A toda velocidad: Automovilismo internacional en Catar

euronews (en español)

Acompáñenos en 'Qatar 365' mientras se abrochan el cinturón para dar unas vueltas de campana en la pista y vivir emociones a gran velocidad en el agua. El equipo se adentra entre bastidores en el primer campeonato mundial de lanchas motoras totalmente eléctricas.

Transcript

00:00Hola y bienvenidos a Qatar365 con mi, Laila Humayra.

00:28On this episode, we get our hearts pumping for a thrilling look at motorsports in Qatar,

00:34from hypercars on the track to electric boats on the water.

00:38But first, we're here at Doha's Pearl District,

00:41where Ioana Hu's goes behind the scenes at the E1 Doha Grand Prix

00:45to discover how a pioneering electric powerboat championship

00:49is hoping to revolutionize motor water sports racing.

00:53There's a new racing championship in town,

00:59and it's as spectacular as it is sustainable.

01:02The world's first electric race boat championship, the E1 series,

01:05has docked on the Pearl Island for the Visit Qatar Doha Grand Prix,

01:09and Team Lula is ready to make some waves.

01:13E1 is a brand new electric motorsport,

01:16and it's helping drive sustainable marine mobility

01:18whilst kind of pushing the boundaries of electric motorsport.

01:22And it's super exciting because these are the first kind of foiling boats of their type,

01:26electric foiling boats.

01:27So, yeah, we're really pushing the boundaries in a lot of different ways.

01:30What's really interesting about it is it's brought this mix of people together,

01:35from powerboating, from sailing, from Formula One, from Formula E,

01:39into this unique championship.

01:40And we're all trying to figure out what's the best way to make these race birds fly,

01:46to go as fast as possible.

01:48Owned by NBA legend LeBron James,

01:51Team Lula are the new kids on the block,

01:53the latest to join E1's star-studded paddock

01:55of teams with A-list owners like Tom Brady, Will Smith, and Rafael Nadal.

02:01This is Team Lula's first season,

02:03and the Doha GP is only its second-ever race.

02:06But the other eight teams don't have too much of a head start,

02:08as the E1 World Championship only launched last year.

02:12So everyone is still perfecting their racing strategies

02:14and figuring out how to optimize their battery-powered boats.

02:19Everybody is still learning a lot,

02:21but the progress from, of course, the first race in season one

02:25to here now in our second race of season two,

02:27there's a lot of changes,

02:29and everybody is really picking it up in a hurry.

02:32But I think we've got such a good team

02:33that everybody is putting everything together perfectly,

02:35and it's going quite well.

02:37We're going to be ones to watch, for sure.

02:39Unlike other racing championships, like Formula One,

02:42E1 teams currently don't design their own boats or batteries.

02:45Rather, they all race in this same design, the race bird,

02:48inspired by birds in so-called glide mode

02:51when they fly really close above the surface of the water.

02:54And that position is the sweet spot that all teams are aiming for.

02:57They just all have their own thoughts and secrets

03:00on how best to achieve it.

03:01This foil is kind of what it's all about, isn't it?

03:05It is, yeah.

03:06It all centers around this.

03:09So it essentially, if you imagine it like an airplane wing,

03:12so although it's emerged in water, it's the same principle.

03:15So as the boat gets faster, you have an area of low pressure,

03:18and it lifts the boat water.

03:19So the faster you go, the more you'll lift up.

03:22And that's essentially how it works.

03:24The E1 isn't just about racing towards a sustainable future.

03:27It also champions gender equality for this generation and the next.

03:31I think the gender equality side is one of the biggest messages

03:34behind the championship.

03:35So each team has one male and one female driver.

03:38That's become normal to me,

03:39but in other racing series, it's not normal.

03:41And I think what we learned is that giving drivers,

03:44whether you're a female or a male,

03:46the same access to the testing, to the engineers, to the seat time,

03:49you see that the talent levels itself out

03:51between the males and the females quite equally in a sport like this.

