Monaco’s association with motor racing and boating is stamped everywhere, from the hairpins of the Formula 1 circuit to the five-deck superyachts docked at Port Hercule.
But its desires to become known as a sustainability destination are less obvious.
Monaco’s ‘Green is the New Glam’ campaign, launched in 2018, highlighted many of the country’s environmental efforts. And a 2023 one tourism campaign named sustainability as one of three key pillars — along with “Instagrammability” and digital appeal to nomads — to attract new travelers.
Its green goals contrast with greenhouse gas-emitting superyachts and beloved Formula 1 racing. carbon footprint they amounted to more than 223,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide during the 2022 season, according to a report by Formula 1. But they do align with a new E1 boating competition racing with 100% electric powerboats.
Monaco, a micro-state known for glamor and wealth, is making a big push into sustainable tourism.
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Monaco is one of six locations hosting the competition, which began in Saudi Arabia in February.
During the Monaco race on July 28, Bernard d’Alessandri, general secretary and CEO of the Yacht Club de Monaco, said that E1 is introducing new technology for yacht racing.
“Before E1 it was impossible to race electric boats,” he said. “E1 has proven that you can.”
Like a high-tech hummingbird
Nine teams, co-piloted by one man and one woman, compete in Racebirds, all-electric speedboats specially built for E1. Resembling a high-tech hummingbird, its small wings, head and body are distinguished by an extended nose and a sleek metallic exterior.
A Racebird arrives in Monaco before the race.
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According to race organizers, the Racebird is a certified zero-emissions boat, which releases no oil or fuel into the water and creates about half the noise and fewer waves than typical motorized boats – all of which can disturb marine life.
Race organizers are also using anchorless robotic buoys to mark courses, which don’t damage seabeds like anchors, said Rodi Basso, CEO and co-founder of E1, and a former Formula 1 engineer.
A close-up of the boat raced by “Team Rafa”, a team owned by tennis star Rafael Nadal.
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Since the first race, organizers have gradually reduced the time and containers required to host the games. They are now working to build boats near competition venues, rather than moving boats for each competition, organizers said.
Basso said the match had already attracted the attention of important “stakeholders” in the country, including Prince Albert II of Monaco.
“They’ve seen that we’re serious about the values we’ve been trying to build,” he said. “They care about the future of yachting.”
Acceptance of electric boating in the elite
Racebird creator Sophie Horne said it was not easy to attract the attention of Monaco’s sailing elite.
He said very few people believed in the Racebird during its design phase. But the race changed that, he said, recalling a recent meeting with a megayacht designer in Monaco he had long admired.
Model and actress Cara Delevingne, center, with boat designer Sophi Horne and E1 co-founder and CEO Rodi Basso at the Venice Boat Show on June 4, 2022 in Venice, Italy.
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“To sit in his office with his naval architects going over the Racebird concept in detail and it enabled a different way of thinking – that was huge for me,” Horn said.
Horne is the founder and chairman of a separate company, Seabird, which focuses on the design and development of electric motorboats. He said he is now taking orders from local boating enthusiasts interested in going electric.
“They see the coolness and want something their friends don’t have,” he said. “The Racebird is so different to what they’ve seen before… they want to know if we can make it a baby sibling, but something that will suit the whole family.”
The celebrity factor
The E1’s celebrity factor also draws attention – a deliberate move for a race with boats that have a top speed of 58 miles per hour, slower than Formula 1’s H2O speedboats, which can travel nearly 150 miles per hour.
The team’s nine owners – actor Will Smith, tennis player Rafael Nadal, singer Marc Anthony, NFL player Tom Brady, soccer star Didier Drogba, cricketer Virat Kohli, Formula 1 driver Sergio Perez, DJ/ record producer Steve Aoki and billionaire businessman Marcelo Claure – are central characters in the games, their names and faces emblazoned on marketing materials.
Team owners Didier Drogba and Tom Brady speak with Alejandro Agag, co-founder and chairman of the E1 Series, ahead of the E1 race in Venice, Italy — the second of the series.
Daniele Venturelli | Getty Images Entertainment | Getty Images
Brady and Drogba were seen embracing in the VIP lounge in Monaco after Brady’s side went top of the table after the fourth game of the season.
But team owners are called upon to do more than cheer on their boats. E1 requires both owners and groups to play an active role in marine conservation. E1 will crown a winner not only of the league itself, but also of its retention program, Blue Impact. Team Nadal is working to protect the endangered seagrass meadows found in the Mediterranean Sea, which surrounds his native Mallorca, as well as Monaco.
The celebrity factor also brings public awareness to conservation, said Professor Carlos Duarte, a climate change scientist and E1’s chief scientist.
Spectators watch the Racebirds in Monaco in late July 2024. The final two E1 races are scheduled to take place in Lake Como, Italy and Hong Kong.
Source: Shiv Gohil | Spacesuit Media
“Having people like Tom Brady talk about their commitment to ocean action has a huge impact on public engagement,” he said. “Then we can talk about solutions, we can talk about new technology, we can talk about what the communities are doing in the cities that we’re competing in.”
The remaining two races of the E1 series are scheduled for August 23rd in Lake Como, Italy, followed by Hong Kong on November 10th.