SailGP
Insight, action and spotlight on SailGP
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At a Glance
SailGP: Sailing’s answer to Formula 1
Thirteen national teams racing identical F50 foiling catamarans across a year-long championship that hits five continents. These boats fly above the water at speeds touching 100 km/h, powered by wind alone, with crews making split-second calls while pulling several Gs through tight turns.
Founded by Russell Coutts and Larry Ellison in 2019, SailGP set out to prove professional sailing could be commercially sustainable without billionaire life-support. Six seasons in, franchise valuations have rocketed from $5 million to over $50 million, celebrity investors are piling in, and the racing remains ruthlessly close…
Latest SailGP Coverage
New Artemis team takes flight in SailGP practice
Freddie Carr: What I can’t wait to see in 2026
Why our sport can't get enough of SailGP
Podcast Ep. 2 - Inside SailGP Season 6
Season 6 Event Schedule
17 - 18 Jan 2026 | Perth, Australia | |
14 - 15 Feb 2026 | Auckland, New Zealand | |
28 Feb – 1 Mar 2026 | Sydney, Australia | |
11 - 12 Apr 2026 | Rio de Janeiro, Brazil | |
9 - 10 May 2026 | Great Sound, Bermuda | |
30 - 31 May 2026 | New York, USA | |
20 - 21 Jun 2026 | Halifax, Canada | |
25 - 26 Jul 2026 | Portsmouth, United Kingdom | |
22 - 23 Aug 2026 | Sassnitz, Rügen Island, Germany | |
1 Sep 2026 | Host city TBC | |
19 - 20 Sep 2026 | Geneva, Switzerland | |
21 - 22 Nov 2026 | Dubai, United Arab Emirates | |
28 - 29 Nov 2026 | Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates |
17 Jan 2026 13:00 (05:00 GMT) | Perth, Australia | SailGP |
18 Jan 2026 13:00 (05:00 GMT) | Perth, Australia | SailGP |
14 Feb 2026 16:00 (03:00 GMT) | Auckland, New Zealand | SailGP |
15 Feb 2026 16:00 (03:00 GMT) | Auckland, New Zealand | SailGP |
28 Feb 2026 17:30 (06:30 GMT) | Sydney, Australia | SailGP |
1 Mar 2026 17:30 (06:30 GMT) | Sydney, Australia | SailGP |
10 Apr 2026 21:00 (11 Apr 01:00 BST) | Rio de Janeiro, Brazil | SailGP |
11 Apr 2026 21:00 (12 Apr 01:00 BST) | Rio de Janeiro, Brazil | SailGP |
8 May 2026 21:00 (9 May 01:00 BST) | Great Sound, Bermuda | SailGP |
9 May 2026 21:00 (10 May 01:00 BST) | Great Sound, Bermuda | SailGP |
29 May 2026 20:00 (30 May 01:00 BST) | New York, USA | SailGP |
30 May 2026 20:00 (31 May 01:00 BST) | New York, USA | SailGP |
19 Jun 2026 21:00 (20 Jun 01:00 BST) | Halifax, Canada | SailGP |
20 Jun 2026 21:00 (21 Jun 01:00 BST) | Halifax, Canada | SailGP |
25 Jul 2026 01:00 (01:00 BST) | Portsmouth, United Kingdom | SailGP |
26 Jul 2026 01:00 (01:00 BST) | Portsmouth, United Kingdom | SailGP |
22 Aug 2026 02:00 (01:00 BST) | Sassnitz, Rügen Island, Germany | SailGP |
23 Aug 2026 02:00 (01:00 BST) | Sassnitz, Rügen Island, Germany | SailGP |
1 Sep 2026 01:00 (01:00 BST) | Host city TBC | SailGP |
19 Sep 2026 02:00 (01:00 BST) | Geneva, Switzerland | SailGP |
20 Sep 2026 02:00 (01:00 BST) | Geneva, Switzerland | SailGP |
| No events to show |
21 Nov 2026 04:00 (00:00 GMT) | Dubai, United Arab Emirates | SailGP |
22 Nov 2026 04:00 (00:00 GMT) | Dubai, United Arab Emirates | SailGP |
28 Nov 2026 04:00 (00:00 GMT) | Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates | SailGP |
29 Nov 2026 04:00 (00:00 GMT) | Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates | SailGP |
| No events to show |
Frequently Asked Questions
Dive Deeper
What is SailGP?
SailGP is a global racing league launched in 2018, often described as “F1 on water.” Thirteen national teams compete in identical F50 foiling catamarans that fly above the water at over 100 km/h using wind power alone. The series runs a full season across multiple countries with short, action-focused races designed for spectators and TV.
What makes the F50 boats so fast?
