18th July 2026
Team AIUIa Retains Third Place in Standings After E1 Monaco Showdow
Round four of the UIM E1 World Championship took place this weekend out of the world-renowned Yacht Club de Monaco, marking the third and final European stop of the global calendar. Despite a hot, humid and challenging weekend of racing, Team AIUIa Championed by LeBron James, remains third in the overall standings as the series now heads into the second half of the season.
Monaco, one of the Championship's most prestigious and iconic venues, delivered some of the biggest and most demanding conditions of the year so far and rough, choppy water tested the all electric RaceBirds and pilots across the weekend.
The team first took to the water on Thursday for a productive testing session, making the most of relatively stable conditions to evaluate the Racebird’s setup and refine driving strategies ahead of qualifying on Friday and Saturday's big race day.
Qualifying – Friday
Team AIUIa progressed confidently through the opening stage of qualifying, with pilots Nerea Martí and Rusty Wyatt’s combined times comfortably securing a place in Q2.
However, the latter qualifying sessions proved more challenging. The team were unlucky with the increasingly rough water creating unpredictable conditions and in a rare outcome, none of the Championship's top three teams - including Team AIUIa - made it into the day's top three.
The early exit from qualifying provided valuable time onshore for the pilots to cool down, rehydrate and the team to prepare the Racebird for what was expected to be an even tougher race day out on Port Hercule.
Race Day – Saturday
Saturday produced some of the most exciting and unpredictable racing of the season and one of the hottest race days so far.
Team AIUIa comfortably progressed through the opening group stages, showing strong pace in the difficult conditions. The afternoon’s Race Off, however, didn't go the team's way, and AIUIa narrowly missed out on a place in the Final.
While some circumstances were beyond the team's control, the weekend reinforced the team's commitment to continuous improvement and extracting lessons from every event and the limited time on the water.
The result was a ninth-place finish in Monaco, but due to the consistency shown across previous rounds, Team AIUIa retained third place in the Championship standings at the halfway point of the season. With four races remaining, the focus now shifts to refining every detail ahead of the next round in Luanda, Angola in less than two months (12-13 September).
Rusty Wyatt, Pilot: "We never give up. We'll do our homework now after this weekend [in Monaco] because there's plenty to review. There are positives to take away from the weekend, but it's obviously been a tough one. Ninth place isn't where we want or should be, but weekends like this happen. The important thing is to learn from it, build on the positives and come back stronger in the next round."
Nerea Martí, Pilot: "With every race I feel stronger. I'm gaining more experience and more confidence, and I know we're capable of producing competitive lap times. We just need to keep pushing in this direction because consistency will keep us in the fight for the Championship. The next round is a completely new destination for everyone, so it helps to reset things a little. We'll be ready to push hard and defend our position."
Barny Whitwham, Co-Team Principal "This weekend isn't the whole story - it's about reflecting on the first half of the season. We're four races in with four still to go. The first half of the season has been an incredible journey. We've celebrated podiums, pole positions and some fantastic performances. Nobody is happy with this weekend’s result, but we have to keep the bigger picture in mind. We're still third in the Championship, we've built real momentum this season, and there's still a lot of racing left."
John Marlow, Co-Team Principal "We've made a huge step forward compared to where we were last season. The work the team put in over the winter is paying off, and despite a difficult weekend of racing the team dynamic is incredibly strong and we're excited about what lies ahead."
Ahead of the E1 Monaco 2026, Team AIUIa announced it has become part of the Sports for Nature (S4N) family, signing their framework agreement and joining a global network of clubs, teams, federations, events and sports organisations committed to delivering measurable progress for nature. Full story HERE.
The Championship now moves to Africa for the inaugural E1 Luanda GP in Angola on 12 - 13 September, where Team AIUIa will be aiming to return to the podium and continue its fight for the overall Championship.
Championship standings after Monaco, Race 4:
Team Brady - 119 pts
Westbrook Racing by Visit Angola - 110 pts
Team AlUla Championed by LeBron James - 75 pts
Aoki Racing Team - 71 pts
Team Blue Rising - 64 pts
Team Drogba Global Africa - 59 pts
Sports.com Predict Team Miami Powered by Magnus - 50 pts
Sierra Racing Club - 46 pts
Team Monaco - 44 pts
Team Rafa - 38 pts
Partners
© 2025 Team Alula. All rights reserved. By continuing to use our website, we assume that you agree to our privacy policy.