The E1 all-electric motorboat racing series has announced Jamie Copas as its new chief executive (CEO) to replace Rodi Basso, who stepped aside in late January.
Copas was formerly CEO of the Prism Sport & Entertainment agency, part of the WPP empire, and worked with brands including Aston Martin, Ford, and Mastercard. Most recently, he was the global executive lead at VML Live, part of WPP, into which Prism had been integrated.
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E1 said, through a spokesperson: “Jamie Copas brings to E1 a successful agency background in brands, sports, and entertainment to help the Championship through its next phase of growth. Working closely with founder and Chairman Alejandro Agag, the Board, executive, wider E1 team and key stakeholders, Jamie will focus on driving forward E1’s commercial relationships, ambitions and delivery.”
Copas, in announcing the move via LinkedIn, stated: "I am excited to share that I have moved into a new role as CEO at E1 Series. I will be leading an incredible team to deliver continued growth and success of the UIM E1 World Championship."
Basso, meanwhile, is still with E1, albeit in a non-executive role.
The 2026 E1 season began in Saudi Arabia in late January, with the next race set to take place in Lake Como, Italy, on April 24 and 25.
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By GlobalDataE1, launched by Alejandro Agag and Rodi Basso in 2024, features 10 teams, each owned by a range of sporting superstars, including Rafael Nadal (tennis), Tom Brady (American football), Virat Kohli (cricket), LeBron James (basketball), and Didier Drogba (soccer).
Other high-profile owners include DJ Steve Aoki (Aoki Racing Team), businessman Marcelo Claure (Team Brazil by Claure Group), musician and actor Marc Anthony (Team Miami powered by Magnus), and actor Will Smith (Westbrook Racing).
In terms of recent series activity, late January saw public-service channel TVMonaco secure TV rights to the property.
E1 has a global media distribution deal with consultancy firm Iris and is tied up with streamer DAZN in several key markets, including Canada, DACH (Germany, Austria, and Switzerland), France, Italy, Spain, New Zealand, and Japan.
