E1 Monaco GP: Team Drogba takes maiden win, Brady leads

Team Drogba Global Africa has claimed its first ever victory in the all-electric E1 raceboat championship, with pilots Micah Wilkinson and Tara Pacheco dominating both Finals at the Monaco GP.

The result also reshuffles the title fight. Team Brady, which topped the table after winning in Monaco last season, finished second on the water and now leads the championship for the first time in 2026, nine points clear of Will Smith’s Westbrook Racing by Visit Angola. Sports.com Predict Team Miami Powered by Magnus completed the podium.

Few would have tipped Drogba for the top step. The team’s best result of the season had been seventh at Lake Como, but everything came together in the Principality and the win lifts the outfit to sixth in the standings.

New Zealander Wilkinson and his Spanish teammate Pacheco shared the driving duties across the two Finals. Pacheco took the flag in Final 1, holding off Emma Kimiläinen in the Brady RaceBird, before Wilkinson repeated the trick in Final 2 with Sam Coleman in his wake. Wilkinson’s efforts earned him the PIF Pilot of the Day award.

Behind the leading pair in Final 2, Timmy Hansen brought his Miami boat home third, ending a barren run for the team. It was Miami’s first podium in 13 races, and a timely boost for the Swedish pilot, who has spoken of his ambition to fight for the E1 title.

Heartbreak for home team

There was frustration for the home crowd. Team Monaco set the fastest time in qualifying and looked in control, but a wrong turn on the course dumped the local favourites into the Place Race alongside Westbrook. Will Smith’s team won that consolation contest to limit the damage, ending the day seventh.

It was the championship’s third visit to Monaco, with racing hosted by the Yacht Club de Monaco and Port Hercule once again providing one of the more spectacular backdrops in world sport. The series first dropped anchor in the Principality in its debut season.

Jamie Copas, chief executive officer of E1, said: “Huge congratulations to everyone at Team Drogba on securing a remarkably assured maiden victory here in Monaco. We leave with a new Championship leader in Team Brady with Will Smith’s team in close contention.

“The Principality once again delivered an extraordinary weekend of thrilling on-water action to reinforce our belief that E1 is creating a new chapter in global motorsport. We now head to Angola, Africa, for the next round as the Championship battle intensifies.”

The series makes its first trip to Southern Africa next, with the E1 Luanda GP in Angola on September 12 to 13.