The F50 is a 15-metre foiling catamaran that lifts out of the water on hydrofoils to reduce drag. A rigid wingsail acts like an aircraft wing to generate huge power, and interchangeable foil and wing sizes let teams tune performance for different conditions. With the latest T-foils and refined control systems, the boats regularly exceed 100 km/h.
How does the SailGP championship format work?
Each event includes fleet racing with all 13 teams, followed by a three-boat Final to decide the event winner. Season points are awarded based on event results, and the top three teams across the year qualify for the Season Grand Final, a winner-takes-all showdown for the title. Penalties for collisions or rule breaches can deduct event and season points.
Who owns and runs SailGP teams?
Teams are franchise-based and commercially scalable, not billionaire vanity projects. High-profile investors include Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman (Australia), Anne Hathaway (Italy), Kylian Mbappé (France), and Sebastian Vettel (Germany). Team valuations have risen from around $5 million to tens of millions as the league has grown.
Why do people compare SailGP to Formula 1?
Both sports use a multi-stop global calendar, high-performance hardware, tight race windows, and heavy broadcast graphics to make the action easy to follow. But unlike F1, SailGP uses one-design boats, and all teams share each other’s performance data via Oracle Cloud. That keeps racing close and emphasises skill, not budgets or engineering arms races.
Team Profiles
Australia
- Team Nickname
- The Flying Roos
- Boat Name
- The Flying Roo
- CEO
- Tom Slingsby
- Driver
- Tom Slingsby
- Key Crew:
- Iain Jensen (Wing Trimmer), Jason Waterhouse (Flight Controller), Sam Newton (Grinder), Kinley Fowler (Grinder), Tash Bryant (Strategist) and Tom Needham (Reserve)
- Established:
- 2019 (Season 1 entry)
Did you Know?
Hugh Jackman and Ryan Reynolds became co-owners in 2025, making this the only SailGP team backed by both Wolverine and Deadpool.
Brazil
- Team Nickname
- Mubadala Brazil
- Boat Name
- N/A
- CEO
- Alan Adler (team operator, IMM)
- Driver
- Martine Grael
- Key Crew:
- Rasmus Køstner (Flight Controller), Pietro Sibello (Wing Trimmer), Marco Grael (Grinder), Mateus Isaac (Grinder), Breno Kneipp (Grinder) and Paul Goodison (Strategist)
- Established:
- 2024 (Season 5 entry)
Did you Know?
Martine Grael, a double Olympic gold medallist in the 49erFX class, is the first woman to drive an F50 in SailGP competition. Sailing runs in the family – Martine’s brother Marco races alongside her as a grinder, and their father Torben is an Olympic gold medallist.
Canada
- Team Nickname
- NorthStar
- Boat Name
- N/A
- CEO
- Phil Kennard
- Driver
- Giles Scott
- Key Crew:
- Billy Gooderham (Flight Controller), Paul Campbell-James (Wing Trimmer), Annie Haeger (Strategist), Georgia Lewin-LaFrance (Strategist), Tom Ramshaw (Grinder), Tim Hornsby (Grinder), Alex Sinclair (Grinder) and Nicolas Rolaz (Reserve)
- Established:
- 2022 (Season 3 entry)
Did you Know?
Financial uncertainty nearly cost Canada its franchise slot before Dr Greg Bailey acquired the team in 2024 in a record-value sale.
Denmark
- Team Nickname
- ROCKWOOL Racing
- Boat Name
- N/A
- CEO
- Tanguy Cariou
- Driver
- Nicolai Sehested
- Key Crew:
- Tom Johnson (Wing Trimmer), Ed Powys (Flight Controller), Anne-Marie Rindom (Strategist), Katja Salskov-Iversen (Strategist), Luke Payne (Grinder), Hans-Christian Rosendahl (Grinder) and Magnus Overbeck (Grinder)
- Established:
- 2019 (Season 2 entry)
Did you Know?
Denmark holds SailGP's all-time speed record at 103.93 km/h, set in Sassnitz in 2025.
France
- Team Nickname
- Les Bleus
- Boat Name
- N/A
- CEO
- Bruno Dubois, with Philippe Presti (team manager)
- Driver
- Quentin Delapierre
- Key Crew:
- Leigh McMillan (Wing Trimmer), Jason Saunders (Flight Controller), Manon Audinet (Strategist), Matthieu Vandame (Grinder), Timothé Lapauw (Grinder), Olivier Herledant (Grinder) and Enzo Ballanger (Reserve)
- Established:
- 2019 (Season 1 entry)
Did you Know?
In Season 5, driver Quentin Delapierre was sent to hospital after a rudder explosion launched him into the cockpit at Sassnitz. After rebuiding their boat overnight, the team went on to win the entire regatta.