03:54The weekend is coming to a close,

03:56and Team Alula didn't quite get the result it was hoping for,

03:59as Team Rafa delivered its first ever win.

04:02But with a packed race calendar scheduled throughout the year,

04:05there's no time to dwell,

04:06as they will push forward to be crowned E1's kings and queens of the waves.

04:14The E1 championship is the brainchild of CEO and co-founder Roddy Basso.

04:20I sat down with the Italian former aerospace and racing engineer

04:24to talk about his move away from traditional motorsport

04:27and his drive to launch a thrilling new racing sport

04:30that's both fast and friendly to the planet.

04:33Roddy, you worked on your thesis at NASA

04:39and then went on to spend decades at the pinnacle of motorsport,

04:43the Formula One,

04:44and now your new venture is the E1.

04:46Can you tell us,

04:47how did that idea of an electric powerboat racing championship come about?

04:52I worked two decades into the combination of high technology applied to sport.

04:58And I passionately believe in this combination

05:02because through the sport you can test new technologies,

05:05new solutions,

05:06which in few years can be applied on commercial products.

05:11And I have the strong feeling and the certainty

05:14that this can impact billions of people in the future.

05:18And I'm sure E1 with this exclusive license for 25 years

05:23for World Electric Powerboat Championship,

05:26given by the UIM,

05:28the Worldwide Federation of Powerboarding,

05:32has a great opportunity to accomplish this task.

05:35The races, the E1 races,

05:36take place all around the world

05:39in iconic cities like Venice,

05:42Monaco, Miami.

05:43So how important are scenic backdrops

05:46like the Pearl here in Doha

05:48to the championship success?

05:50We don't want to be perceived like

05:52the one going only in nice places

05:55like for a touristic reason.

05:57So we are in Monaco

05:58and Monaco is, you know,

06:00the capital of yachting,

06:01very interested in the future.

06:03We come in Doha

06:04where the yachting,

06:06I know that is coming very strongly

06:08and there is a strategic vision

06:11to make the Qatar the place to be

06:14and the port to be.

06:16We need to be where there is interest

06:17in the future of water mobility,

06:19connection to the water.

06:21All the E1 teams are owned by celebrities

06:23in the sporting or entertainment world.

06:26So what does it mean,

06:27this backing from these famous people or celebrities?

06:31What does it mean for the sport

06:32in terms of popularity and growth?

06:34They are people that jumped on board

06:36to the project

06:38because they love the purpose,

06:42the impact that they can provide through it.

06:44And you know that we have launched this year

06:46the Blue Impact Championship.

06:47So they need to contribute to the ESG awareness

06:50and solution through their teams

06:52and they will be put in competition

06:54and they also are on board

06:56because they reckon this is a great business.

06:59And today I can tell you

07:00that the team license is,

07:03the value is five times

07:05the initial value in the beginning of last year.

07:12From making waves in the water

07:14to revving up gears on the track,

07:17the FIA World Endurance Championship

07:18is back in Qatar for the second year in a row,

07:21opening its 13th season,

07:24a fitting start for what looks to be

07:25the most competitive year to date.

07:27While most people are more familiar

07:29with the Formula One format,

07:30the Endurance Series

07:32is a different beast altogether.

07:34And I'm here at the Lusail International Circuit

07:37to find out more.

07:41If Formula One is the 100-metre dash in athletics,

07:45the World Endurance Championship

07:46is a full marathon.

07:48Two classes of race cars,

07:5036 entries on the grid,

07:52108 drivers,

07:54and races that vary in duration

07:56from six hours

07:57to a whopping 24 hours.

08:01Drivers compete in either the LMGT3 class,

08:04which works more or less like a road car,

08:06or the hyper car,

08:08known for its sleek, aerodynamic build.

08:11The Qatar Curtain Racer is 335 laps

08:14and 10 hours of non-stop racing action.

