[1] The E1 Series began in early 2020 as a project created by Rodi Basso, former Formula One engineer and McLaren Applied business director, and Alejandro Agag, founder of Formula E and Extreme E.[2][3] After coming up with the initial idea, the duo approached Sophi Horne to design the race boat.

[6] The boat was unveiled in June of 2021, alongside the announcement of a partnership with Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund.

The prototype completed a series of tests and performance runs on the River Po in Italy.

[9][10] In September 2022, the series raced in front of an audience for the first time, with Sam Coleman piloting the RaceBird at the World Port Days in Rotterdam.

It will see the teams competing to become the E1 Impact Champion, by working towards a better future through activism such as aquatic conservation and restoration programs and marine habitat research.

[24][25] However, as the series continued its development, the teams instead moved towards celebrity owners like Tom Brady, Will Smith, and Rafael Nadal.

[28] Similar to Extreme E, E1 regulations require each team to select a male and female pilot, who share equal driving duties.

[29] The UIM E1 Pilot Academy was created to train a new generation of racers to compete in the E1 Series.