In a groundbreaking move for motorsport and marine sustainability, Team AlUla Championed by LeBron James has announced a new partnership with WATR, a UK-based environmental technology company specialising in real-time water quality monitoring. The collaboration will enable the team to track and publicly report its environmental impact throughout the remainder of the 2025 UIM E1 World Championship presented by PIF, beginning with the E1 Dubrovnik GP (13–14 June).
Racing Meets Responsibility
Founded on a vision of performance with purpose, Team AlUla’s entry into the world’s first all-electric raceboat championship has always included a strong commitment to environmental leadership. Now, with the integration of WATR’s low-cost, solar-powered and multi-parameter water quality sensors, that vision will be backed by live data and actionable insights.
WATR’s cutting-edge system can detect and transmit real-time information on water conditions such as pH (acidity), turbidity, dissolved oxygen, and salinity, allowing stakeholders to visualise environmental changes before, during, and after each E1 event. This tech will first be deployed in the Adriatic Sea during the upcoming race in Dubrovnik, and will continue to be used throughout the season in Lake Maggiore, Monaco, Lagos, and Miami.
A Partnership with Purpose
“Our mission at WATR is to improve water quality globally,” said Glyn Cotton, CEO and co-founder of WATR. “This partnership is a powerful example of how innovation in environmental monitoring can be used not just to observe change, but to lead it — on and off the water.”
That message resonates strongly with Team AlUla’s ethos. “Partnering with WATR gives us a way to truly understand the impact we’re having on the marine environment and enables us to put things right where we need to,” explained John Marlow, Co-Team Principal. “Their technology helps us back up our intentions with real data.”
His engineering counterpart, Barny Whitwham, echoed that sentiment: “Having real-time water quality data helps us understand our environmental footprint and make informed decisions about how to reduce it. It’s a core part of our Blue Impact strategy.”
Blue Impact in Action
Team AlUla’s Blue Impact strategy underpins its commitment to sustainability, acknowledging the responsibility that comes with racing in fragile marine ecosystems. This new collaboration with WATR equips the team—piloted by Catie Munnings (UK) and Rusty Wyatt (Canada)—with the tools to better quantify and reduce its environmental impact, while sharing findings with the public and E1’s wider ecosystem.
The initiative is also deeply aligned with the values of the team’s title partner, AlUla, a region in north-west Saudi Arabia renowned for its commitment to ecological regeneration and cultural preservation. Through one of the Middle East’s most ambitious environmental restoration programmes, AlUla aims to revitalise thousands of hectares of degraded land by 2030, replant native flora, and reintroduce critically endangered species, including the Arabian leopard.
LeBron James: Championing More Than Just Racing
Having launched in January 2025, Team AlUla Championed by LeBron James not only brings star power to the E1 Series, but a growing reputation for environmental integrity. With a legacy of strategic investments across sport and media—from Fenway Sports Group and Liverpool FC to Beats by Dre—LeBron’s backing of the team further amplifies the message that elite competition can and should serve a greater purpose.
The presence of marquee athletes, sustainable technology innovators, and cultural ambassadors in a single team highlights a new direction for global motorsport—one where data, purpose, and high-octane action coexist.
What’s Next?
Following the E1 Dubrovnik GP, WATR’s environmental monitoring system will continue to support Team AlUla at key venues across three continents. With each deployment, a clearer picture of the E1 Series’ environmental impact will emerge, informing future best practices and helping to position the championship as a leader in sustainable sport.
This partnership not only marks a new chapter for Team AlUla and WATR but sets a vital precedent for how elite competition in natural environments can be conducted with transparency, integrity, and care.
