The expected message came when Emma Kimiläinen sat with her daughter at the dining table. The 35-year-old Finnish driver received a confirmation on his phone that the last World Cup competition for all-electric F1 boats will not be organized.
The cancellation of the race planned for December meant that Kimiläinen and the Team Brady team he represented became the champions of the opening season of the World Series.
Kimiläinen informed his daughter that he is now world champion.
– We haven’t really talked about my career at home, because there I am purely in the role of a mother. In that moment, however, my daughter’s eyes brightened, Kimiläinen says now.
– It felt sickly cool. If someone had said a year and a half ago that I was the world champion of formula boats, I would have considered the idea absurd.
The mother-daughter duo celebrated the achievement with treats.
– We were hanging out in the Mäkkäri parking lot while it was pouring rain outside.
A surprising proposal
Kimiläinen ended up winning the World Championship through adversity.
Even last year, she was supposed to drive in the women’s formula series, but the series, known as the W Series, collapsed due to financial problems. Plan B, i.e. driving in the Scandinavian track car championship series in STCC, was also shelved.
At some point, it seemed that Kimiläinen would not compete anywhere else but on the Dancing with the Stars dance floor. Then the former event manager of the W Series got in touch and suggested the driver participate in the new race boat series. The E1 Series recruited experts from various motor sports, and Kimiläinen had caught the attention of the organizers.
– I heard that my driving skills in the rain were noted in the formulas, Kimiläinen says and laughs.
Kimiläinen had never driven a boat in his life. In addition, the few times on the water were marked by seasickness, which easily strikes. Still, the extreme sports fan got excited about the new opportunity.
Kimiläinen was at the E1 Series driver academy in June and November last year. Based on the screenings given there, he was selected as an NFL superstar Tom Brady’s to lead the Team Brady stable together with a former motorboat driver, a Welshman by Sam Coleman with.
My rain driving skills were noted in the formulas.
To his surprise, Kimiläinen quickly took over racing boating. The inside of the fully electric F1 boat resembled the cockpit of an F1 car familiar to Finnish drivers, but the water as a race platform offered challenges in the first races.
– When I started driving, focused and looked at the horizon, there was no problem. But waiting for the departure in the floating boat made me feel bad at first. When I went to sleep, sea legs hit, so it felt like I was still rocking.
Kimiläinen was offered anti-nausea medication, but he refused.
– I’m pretty bad at relying on medicines. I thought I could handle this. I finally got rid of seasickness.
The secret of winning the World Cup
The fully electric F1 boat travels at its fastest speed of about one hundred kilometers per hour. A boat powered by an electric motor has wings, i.e. foils, which support the boat and raise it above the water surface.
– Driving is really sensitive and precise. The difference to other motor sports is that I can make adjustment changes in the boat in real time. That kind of analysis and driving feel have always been among my strengths.
Team Brady won three of the five races of the season, which was enough for the championship. Kimiläinen praises the complete dedication of his team, which according to him was the key to victory.
– In terms of personal chemistry, this is the most amazing team I’ve ever been in. Right from the start of the season, we did a shocking amount of work. We were the first at the venue and the last to leave.
The big push for ambitious work came from seven-time NFL champion, team boss and financier Tom Brady.
– Tom’s DNA of winning and the idea of doing hard work can be seen in the whole team. Winning is our passion.
Kimiläinen met Brady for the first time in the spring and got along with him from the beginning. He especially appreciates the relaxed side of the former star quarterback.
– Tom brings a lot of positive energy to the team and reminds us that we also have to enjoy this job. He is very interested in the details of the boat and everything related to the sport.
Brady, Will Smith and other stars
Nine teams competed in the E1 Series this season, whose bosses are well-known stars. Among the stable managers are, among others, an actor Will Smithtennis greatness Rafael Nadalan F1 driver Sergio Pereza soccer player Didier Drogba and singer Marc Anthony.
Kimiläinen’s head has not been dizzy by celebrity glory. Those who grew up in formula circles are not excited to meet world-famous names, which was also evident in the first meeting with team boss Brady.
– The atmosphere was relaxed among the whole team, and we talked about these things. Tom really liked that we talked to him just like anyone else.
The league of superstars is money. Kimiläinen does not say the amount of his salary due to contractual reasons, but says that the salary level is “really competitive” in the motorsport world.
The Finnish driver receives success bonuses, which he says are worth tens of thousands of euros. There are also bonuses for the recently secured World Cup title.
– The World Cup title brought good bonuses, and that’s how it should be. This is like a salesman’s salary. When there is a result, it is rewarded.
The Saudi connections are telling
There have also been critical questions surrounding the lucrative racing boat series. The main financier of the E1 Series is the investment fund PIF, managed by the Saudi Arabian government, which has gained power in numerous sports and series around the world in recent years.
According to human rights experts, the Saudi Arabian regime makes huge investments in sports to polish its shield and cover up social problems and human rights violations.
Kimiläinen has been asked about the financing pattern of the series before. He says that it is difficult to take a stand on political issues.
– I have tried to leave the political side out of this, because I cannot influence it. As an athlete, my job is to play sports. I’m happy with what the series has achieved.
According to Kimiläinen, a lot of important development work is being done in the electric series E1 Series in order to make boating more ecologically sustainable.
– As an athlete, I only see the positive side of this (funding pattern). If someone wants to finance the development of technology and, for example, changing the boating industry to be less emitting and more sustainable, that’s not a bad thing.
Continuation patterns open
The E1 Series is supposed to run eight races next season. We want to increase the series and the size of the teams from the current ones.
The season that ended was a sporting success for Kimiläinen, but he still can’t get enough of his future designs. At the weekend, the plans include a trip to London anyway, where team boss Brady will organize a championship party for his team.
– The program includes, surprise surprise, watching the New England Patriots NFL game, Kimiläinen laughs.
– After that, there should be a pretty good party.