SailGP: Five things to watch in Bermuda

After four events in the Southern Hemisphere, the 2026 SailGP season arrives in North America with racing on May 9-10 in Bermuda. Here are five issues to consider:

Teams on fire, teams under pressure
The pecking order is emerging after four events with Australia comfortably at the top. Tom Slingsby’s three-time champions are counting an impressive 2, 1, 5, 1 scoreline, handing them a healthy seven-point lead over current title holders Emirates GBR with the U.S. SailGP Team a further point behind. Many of the usual suspects are in the top half of the table, but it’s the likes of Germany, Italy, Canada, and Switzerland that find themselves under pressure a third into the season.

Spain mount defense, GBR look to bounce back
Despite the early-season setback in Perth, Spain’s Los Gallos are on a roll. Diego Botin’s outfit were winners the last time SailGP took to the Great Sound during Season 4, and will head into this event buoyed by a string of top results in 2026. Reigning SailGP champions Emirates GBR won in Bermuda in spectacular fashion back in Season 2 but an uncharacteristic last-place finish in Rio last month will see them start with an even higher level of expectation than before. The only other team to have won a Grand Prix in Bermuda? You guessed it – Australia’s BONDS Flying Roos.

Collisions are costly
Aside from penalty points, the New Zealand team continues to suffer in Season Six. After getting knocked out of the opener when they fouled Switzerland, their collision with France in the second event was the worst yet for the young league. Along with injuries, the Kiwi boat was so badly damaged that there was little left to salvage, and the time needed to build a new boat sidelined them for Australia and Brazil, and will continue to do so for Bermuda and USA before a hopeful return for racing in Canada.

Athlete roster shake-ups
With New Zealand out of action, their strategist Liv Mackay will be joining France again in place of Manon Audinet. Super-sub Glenn Ashby will also stand in for France’s injured wing trimmer Leigh McMillan. Meanwhile, the Kiwi team grinder Marcus Hansen has been loaned to Denmark to cover for Luke Payne for the next two events. For the full crew list, click here.

A weekend of two halves
The weather gods are planning to keep the teams on their toes this weekend with a varied – and at times chaotic – forecast. SailGP weather guru Chris Bedford is predicting a stable day of fast foiling on Saturday, followed by a lighter, more patchy Sunday. In SailGP unpredictable weather can catch teams out – or provide them with a golden opportunity to pounce.

Race time in Bermuda for both days is 2:00-3:30 pm ADT (1:00-2:30 pm (EDT).

SailGP information – Bermuda details – How to watch

Season 6 Results (after 4 of 13 events)
1. Australia, Tom Slingsby (AUS), 2-1-5-1, 35 points
2. Great Britain, Dylan Fletcher (GBR), 1-2-2-12, 28
3. United States, Taylor Canfield (USA), 5-7-1-4, 27
4. Spain, Diego Botin (ESP), 12-3-3-2, 25
5. Artemis, Nathan Outteridge (AUS), 4-5-9-3, 23
6. France, Quentin Delapierre (FRA), 3-4*-13-8, 23
7. Denmark, Nicolai Sehested (DEN), 8-9-6-5, 17
8. Germany, Erik Heil (GER), 9-6-8-6, 15
9. Italy, Phil Robertson (NZL), 7-13-4-7, 15
10. Brazil, Martine Grael (BRA), 10-11-7-9, 7
11. Canada, Giles Scott (CAN/GBR), 6-10-11-10, 7
12. New Zealand, Peter Burling (NZL), 13-8-12-13, 2
13. Switzerland, Sébastien Schneiter (SUI), 11-12-10-11, 1
* Received compensation points for Sydney due to boat damage in Event 2.

Season 6 – 2026 Schedule:
• Jan 17-18 – Perth, Australia
• Feb 14-15 – Auckland, New Zealand
• Feb 28-March 1 – Sydney, Australia
• Apr 11-12  – Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
• May 9-10 – Hamilton, Bermuda
• May 30-31 – New York, USA
• June 20-21 – Halifax, Canada
• July 25-26- Portsmouth, GBR
• August 22-23 – Sassnitz, Germany
• Sept 5-6 – Valencia, Spain
• Sept 19-20 – Geneva, Switzerland
• Nov 21-22 – Dubai, UAE
• Nov 28-29 – Abu Dhabi, UAE
Note: The 11th event was moved to Geneva from Saint-Tropez, France.

Season 6 format:
• Thirteen teams compete in identical F50 catamarans.
• Each event is two days.
• All teams compete in up to seven qualifying fleet races of approximately 15 minutes.
• The top three teams from qualifying advance to a final race for the event title.
• The season ends with the Grand Final event which includes the Championship Final Race for the top three teams in the season standing.
• All teams are privately owned except for New Zealand which is owned by the league.

Season 6 prize money:
A total of USD $12.8 million is up for grabs in 2026. The winner of each of the 13 events takes home $400,000, with $260,000 for second and $140,000 for third. The team with the most points at the end of the season wins $400,000, while the team that wins the Championship Final Race wins USD $2 million.

F50 Configuration:
All teams use same configuration based on weather forecast. There are four wingsail sizes (18m, 24m, 27.5m, and 29m), six jib sizes, two T-foil daggerboards (high-speed and low-speed), and one set of rudders with high-speed and low-speed settings.

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.