The most exciting racing on water returns today after a wet and wild day of practice on Sydney Harbour. SailGP celebrates the return of France, who re-joins the Rolex SailGP Championship after missing the first two stops of the season.
This weekend, the Rolex SailGP Championship makes its record sixth visit to the iconic Sydney Harbour. France will rejoin the fleet for the first time in the 2025 Season following a successful afternoon of sailing in the league’s newest F50 catamaran, Boat 12. Assessment is underway for the U.S. SailGP Team, who had a dramatic capsize en route to today’s practice racing.
Defending their home title, Australia SailGP Team driver Tom Slingsby said, “It’s amazing to be back. The weather has been unbelievable since we’ve been here and the forecast is looking great.” Slingsby’s Flying Roo is fresh off a dominating victory last month in Auckland.
When it all begins, SailGP’s international fleet will race around cheering fans on ‘Shark Island’ – an official spectator area positioned right in the heart of the course. If Friday’s warm up is anything to go by, there will be plenty of action for those lucky enough to secure a spot. In addition to the U.S. capsize, a number of teams were involved in close calls – including a collision between Germany and Brazil, set to cost both teams event points. Full penalties are yet to be confirmed by the umpires. Germany also had contact with Red Bull Italy earlier in the day. The ROCKWOOL Denmark SailGP Team nearly capsized, narrowly avoiding contact with New Zealand.
And while France didn’t keep its new paint job entirely dry either, driver Quentin Delapierre was pleased to report no major issues on the team’s new F50. Delapierre said, “After some commissioning this morning, the boat was working well enough for us to get into the practice races this afternoon. It was demanding, with a lot of wind, but you don’t have much choice in SailGP – you have to push the limits. We’re feeling comfortable at speed. Now, we just have to get over the frustration of such limited training.”
Entering the weekend second in the overall standings – tied on points with Emirates GBR, in first – New Zealand driver Peter Burling said the Black Foils would be out for revenge after failing to make the final at their home event last month. “It definitely motivates us to keep pushing super hard,” Burling said. “Missing a home final is never a fun thing, but we take plenty of learnings from it.”
The KPMG Australia Sail Grand Prix | Sydney begins at 3 p.m. Saturday 8 February local time. Limited tickets remain – available for purchase at SailGP.com/Sydney.
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The most exciting racing on water, the Rolex SailGP Championship is a global championship with national teams battling it out in identical high-tech, high-speed 50-foot foiling catamarans at iconic venues around the world. Racing faster than the wind at speeds exceeding 100 km/h // 60mph, the Rolex SailGP Championship is driven by the sport’s top athletes, with national pride, personal glory, and bonus prize money of US$12.8 million at stake. Powered by nature – wind, sea and sun – driven by purpose, SailGP races for a better future. Visit SailGP.com to find out more.