Germany
- Team Nickname
- Germany By Deutsche Bank
- Boat Name
- N/A
- CEO
- Tim Krieglstein
- Driver
- Erik Heil
- Key Crew:
- Kevin Peponnet (Wing Trimmer), James Wierzbowski (Flight Controller), Anna Barth (Strategist), Linov Scheel (Grinder), Jonathan Knottnerus-Meyer (Grinder), William Tiller (Grinder) and Felix van den Hövel (Grinder)
- Established:
- 2023 (Season 4 entry)
Did you Know?
Sebastian Vettel, four-time Formula 1 World Champion, is a co-owner, and sometimes takes the helm of their F50 for cameo appearances.
Great Britain
- Team Nickname
- Emirates GBR
- Boat Name
- Rita
- CEO
- Sir Ben Ainslie
- Driver
- Dylan Fletcher
- Key Crew:
- Hannah Mills (Strategist), Stuart Bithell (Wing Trimmer), Luke Parkinson (Flight Controller), Nick Hutton (Grinder) and Neil Hunter (Grinder)
- Established:
- 2019 (Season 1 entry)
Did you Know?
One of the six founding teams of SailGP, Emirates GBR finally took the championship title in Season 5.
Italy
- Team Nickname
- Red Bull Italy
- Boat Name
- N/A
- CEO
- Jimmy Spithill
- Driver
- Phil Robertson
- Key Crew:
- Kyle Langford (Wing Trimmer), Andrea Tesei (Flight Controller), Jana Germani (Strategist), Maëlle Frascari (Strategist), Will Ryan (Grinder), Enrico Voltolini (Grinder) and Ruggero Tita (Reserve Driver)
- Established:
- 2024 (Season 5 entry)
Did you Know?
CEO Jimmy Spithill is a two-time America's Cup winner and a formidable F50 driver in his own right.
New Zealand
- Team Nickname
- Black Foils
- Boat Name
- Amokura
- CEO
- Peter Burling & Blair Tuke (co-CEOs)
- Driver
- Peter Burling
- Key Crew:
- Blair Tuke (Wing Trimmer), Leo Takahashi (Flight Controller), Liv Mackay (Strategist), Louis Sinclair (Grinder) and Marcus Hansen (Grinder)
- Established:
- 2020 (Season 2 entry)
Did you Know?
Co-CEOs Peter Burling and Blair Tuke are the only sailors in history to win an Olympic medal and America's Cup in the same year.
Spain
- Team Nickname
- Los Gallos (The Roosters)
- Boat Name
- Victoria
- CEO
- Antonio (Tony) Alquézar
- Driver
- Diego Botin
- Key Crew:
- Florian Trittel (Wing Trimmer), Joel Rodriguez (Flight Controller), Joan Cardona (Grinder/Tactician), Bernardo Freitas (Grinder), Mateu Barber (Grinder) and Nicole van der Velden (Strategist)
- Established:
- 2021 (Season 2 entry)
Did you Know?
Spain went from dead last in Season 3 to world champions in Season 4 – the quickest bottom-to-top title swing in SailGP history.
Sweden
- Team Nickname
- Artemis Racing
- Boat Name
- TBC
- CEO
- Iain Percy
- Driver
- Nathan Outteridge
- Key Crew:
- Chris Draper (Wing Trimmer), Andy Maloney (Flight Controller), Julia Gross (Strategist), Brad Farrand (Jib Trimmer), Julius Hallström (Grinder), Hugo Christensson (Reserve) and Felicia Fernström (Reserve)
- Established:
- 2025 (Season 6 entry)
Did you Know?
The most recent team to join SailGP, the Swedish franchise buy-in was estimated at $60 million.
Switzerland
- Team Nickname
- Switzerland / Eiger
- Boat Name
- Eiger
- CEO
- Boet Brinkgreve
- Driver
- Sébastien Schneiter
- Key Crew:
- Arnaud Psarofaghis (Wing Trimmer), Bryan Mettraux (Flight Controller), Maud Jayet (Strategist), Matt Gotrel (Grinder) and Stewart Dodson (Grinder)
- Established:
- 2021 (Season 3 entry)
Did you Know?
The Firmenich family – one of Switzerland's wealthiest – are among the team's investors.
United States
- Team Nickname
- Team USA
- Boat Name
- N/A
- CEO
- Mike Buckley
- Driver
- Taylor Canfield
- Key Crew:
- Michael Menninger (Wing Trimmer), Hans Henken (Flight Controller), Anna Weis (Grinder), Mac Agnese (Grinder), Peter Kinney (Grinder), Andrew Campbell (Strategist) and Harry Melges IV (Role TBC)
- Established:
- 2019 (Season 1 entry)
Did you Know?
Anna Weis is the only female grinder in the entire championship – the most physically demanding role on the F50.