SailGP Team France

Jonathan Nackstrand / SailGP.

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Oracle Perth Sail Grand Prix presented by KPMG

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Official Team Name: France SailGP Team
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)
Coach: Philippe Mourniac
Ownership: K-Challenge (operator), with ownership group including Coalition Capital (Kylian Mbappé's investment arm), Ares Sports, Media & Entertainment Funds, and Sportsology Capital Partners; Accor and L’Oréal (title sponsors)
Established:: 2019 (Season 1 entry)

History in the league:

June 2019 – Secure their first-ever SailGP race win in Marseille during the inaugural season Grand Final, establishing early credentials in front of a home crowd.

September 2022 – Set the (at the time) SailGP speed record at 99.94 km/h at their home event in Saint-Tropez.

October 2022 – Win the Spain Sail Grand Prix in Cádiz to claim their first full event victory.

March 2024 – Season-ending San Francisco catastrophic collision with Denmark: destroyed rudder, 12-point event deduction, 8-point season penalty.

August 2025 – Fairytale comeback victory at the inaugural Germany Sail Grand Prix in Sassnitz after severe practice-day damage and crew injury; rebuilt the boat overnight, then won the Final against Australia and Emirates GBR.

France are the original sleeping giant of SailGP: vast talent base, serious speed and an ownership roster that now includes Kylian Mbappé. What they haven’t managed yet is a clean, uninterrupted run at a season title. Under Quentin Delapierre, things are moving in the right direction.

Delapierre took over in Season 2 and rebuilt the team’s rhythm from the helm. Starts sharpened, crew cohesion locked in and Les Bleus developed a reputation as one of the fleet’s most dangerous heavy-air operators. Setting the then-speed record in 2022 in Saint-Tropez confirmed their top-end pace – but every time France look ready to build momentum, something tends to break.

The team’s San Francisco spectacular crash with Denmark in 2024 wiped out their event, cost them a 20-point penalty and ended their Grand Final bid on the spot. Portsmouth 2025 brought another broken wing and showed again that France operate closer to the limits of the boat than most.

Then came Sassnitz, August 2025. A practice-day rudder explosion sent the F50 into an instant nosedive and Delapierre to hospital, leaving serious doubt the French would even make the start. The team repaired the boat overnight, lined up with half the fleet assuming they wouldn’t last the weekend, and won the entire regatta. It was the purest expression of what the French are capable of: scrape off the wreckage, reset, then beat heavyweights Australia and Great Britain when it matters.

Finishing Season 5 with a respectable fifth overall, France sits in the high-potential tier heading into 2026. Season 6 brings refinement rather than revolution. Kevin Peponnet's departure to Germany opened the door for Leigh McMillan to return as wing trimmer, bringing America's Cup pedigree and proven F50 experience to the boat. More significantly, America’s Cup veteran Philippe Presti arrives as team manager and performance lead after a season coaching the Italian team, tasked with converting spike results into repeatable weekends.

France have record-setting pace in strong winds, elite investors backing a long-term plan, and one of the most cohesive Olympic-driven crews. Rival teams have even attempted to poach their core crew, with the 2025 off-season bidding war stories underlining how highly Delapierre’s unit is valued inside the league. When they keep the F50 in one piece, they look like Grand Final material. When penalties and structural failures accumulate, they fall away quickly. Everything now hinges on whether Delapierre can turn sporadic victories into a season-long campaign worthy of a founding team.

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