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Team AlUla Championed By LeBron James Collaborates With WATR To Monitor Environmental Impact In E1 Championship
Team AlUla Championed by LeBron James, competing in the UIM E1 World Championship presented by PIF, has partnered with WATR. This UK-based environmental monitoring company will help assess the team's ecological impact. WATR offers a versatile water quality monitoring system that provides real-time data and alerts on various parameters like acidity and salinity.
Through this collaboration, Team AlUla aims to better understand its environmental footprint. The team plans to take steps to reduce and restore any negative impacts. This aligns with AlUla's vision of sustainability and ecological restoration. AlUla is known for its large-scale environmental regeneration programme, aiming to revitalise degraded land by 2030.
The partnership will be active for the rest of the 2025 E1 season, starting with the E1 Dubrovnik GP on 13-14 June. WATR will deploy its smart monitoring system in Dubrovnik to gather real-time data on water quality in the Adriatic Sea, where RaceBirds compete. This data will help assess the general health of the water.
WATR's technology allows Team AlUla to visualise changes in water quality before and after events. The team, featuring pilots Catie Munnings and Rusty Wyatt, can use this information to collaborate with local stakeholders and influence broader E1 ecosystem practices.
Team AlUla's Blue Impact strategy reflects their commitment to sustainability. Competing in marine environments brings a responsibility to minimise harm and lead by example. The partnership with WATR supports this mission by providing actionable data to guide their efforts.
AlUla's sustainability programmes also include replanting native tree species and reviving indigenous wildlife populations. A notable initiative is the plan to reintroduce the critically endangered Arabian leopard in coming years.
Global Race Locations
After Dubrovnik, WATR technology will be installed at other E1 races at Lake Maggiore (Italy), Monaco, Lagos (Nigeria), and Miami (USA). These installations will continue to provide valuable insights into water quality across different locations.
Glyn Cotton, CEO of WATR, stated: "Partnering with Team AlUla in the E1 Series is an exciting opportunity to demonstrate how cutting-edge technology can drive real environmental accountability in sport."
Leadership Insights
John Marlow, Co-Team Principal of Team AlUla, emphasised that their participation in E1 goes beyond racing. He said: "It’s about showing that high-performance sport can also be a force for good." The partnership with WATR enables them to understand their impact on marine environments better.
Barny Whitwham, another Co-Team Principal, highlighted his analytical approach as an engineer. He noted that having real-time water quality data helps them make informed decisions about reducing their environmental footprint.
About Team AlUla
Team AlUla Championed by LeBron James debuted in January 2025 during the UIM E1 World Championship season-opener in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Pilots Rusty Wyatt from Canada and Catie Munnings from the UK share duties on the all-electric E1 RaceBird.
The team is led by Co-Team Principals John Marlow and Barny Whitwham, who bring extensive experience from commercial and technical roles across motorsport teams like Formula 1 and World Rally Championship.
About WATR
Founded in 2017, WATR focuses on improving global environmental conditions through innovative monitoring solutions for water, soil, and air quality. Their portable units provide live data feeds via solar power for diverse applications such as marine environments and agriculture.
The Rich Heritage of AlUla
AlUla is a region rich in natural beauty and cultural heritage located 1,100 km from Riyadh in north-west Saudi Arabia. It features ancient sites like Hegra—Saudi Arabia’s first UNESCO World Heritage Site—and Dadan, capital of ancient kingdoms.
This area includes a lush oasis valley surrounded by sandstone mountains and historical sites dating back thousands of years. Hegra was once part of the Nabataean Kingdom before becoming a Roman outpost after 106 CE.
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