SailGP: Five things to watch in St-Tropez

The SailGP league has moved to the Mediterranean for the ninth event in Saint-Tropez, France. With all 12 teams competing, here are five things to watch out for during the racing on September 12-13:

Riviera racing returns
Get ready for an unparalleled spectacle as SailGP returns to the stunning French Riviera for the fourth time. Set against the backdrop of crystal-clear waters and iconic Mediterranean charm, Saint-Tropez promises to deliver breathtaking views and heart-pounding action.

France seek home win
Buoyed by an epic Germany Sail Grand Prix victory in Sassnitz, Les Bleus are targeting a home win in front of a sellout crowd in Saint-Tropez. Driver Quentin Delapierre said his team are fired up and ready to take on the challenge of beating their rivals in one of the most hotly anticipated clashes of the 2025 Season.

Tight at the top
Australia currently leads the Rolex SailGP Championship standings but are level on 61 points with New Zealand. Great Britain rounds out the top three, although just 11 points split third to fifth, occupied by France, winners in Sassnitz and firm home favorites in Saint-Tropez.

Speed record challenge
Denmark blasted into the history books in Sassnitz, setting a new speed record of 103.96 km/h during racing. Nicolai Sehested’s team smashed the previous record – held by France – by four km/h. However, the F50 fleet will be fitted with a few upgrades for Saint-Tropez, which could up the ante even more if the conditions play ball.

Clean power
As part of SailGP’s Better Planet campaign, the ROCKWOOL France Sail Grand Prix will be powered by 100% clean energy on-shore through the use of HVO fuel – a renewable, synthetic diesel made from plant oils – and mains power.

Racing takes place 1:30-3:00pm CEST on Friday and 12:30-2:00pm CEST on Saturday.

SailGP information – Saint-Tropez event – YouTube

Season 5 Leaderboard (after 8 events)
1. Australia – Tom Slingsby, 61 points
2. New Zealand – Peter Burling, 61 points
3. Great Britain – Dylan Fletcher, 58 points
4. Spain – Diego Botin, 56 points
5. France – Quintin Delapierre, 47 points*
6. Canada – Giles Scott, 44 points
7. Switzerland – Sebastien Schneiter, 30 points
8. Denmark – Nicolai Sehested, 22 points**
9. Italy – Ruggero Tita, 20 points
10. Brazil – Martine Grael, 11 points**
11. Germany – Erik Heil, 6 points**
12. United States – Taylor Canfield, -8 points**
* France was awarded points for the first two events as their F50 was not available
**Teams receive season penalty points for incidents during practice or racing

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 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 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).
• The league still owns the New Zealand and Spain teams and are looking at how they can bring new investment into them.

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