Copyright Forbes
After a trophy-littered 23-year NFL career, fans might think Tom Brady would be content relaxing in retirement. But clearly, Brady continues to be fueled by the same competitive spirit that led him to seven Super Bowl victories. In the absence of playing professional football, Brady fills his time by broadcasting NFL games for Fox and by serving as an engaged owner of the Las Vegas Raiders and Aces, Birmingham City FC, and the E1 powerboat racing team, Team Brady. Brady is humble about his role as an E1 owner. Speaking to me in Miami ahead of E1’s season two finale — and the inaugural U.S. race for the electric boat racing championship — the former NFL star told me, “I’m just there for whatever they need to support them in the lead-up to the races. They do all the work. It’s just amazing to watch them perform.” But speaking to E1 Team Brady pilots Sam Coleman and Emma Kimilainen, it’s evident that Brady is passionate about his E1 investment and far more hands-on with his team than he first let on. “One of the coolest things for me was seeing how genuinely invested he is,” Coleman told me after the first practice run in Miami. “He’s constantly in communication with us and the team about how it’s going.” When asked why he chose to invest in E1, given his existing sports ownership portfolio, he said, “Being involved in sports and competition is exciting for me, and to provide leadership and mentorship on the ownership side has been really fun for me.” E1 Competition Team Brady won the inaugural season of E1 and, despite a slow start this season, is in pole position to recapture its title. Team Brady is in first place going into the E1 season two finale in Miami. But that is no guarantee that Brady’s side will win another championship. As Coleman told me, “It’s been a challenging season because we’ve had six events and five different winners in E1 this year, which shows that it’s a competition that anyone can win on any given weekend.” MORE FOR YOU With just one race remaining, Rafael Nadal’s team (Team Rafa) is just three points behind Team Brady. Indian cricket sensation Virat Kohli’s Team Blue Rising isn’t much further behind, just nine points off the leaders. Brady has been happy with his team’s performances to date. In his eyes, Coleman and Kimilainen have shown the winning mentality he so often embodied when he was driving down the field late in the fourth quarter. “We were challenged early in the season, but I think our kind of resilience has really shown with our team. So, I’m really excited to see what we do on Saturday,” Brady told me. Being close to his pilots and seeing their performances week-in, week-out is something that continues to motivate Brady post-playing career. It seems E1 gives him a taste of the locker room spirit that he is so accustomed to feeling. Brady’s winning mentality and his desire to understand the details of a sport that was foreign to him pre-ownership do not go unnoticed by his athletes. “To be working with Tom and to have his support is great,” Coleman says. His passion for the project gives me a great feeling of authenticity that we’re doing something cool and good.” While winning is clearly the mission for Team Brady, on a personal level, Brady is hoping to pilot his speedboat one day. To date, he’s been in the cockpit, from where, according to Coleman, he FaceTimed his kids to show them the boat, but he’s never piloted it. “You know, one day I’d actually love to do that,” Brady said. “I was thinking of doing it this weekend. I wish I could have, but the schedule didn’t work out that way.” Technology, Sustainability, and Ocean Cleanup The outlandish nature and technological innovation of E1 are what drew the Team Brady pilots to the championship. “As a spectacle, it’s pretty outrageous, Coleman told me pre-race. “We’ve got Star Wars-looking hydrofoil raceboats. But for me, the technology aspect was one of the big drivers for me wanting to be involved.” E1 is known for being a sport that is driving electrification in the marine sector and raising awareness about marine life and ocean health. That innovative spirit and desire to improve the marine sector run through Team Brady. Ahead of the race, 4ocean Foundation CEO Alex Schulze, Kimilainen — who describes herself as “ a crazy recycling lady” — Coleman, and the rest of Team Brady took to the shores of Biscayne Bay to do a small beach cleanup. The team has a long-term partnership with the 4ocean Foundation, which works to remove plastic pollution from the high seas. In 2025, Team Brady launched the Race for Change campaign, turning points in ocean cleanups. For each point the team has earned in season 2 (currently 154 points), they remove 100 kilograms of plastic from the oceans. Kimilainen told me before the Miami race, “We’ve already removed 15 tons of plastic waste from the oceans.” Ahead of the Miami race, also hosted an exclusive Leaders’ Summit bringing together experts in sport, technology, and sustainability. As with everything in his life, Brady wants to be the best at driving change. When the Race for Change campaign was announced, Brady said, "At Team Brady, we don’t just race to win, we race to lead, and that means driving change both on and off the water.” “He’s very invested in ocean cleanup and the sustainability part of E1 as well,” Kimilainen told me about her owner. “That’s probably one of the main reasons that he’s involved because the sea is very important to him.” Win or lose in Miami, Brady will continue instilling an insatiable competitive mentality in his team on and off the water.
