Day 1 in Perth: Sweden steal the show in SailGP debut

What a dramatic start to Season 6.

Before racing even kicked off today, Los Gallos were out after severe damage to their F50 in training, reducing the fleet to 12 boats, not 13. The news then came that the Season 4 champions won't receive points compensation while sitting this one out, putting Spain on the back foot right from the get-go.

Meanwhile, Iain Jensen, fresh off his transfer to Australia, suffered a serious knee injury and Glenn Ashby had to be flown in last-minute to fill his shoes as wing trimmer.

Into that chaos stepped Nathan Outteridge and his new Swedish crew, who made it all look effortless on day one of the Perth Sail Grand Prix…

Tom Slingsby made it look easy in Perth's opening race, firing Australia off the line at 70kmh and never looking back. The Flying Roos passed the bottom gate first and simply sailed away from the fleet, building a half-leg advantage before crossing the line 30 seconds clear of Quentin Delapierre's France in second.

Substitute wing trimmer Glenn Ashby looked completely at home in his new role, helping Australia execute what was essentially a perfect race in conditions that left others scrambling. Taylor Canfield's USA rounded out the podium in third – an uncharacteristically strong showing in the heavy breeze that suggests real progress heading into Season 6.

But the race was marred by a major collision on the second leg. Pete Burling's New Zealand and Sébastien Schneiter's Switzerland came together hard, with the Swiss having right of way. A chunk of the Black Foils' F50 was left floating mid-course with both boats having to drop out of racing, reducing the 12-boat fleet to just 10.

Quentin Delapierre delivered a masterclass in Perth's second race, threading France through the fleet off the line and never looking back. The perfect start gave Les Bleus clear air and they used it ruthlessly, extending their lead to 30 seconds by gate three and cruising home unchallenged.

The chemistry between Delapierre and new wing trimmer Leigh McMillan looked effortless. "I don't know if we're smooth already," Delapierre joked afterwards, "but as soon as Leigh learns French, that'll be awesome!"

Behind them, Sweden's Artemis claimed a stunning second place in just their second-ever SailGP race. Nathan Outteridge's crew climbed from ninth at the start to snatch the runner-up spot, briefly losing it to Great Britain on the fifth leg before picking the stronger side of the course to reclaim second.

Team USA continued their resurgence with fourth, while Tom Slingsby's Australia suffered a complete reversal of fortunes. After dominating Race 1, the Flying Roos fumbled the start and spent the entire race clawing back positions, managing only eighth.

Both Mubadala Brazil and NorthStar Canada were hit with boundary penalties, basic errors that dropped them to sixth and ninth respectively. But this race belonged to France, who made Perth's perfect conditions look easy.

Quentin Delapierre had done everything right. France nailed another perfect start, led at mark one, and sailed tactically to keep Sweden's Artemis on their heels. Only a mistake could displace them – and that's exactly what happened.

On leg six, Delapierre had to duck to avoid Tom Slingsby's Australia and dropped off the foils. Nathan Outteridge took his opportunity, guiding Sweden to their first SailGP victory in just their third-ever race. The upstart Swedish team look deadly already.

"The team's doing an unreal job, making my life super easy," Outteridge said afterwards. "Just point and shoot and try and keep out of trouble."

Team USA continued their impressive consistency with third, followed by Canada and Germany. Race 3 saw Tom Slingsby's Australia and Dylan Fletcher's Great Britain languishing toward the back, looking like both teams may need time to bed in their new crews for Season 6. Meanwhile, Red Bull Italy were not living up to their pre-event hype – Phil Robertson's crew were hit with a boundary penalty and finished dead last.

Nathan Outteridge looks to be making up for lost time. Sweden claimed their second race win of the day to sit firmly atop the standings after a dominant opening day in Perth. A remarkable showing for a team competing in their first-ever SailGP event.

"It's been a year and a half since I've done a race, so I'm glad I had a good day," Outteridge said. "The level is way higher than I remember, and the racing was super tight today. The key for us was just trusting each other and the skills we have."

Artemis emerged from the upwind-downwind traffic chaos at gate three in first and simply sailed away, extending their lead to over 200 metres by leg five. Brazil looked set for second, Martine Grael’s crew battling it out with the fleet’s strongest, until a penalty on the final stretch dropped them to fourth, behind Australia and the consistently strong USA.

A brief redemption for Phil Robertson's Italy saw them win the start and round mark one first, but couldn't hold position and slipped to sixth.

What a day for the rookies. Artemis sit atop the leaderboard after an incredible opening day in their first-ever SailGP event.

Team USA look like they've finally found their rhythm, finishing second today after a string of consistent performances. Taylor Canfield's crew have shown they can indeed deliver in strong winds. France, meanwhile, reminded everyone just how dangerous they are in the breeze. In multiple races, Les Bleus arrived late to the gate but threaded through the fleet to fire off the line, finishing third, but with the top three all on equal points.

Tom Slingsby faces a Sunday scrap to ensure Australia, currently in fourth, make that winner-takes-all final. Emirates GBR finished the day in fifth – a slightly underwhelming result for the Season 5 champions. Are Dylan Fletcher's crew having trouble getting up to speed with new wing trimmer Stu Bithell?

The collision in Race 1 has ruled New Zealand out for the rest of the event. Pete Burling's Black Foils will have to wait until Auckland to restart their campaign. Fortunately, it's been confirmed that Switzerland will be able to repair their boat and get back on the line tomorrow.

Can anyone stop the Swedish surge? Join us tomorrow for the conclusion of the Perth Sail Grand Prix.

Race 1

1 Australia

2 France

3 USA

4 Canada

5 Great Britain

6 Denmark

Race 2

1 France

2 Sweden

3 Great Britain

4 USA

5 Brazil

6 Italy

Race 3

1 Sweden

2 France

3 USA

4 Canada

5 Germany

6 Denmark

Race 4

1 Sweden

2 Australia

3 USA

4 Brazil

5 Great Britain

6 Italy

SailGP leaderboard at the end of Day 1

1 Sweden 31

2 USA 31

3 France 31

4 Australia 24

5 Great Britain 24

6 Brazil 18

7 Canada 17

8 Italy 16

9 Denmark 15

10 Germany 13

11 New Zealand 0

12 Switzerland 0

13 Spain 0