Formula 1 takes the bait

As the America’s Cup and SailGP seek to widen their appeal, the competitors often reach for auto racing comparisons, though the coattail riding can feel tiresome. What about the idea that when you “like” something, you know it without needing to define it?

Taking the bait, Formula 1 racing isn’t above some chest pounding, and in the league’s list of the 10 greatest innovations they have given to the world, their list includes Sailing:

It takes place on a very different surface, but sailing is surprisingly similar to F1 in many ways, giving boat designers a great opportunity to learn from the series. It definitely helps when one of these designers used to work for McLaren as a Race Engineer.

Dan Bernasconi was responsible for the race-winning Team New Zealand yachts in the 2017 and 2021 America’s Cup, an international sailing competition. Incorporating his F1 knowledge of aerodynamics, he designed the carbon fibre yacht using simulation technology to take his team of 100 people to victory.

There is the added challenge of hydrodynamics, but at its core, America’s Cup is the F1 of sailing – a team of engineers must create the best car/boat they can based on smaller models, which is then piloted by a talented driver/helmsman to the finish line.

Aerodynamics and carbon composite technology aren’t the only shared elements. The yachts are covered in sensors that send real-time data back to the team for analysis, much like the ones that F1 teams monitor throughout each on-track session.

Details: https://www.americascup.com/

No entries have yet been submitted for the 38th America’s Cup as Defender New Zealand works with the Challenger of Record from Great Britain to organize the event. Anticipated to be held in 2027, the two teams have agreed on some details with the venue to be confirmed by June 2025 after Barcelona declined hosting another edition.