with six fan zones across the city and over 18,000 ticket requests, underscoring the sport’s growing global appeal.
With regular pilots Catie Munnings and Rusty Wyatt unavailable due to prior commitments, Spain’s Nerea Martí and Norway’s Andrè Solvang stepped in to represent Team AlUla for the Lagos event. The team focused on integrating the two rookie pilots quickly, prioritising familiarisation, confidence building and data collection during shakedown sessions. Their rapid adaptation was evident in Free Practice, where Nerea topped her session and Andrè finished an impressive P2.
Confidence was high heading into qualifying, with both pilots showing strong, consistent pace. Unfortunately, Nerea picked up debris on the RaceBird’s hydrofoils during her timed laps, affecting performance. Andrè maintained the momentum with another P2 but the combined results placed the team just outside the top five. A subsequent sensor failure ahead of the Qualifying Race further limited Nerea’s ability to control the RaceBird’s handling — a tough setback after earlier promise.
Sunday brought additional challenges, as heavy storms and lightning disrupted the race schedule with a cancelled group of races which reduced opportunities to recover from qualifying. The extreme weather also washed large amounts of debris into the course, turning each race into a test of endurance and luck, with multiple teams affected.
Despite these obstacles, Andrè delivered an outstanding performance in the first race on Sunday, climbing from fifth to third and keeping Team AlUla in contention for a place in the final. However, in the remaining two races, debris again caused havoc and compromised performance despite the pilots’ relentless efforts to clear their foils and maintain pace.
While the final result in Lagos was not as hoped, the team’s performance demonstrated clear progress, resilience and competitive speed. With only ten points separating Team AlUla from a top-five position in the overall standings, the squad remains focused and motivated heading into next month’s E1 season-finale in Miami (7-8 November).
Nerea Martí, Team AlUla pilot: “My first experience competing in the E1 Series has been truly special. I was really looking forward to taking part in a championship weekend to test myself and see where I stand, and I enjoyed it so much – it’s something completely different after spending my entire career racing on asphalt. I want to thank Team AlUla for the opportunity and the trust they placed in me. We were very competitive throughout the practice sessions, so I leave with great feelings and really happy with the work we did. It was very easy to work with the whole team and with my team-mate Andrè. I really enjoyed the whole weekend in Lagos.”
Andrè Solvang, Team AlUla pilot: “I want to thank everyone in the team for making it possible for me to come and race such an incredible boat. It’s been an amazing experience, and it was great to be part of such a dedicated group of people. We showed we had the speed and potential, and even though luck didn’t always go our way, there were plenty of positives to take from it. If the opportunity comes again, I’ll be ready to step in.”
John Marlow, Team AlUla Co-Team Principal: “After three top five finishes, we were targeting another strong result in Lagos to build on that momentum. While the outcome wasn’t what we hoped for, I’m incredibly proud of the entire team and the effort everyone put in throughout the weekend. With two new pilots stepping in, it was never going to be easy, but both Andrè and Nerea showed tremendous professionalism, adaptability and commitment. A lot of factors on the water were beyond our control, yet they handled every challenge with composure and determination. We now turn our attention to Miami – a premier event for E1 and LeBron’s home race where we’ll be fighting for another top five result.”
Barny Whitwham, Team AlUla Co-Team Principal: “While it might be easy to call this an event to forget, in reality, it’s quite the opposite. Lagos tested us as a team, and in many ways, it was one of our strongest weekends — both operationally and in terms of RaceBird performance. The final results don’t tell the full story, as several factors were completely beyond our control. Naturally, it’s frustrating, and I really feel for Andrè and Nerea, who both delivered outstanding debut performances and deserved much more from the weekend. That’s the nature of racing, though, and our focus now turns to Miami, where we’re determined to finish the season on a high.”
