Italy SailGP Team restructures roster

Red Bull Italy SailGP Team have confirmed a major restructuring of its roster for the 2026 season, unveiling Phil Robertson as the team’s new driver and welcoming Jana Germani as strategist. The move is part of a deliberate performance strategy designed to boost the Italian outfit’s chances of achieving their ultimate goal: to win the SailGP Championship.

New Zealander Robertson is among SailGP’s most experienced athletes, and returns to the driver’s seat having led the Chinese, Spanish and Canadian teams in Seasons 1, 2 & 3 and 4. Italy’s Germani joins SailGP off the back of a glittering career on the Olympic dinghy circuit, during which she won five national titles, three World and European medals and represented her country at the Paris 2024 Olympics.

Both Robertson and Germani will join the team early, making their debuts at the Mubadala Abu Dhabi Sail Grand Prix 2025 Season Grand Final, presented by Abu Dhabi Sports Council. Their early integration is aimed at sharpening onboard communication and coordination before the 2026 Season begins in Perth in January.

Two-time Olympic champion Ruggero Tita will remain an essential part of the program as an alternate driver, while Maelle Frascari will also continue to be part of the Italian roster.

Red Bull Italy SailGP Team CEO Jimmy Spithill said: “Anytime you can add Olympic, SailGP and World Championship-level talent, it’s a great day for the team. Having both Jana and Phil join Ruggi and Maelle on our roster really puts the team in a strong position looking at the seasons ahead.”

The news comes after SailGP announced its new Athlete Transfer framework, designed to bring new clarity, structure and long-term stability to athlete movement.

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 12-13 – Saint-Tropez, France
September 20-21 – Geneva, Switzerland
October 4-5 – Andalucía – Cádiz, Spain
November 7-8 – Middle East
November 29-30 – Grand Final – Abu Dhabi, UAE
* The season began with 14 events but Tranto was replaced with Saint-Tropez, while Rio and Middle East were cancelled.

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. The season ends with the Grand Final, which includes the Championship Final Race for the top three teams in the season standing. The top team on points ahead of the three-boat Championship Final will get a monetary award.
• The league still owns the New Zealand and Spain teams and are looking at how they can bring new investment into them.

Prize money:
Over the course of the 2025 Season, a total of $12M USD is up for grabs – the largest prize purse in the sport of sailing. $9.6M has been doled out so far, with $2M up for grabs to the Grand Final winner, and $800,000 available to the top-three placed teams in the Abu Dhabi event final. So far this season, Emirates GBR top the prize money leaderboard with $2M in the bank, followed by the Black Foils with $1.76M. The BONDS Flying Roos and Los Gallos have each secured $1.2M.

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