By Peter Omopo
Lagos – Team Brazil stormed to pole position in the qualifying race of the E1 Lagos Grand Prix on Saturday, setting the pace ahead of Sunday’s highly anticipated main race.
Piloted by Timmy Hansen and Leva Millere-Hagin, the Brazilian duo clocked a combined time of 01:06:908 to edge out Team Rafa — owned by tennis legend Rafael Nadal — in a thrilling contest on Lagos waters.
Hansen sealed the top spot with a decisive overtake of Team Rafa in the final lap, while Westbrook Racing, the winner of the earlier time trials, settled for third place.
The victory earned Team Brazil three points, lifting their morale but keeping them in eighth place overall with 51 points in the championship standings. “We go into race day in high spirits and feeling good after a huge performance in qualifying,” Hansen said after the race.
Team Rafa’s second-place finish earned them two points, enough to reclaim the championship lead by a single point ahead of Team Brady, setting up a tense battle for the 2025 “Champions of the Water” title.
With 38 points up for grabs for the winner of today’s main race, 31 for second, and 25 for third, the Lagos event could prove decisive ahead of the season finale in Miami next month.
E1 founder and CEO, Rodi Basso, hailed the success of the Lagos leg, describing it as a milestone for African motorsport. “The warm welcome we have received in Lagos has been incredible,” he said. “Our ambition is to build a motorsport legacy in Africa. This weekend’s race is just the beginning.”
The E1 series — the world’s first all-electric powerboat championship — debuted in Jeddah in 2024, with Lagos becoming the first African city to host the event.