08:18The teams have seven other races to compete in,

08:21with the climax undoubtedly being

08:2324 hours at Le Mans in France,

08:25the longest race in the calendar.

08:27And that's why the World Endurance Championship

08:29is not only a test of innovation

08:31and engineering brilliance,

08:33it's also the embodiment of team spirit,

08:35determination, and strategy in motorsport.

08:39Someone who has won four times

08:41at Lusail Circuit,

08:43but in a different vehicle,

08:44is nine-time MotoGP World Champion

08:46Valentino Rossi.

08:48He switched from two wheels to four in 2022

08:51with Team WRT

08:52and has quickly adjusted

08:54to an entirely new format of racing.

08:57The braking and the line are similar,

09:00but with the motorcycle,

09:02the limit is more physical

09:03because you have to move more on the bike.

09:07And with the car, you are on the seat.

09:10With the car, you have a lot more grip

09:12because you have four wheels.

09:13So in the corner, you can go faster.

09:16You can go, you can have a better speed.

09:19One of Rossi's teammates is Ahmad Al-Harty.

09:22Hailing from Oman,

09:23Ahmad is the only Arab driver

09:25in the endurance line-up this season,

09:27which he hopes will help build

09:29the region's interest in the sport.

09:31It means a lot.

09:32It's been a lot of hard work

09:33over the last 18-plus years

09:35doing so much in terms of trying to build myself,

09:38in terms of being a quick driver,

09:39hopefully, and a fast one.

09:40But more importantly,

09:42I really hope that this gives an opportunity

09:44for the younger drivers

09:45to really learn the right and correct path

09:49in motorsports.

09:50Ahmad gave me a tour around the team garage,

09:53and I had to ask him about the intensity

09:55of racing on the track for hours.

09:57It's never comfortable being in a race car,

09:59but it's as comfortable as possible.

10:01We're not in the car for more than,

10:04depending on the championship regulations,

10:06sometimes not exceeding two or three hours.

10:09So at least it's a safety break

10:11where you have to come out, freshen up,

10:13do what you need to do,

10:15and come back in the car.

10:17On top of an already crowded grid,

10:19this year also sees the most number

10:21of major auto manufacturers

10:22looking to steal the crown

10:24from defending champs Toyota Gazoo Racing.

10:28We won the manufacturer's title last year,

10:30which was a great achievement

10:31with all these manufacturers here.

10:32So, yeah, I mean, the aim is to at least keep that,

10:35which is not easy.

10:36We've seen many, many different challenges

10:38along the way,

10:39different technologies with the hybrid systems.

10:41It's made many manufacturers

10:42come back into the sport,

10:44and, yeah, we welcome it.

10:45It's very good for the work.

10:47Another initiative that's been good for the sport

10:50is the addition of the Iron Dames,

10:52the all-female team in the series.

10:55It's a very unique project

10:56that is supporting females in sports in general,

10:59and the idea from Deborah,

11:01who is the founder of the project,

11:03was that she wanted to show

11:05that females can compete

11:06on the same level as men,

11:08on the highest level of motorsport,

11:10endurance, sprint racing,

11:11single-seater, whatever,

11:13and I really believe

11:14that we have achieved that with the project,

11:16that we can compete on the highest level.

11:19With so much competition,

11:21innovation,

11:22and big names in the sport,

11:23it's clear that there's a lot more gas in the tank

11:26than there's ever been

11:27in the World Endurance Championship,

11:30giving motorsport fans excitement

11:32through every checkered flag.

11:37From racing on the water in electric powerboats

11:40to witnessing the sheer determination

11:42of endurance drivers and their hypercars,

11:44we hope you've enjoyed this thrilling episode.

11:47But that's all the time we have for now.

11:49For more, check out Euronews.com

11:51and connect with us through our hashtag.

11:53Thanks for watching,

11:54and we'll see you next time on Qatar 365.

Categoría

Transcripción

Recomendada