The UIM E1 World Championship presented by PIF makes its first foray into Southern Africa this weekend, with Luanda, Angola staging round five of the season as the title race tightens to single figures.
The E1 Luanda GP 2026 runs from 12 to 13 September at the Yacht Club of Luanda. Team owner LeBron James is expected to attend in support of his Team AlUla outfit, who sit third in the standings on 75 points.
That places them just behind Will Smith's Westbrook Racing by Visit Angola, on 110 points after two race wins this season. Out in front are double and reigning champions Brady, leading on 119 points heading into the Angola round, though the gap at the top has now narrowed to single figures.
Luanda becomes E1's second race location on the African continent, joining a calendar that already spans four continents and includes stops such as Lake Como, Monaco and Miami. The city is regarded as one of Africa's key maritime gateways, with a strong maritime heritage and a prime coastal position.
The event also ties in with E1's sustainability programme. The series is partnering with the Otchiva Project, an Angolan non-governmental organisation focused on restoring the country's mangrove ecosystems. Ahead of the race, some E1 pilots will take part in a reforestation project at Ilha de Mussulo, backing local efforts to protect the coastline that helps guard against erosion and safeguard communities and wildlife.
Spectators can buy passes to the E1 Ocean Club, the series' hospitality experience, for Saturday qualifying and Sunday's race, with waterfront views of the action, access to racing simulators and the chance to see the E1 RaceBird showboat up close.
Nine teams will take the start after Team Drogba Global Africa withdrew from the weekend due to a delay affecting freight leaving European customs. Coverage will be available on SuperSport, DAZN and E1's YouTube channel.
Jamie Copas, Chief Executive Officer, E1, said: "Luanda is a milestone for E1 as our first race in Southern Africa and further proof of our global ambitions. We are proud to showcase what all-electric racing means to a nation so deeply connected to the water.
"With the gap at the top of the standings now down to single digits, this is shaping up to be a highly competitive season and with LeBron expected to be present, the atmosphere promises to be electric."
H.E. Márcio de Jesus Lopes Daniel, Minister of Tourism of the Republic of Angola, said: "The arrival of E1 in Angola demonstrates the country's growing capacity to host major international events, with security, logistics and organisational standards that meet the demands of world-class occasions.
"For Angola, E1 is also an opportunity to showcase to the world our tourism potential, organisational capacity and the transformation the country is undertaking. For tourists and investors, it sends a clear message: Angola is ready, connected and increasingly open to the world.
"We want this experience to help position Angola as an international destination, not only to visit, but also to do business, host major events and invest."
