Can Didier Drogba's team outpace Tom Brady's at Miami E1 powerboat event?

The final E1 World Championship powerboat event of the season takes place in Miami on Nov. 7 and 8, and former NFL star Tom Brady's team, aptly named Team Brady, lead the standings as the season draws to a close.

The previous all-electric race, held in Lagos, Nigeria, in early October, saw Brady's team finish fourth after a disastrous start, while former Ivory Coast and Chelsea soccer star Didier Drogba finished third in the first such race held in Africa.

Drogba, who is expected to be in Miami for the season finale, was on hand to see his dream of bringing motor racing to Africa not only come to fruition, but also witnessed his Team Drogba Global Africa finishing on the podium for the first time since the opening race of the season in Doha. It was their best result in the Championship, behind their Season 1 second place finish in Monaco in 2024.

"I think Didier is amazing, in terms of he knows what he wanted to do and when he wants it, he gets it, which is great," Team Drogba pilot Oban Duncan, told ESPN.

"He was one of the big fighting forces behind coming to Lagos. He'd been pushing for an Africa race for a long time and he got it."

Drogba was front and center that weekend in early October, motivating pilots, holding events for young people, speaking at the Fanzone, meeting with fans and pitching up on the podium to help his team hoist their third place trophy.

Team Drogba pilot Micah Wilkinson said it was only fitting that the team got their second podium of the season in Africa, telling ESPN after that race: "This is our home race and we are super excited to be on the podium.

"The water here is beautiful, we got a beautiful paddock area. We were having technical issues with the boat which was affecting our speed massively. I came in to this season with a podium and we haven't quite got back there since, but it feels amazing to be able to do that again in our home race for Didier and Gabrielle and the team."

Team Brady, just like their highly accomplished owner, overcame a near disaster in qualifying to finish fourth and hang on to their place at the top of the racing standings.

They opened up a three-point lead on Team Rafa, owned by tennis star Rafael Nadal, and kept themselves in with a chance to retain the world title they won in the inaugural season.

Drogba is one of a number of celebrity owners helping to drive the new sport, which aims to use the power of electric racing to drive clean energy and social impact, around the world.

Apart from Brady and Nadal, others include basketball super star Lebron James, actor Will Smith, Indian cricketer Virat Kohli, Grammy Award winning singer and actor Marc Anthony as well as American DJ and producer Steve Aoki.

Far from just being distant, these celebrity owners are fully involved and supportive of their teams while allowing them the freedom to race their way.

"Tom always says that the pressure keeps piling up," Team Brady pilot Emma Kimiläinen told ESPN.

"But he always says we know how to handle it and we know how to go through it and that's how we are kind of fired up and he says just remember to enjoy the racing that you do and then see what the result is in the end."

These celebrity owners bring a combined followership of over one billion people to the sport, which would put them in a position to challenge existing motor races in a few years.

"They make a huge contribution," said Basso. "By having these celebrities, if you put together their combined followership, we reach 1.1 billion people. Now, we broadcast to 140 territories in the world.

"For the moment, I don't compare our sport with Formula One and Formula E for many reasons. Formula one is seventy five years old, Formula E is ten years old. We are only at the beginning, season two.

"If I have to force a comparison, I like to think of ourselves as a boutique version of formula one. We are at the entry level of a premium, high quality experience."

The mixed-gender pilot team is another innovation unique to E1. Each team has one male and one female pilot, with each getting what amounts to equal opportunities to race depending on the situation and the team decision.

Team Drogba's Duncan, who also happens to be the youngest pilot at 19 years old, says it was a major pull that drew her into joining the sport: "It's great, because motorsport is generally male dominated, so it's great that we can have a bit more balance. To be racing against the guys at the same level as them, it really makes a big difference."

Duncan, from Loch Lomond, comes to the sport already a British powerboat champion and speed record holder.

It is a similar story for the other pilots, who have traded disciplines from Olympic sailor, a strongman finalist, a rally driver, race car driver, an e-sports champion, and a stuntwoman.

So far there is next to no prize money in the sport even though team owners are investing around €2 million ($2.3 million) as a one off license fee, an operational fee of another €1 million with team running costs about another €1 million a year.

For E1's backers, they are banking on exponential growth and targeting a €500 million ($580 million) valuation by 2030 while for the teams, despite the lack or prize money, Basso says with sponsorships they can break even: "They recover the money with sponsorship.

"Eighty percent of the surface of the boat is for the team. If they make money from sponsorship it is their money. So let's say with a couple of million, they break even."

Profits aside, E1 it is the promise of the future that matters to the likes of local boatman Olaoye Akintunde, who ferried guests across the lagoon during the weekend, which opened his eyes to new and future possibilities.

"If I had something like this when I was young, I am sure I would be like these pilots," he told ESPN. "I believe if you look among our boat drivers here in Lagos, we can find people who will do well and even better as pilots of these boats if they get a chance.

"I will definitely encourage my son, who is learning how to pilot a boat, to consider this as it grows bigger. I hope that by in a few years' time, we will have somebody from here inside one of those boats."

Championship Standings

Team Brady - 154 pts

Team Rafa - 151 pts

Team Blue Rising - 145 pts

Aoki Racing Team - 134 pts

Westbrook Racing - 94 pts

Team Drogba Global Africa - 90 pts

Team Brazil by Claure Group - 89 pts

Team AlUla championed by LeBron James - 84 pts

Team Miami - 39 pts

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