TEAM Brady delivered a statement performance in Luanda, Angola, securing their first victory of the season and extending their lead at the top of the E1 World Championship standings to 40 points ahead of the season finale in Miami.

Pilots Sam Coleman, from Saundersfoot, and Finland's Emma Kimiläinen produced a composed and clinical display in challenging conditions to put Team Brady firmly on course for a third consecutive world title.

Owned by seven-time Super Bowl champion Tom Brady, the team claimed the inaugural E1 Championship in 2024 before successfully defending their crown in 2025. Another strong showing in Miami on November 13-14 would complete a remarkable hat-trick.

The weekend in Angola got off to a difficult start. With debris in the water forcing the cancellation of all practice sessions, teams went straight into Friday qualifying. Each pilot had just four qualifying attempts to master the unfamiliar circuit and set a competitive lap time.

Team Brady struggled to find their rhythm and finished the session down in seventh place, leaving plenty of work to do on race day.

Coleman quickly began the recovery in the opening group race. Starting from fourth, he battled his way into second with a strong launch and smart strategic decisions, handing Kimiläinen a favourable position for the crucial second group race.

The Finnish driver seized the opportunity. Taking the lead from the start, she controlled the race brilliantly and guided the RaceBird home to secure victory and a place in the finals.

In Final 1, Team Brady opted for an alternative strategy after losing ground at the start. Coleman delivered when it mattered, claiming victory and putting Kimiläinen on pole position for the deciding race.

Kimiläinen made a superb start in the final, leading from the opening buoy and immediately building an advantage with an early short-lap strategy. Although she later encountered traffic from back-markers Team Aoki, she held her nerve under pressure to fend off Team Monaco and secure Team Brady's first victory of the season.

The result not only ended the team's wait for a win in 2026 but also strengthened their championship position with just the Miami double-header remaining.

Coleman praised the effort of the entire team after a dramatic turnaround from qualifying disappointment to race-day success.

"Just amazing. I'm so proud of the team," he said.

"We knew the final would be tight because we kept getting trapped behind Aoki. It wasn't their fault, but we were sitting in their wash and haemorrhaging time.

"It got tighter and tighter, but Emma managed it brilliantly.

"To turn things around from P7 in qualifying yesterday to this is an incredible job from the whole team. We knew it would be different come race day, and it was. This is the whole team's trophy."

Kimiläinen was equally delighted with the result.

"The team executed the strategy perfectly today. We knew exactly what we needed to do at the start," she said.

"From there it was just about keeping the boat stable, which was tougher than it sounds because the wind had picked up and it was really wavy out there.

"It feels amazing to win because that's the one thing we've been chasing all season and hadn't managed yet.

"We've taken five podiums from five races so far, with two still to come in Miami."