SailGP Team Canada

Most teams worry about finishing mid-pack. Canada’s SailGP Team spent late 2024 worrying about finishing at all. Financial uncertainty around the original Canadian ownership created genuine doubt the franchise would survive to see another season – until biotech entrepreneur Dr Greg Bailey stepped in with a record-value cheque, kept Canada on the grid and immediately rewired the whole operation. Out went the “Canada SailGP Team” name – cue fan backlash about losing national identity – in came “NorthStar” and a wholesale sporting rebuild anchored by one headline move: prising Giles Scott away from Emirates Great Britain in a transfer-fee deal that rewrote the league’s approach to driver contracts.

The competitive reset clicked quickly. The opening phase of Season 5 saw NorthStar look like a genuine top-four threat, stringing together three consecutive podiums across Sydney, Los Angeles and San Francisco. Scott's steady hand and measured decision-making brought consistency Canada had lacked, while the crew around him executed with discipline. Then came the mid-season slump. A run of mid-to-back-of-fleet finishes through the European leg dragged them out of the sharp end just as the front-runners raised the bar. The Canadians regrouped for a solid fourth in Abu Dhabi's Grand Final, but finished the season sixth overall – respectable, improved, yet short of what their early form suggested was possible.

The off-season changes are incremental rather than wholesale. Alex Sinclair joins as an additional grinder, Nicolas Rolaz arrives as reserve, and Tim Hornsby takes on a dual role as grinder and technical director. The real upgrade sits beneath the roster sheet: investment in data analysis resources over the winter signals NorthStar is building a modern race team rather than relying purely on talent and instinct. It's the kind of infrastructure play that doesn't generate headlines but separates consistent podium threats from mid-pack also-rans.

Halifax remains the team's centre of gravity. The inaugural Rockwool Canada Sail Grand Prix there in June 2024 delivered the fastest ticket sell-out in SailGP history, record spectator numbers and a fan vote for best racecourse of the season – all of which convinced the league to lock in a Halifax return for 2026. The franchise has already survived one near-death experience, beaten the benchmark teams in big finals and now carries the backing, driver quality and home support to stay in the fight. Whether they can sustain their early-season form across a full campaign remains the defining challenge for Season 6.