SailGP: Five things to watch in Sydney

The 14-event schedule for SailGP will be in Australia for the third stage of Season 5. From the return of SailGP veteran Phil Robertson to the home team’s winning form, here are five things to watch out for when the racing in Sydney on February 8-9:

France expected to return
After sitting out the first two events of the season while awaiting a new F50, Quentin Delapierre’s France is expected to return in Sydney. The team, which is known for performing well in high wind conditions, is a previous Sydney winner, having won the event here in Season 3. Could France seal its return to the SailGP racetrack by taking the win again? Or will Delapierre’s squad look rusty when racing begins?

Phil Robertson on the sidelines
SailGP veteran Phil Robertson is set to make a surprise return in Sydney. But Canada’s former driver won’t be on the race track – instead he’s joining the coaching staff of Erik Heil’s Germany, standing in for full time coach Jacopo Plazzi. Will Robertson’s presence on the sidelines pay off in Germany’s performance?

Can Red Bull Italy repeat Auckland’s impressive performance?
The new Italian entry impressed at its second event in Auckland, racking up three third place finishes and ending the event in 6th overall – beating teams with far more experience such as Switzerland, Germany, and the United States. However, the team raced with experienced flight controller Jason Saunders in New Zealand following the injury of Andrea Tesei. Can the team record equally impressive results when racing in Sydney begins?

Can any team stop Australia at home?
Tom Slingsby’s home team has an impressive racing record at home, winning three events out of five. Slingsby’s team returns to Sydney after a dominating display in Auckland too, with the Flying Roos quickly mastering the new T-Foils, topping the fleet on points and winning the three-boat Final. New Zealand’s Peter Burling says he’s gunning for the win when racing gets underway, but can anyone stop the Aussies when they’re on form?

Can USA bounce back from Auckland?
It was a tricky event for the United States in Auckland, with the team picking up a 7-6-10-10-9-9-9 race record. This meant Taylor Canfield’s team finished last overall, even behind Giles Scott’s Canada which didn’t race on the second day of the event. The USA team struggled in the high wind conditions and unstable sea state. With Sydney promising similar windy conditions, can the team rise to the challenge and move through the fleet?

For complete crew list, click here.

SailGP information – Sydney details – YouTube – Facebook

Season 5 Leaderboard (after 2 of 14 events)*
1. Great Britain, 17 points
2. New Zealand, 17 points
3. Australia, 16 points
4. Spain, 16 points
5. Denmark, 10 points
6. France, 10 points
7. United States, 8 points
8. Switzerland, 6 points
9. Germany, 6 points
10. Canada, 6 points
11. Italy, 5 points
12. Brazil, 3 point
* Ten of the 12 teams are privately owned, with the league having ownership of New Zealand and Spain.

Season 5 Schedule – 14 events
2024
November 23-24 – Dubai, UAE

2025
January 18-19 – Auckland, New Zealand
February 8-9 – Sydney, Australia
March 15-16 – Los Angeles, USA
March 22-23 – San Francisco, USA
May 3-4 – Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
June 7-8 – New York City, USA
July 19-20 – Portsmouth, Great Britain
August 16-17 – Sassnitz, Germany
September 6-7 – Taranto, Italy
September 20-21 – Geneva, Switzerland
October 4-5 – Andalucía – Cádiz, Spain
November 7-8 – Middle East *
November 29-30 – Grand Final – Abu Dhabi, UAE
* Venue to be announced

Format for Season 5:
• Teams compete in identical F50 catamarans.
• Each event runs across two days.
• Five qualifying fleet races of approximately 15 minutes may be scheduled for each regatta.
• The top three teams from qualifying advance to a final race to be crowned event champion and earn the largest share of the prize purse (amount not confirmed; Season 4 had $400,000.00 USD prize purse with winning team earning $200k at each event).
• The season ends with the Grand Final, which includes the Championship Final Race for the top three teams in the season standing with the winner claiming a monetary award (amount not confirmed; Season 4 had $2 million USD prize).
• The top team on points ahead of the three-boat Championship Final will get a monetary award (amount not confirmed; Season 4 had a $350,000.00 prize).

For competition documents, click here.

Established in 2018, SailGP seeks to be an annual, global sports league featuring fan-centric inshore racing among national teams in some of the iconic harbors around the globe.

Source: SailGP