SailGP Team Sweden

Most new teams have to pay their dues at the back of the fleet. Artemis Racing look built to dominate from day one. Team boss Iain Percy – three-time Olympic medallist for Great Britain – has worked with billionaire owner Torbjörn Törnqvist since 2012, steering big-budget, high-pressure campaigns through multiple America's Cup cycles.

The name Percy wrote on the team sheet first was always going to be Nathan Outteridge. The Australian double Olympic medallist helmed Artemis through two Cup campaigns, then turned Japan into instant SailGP title threats during the league's opening seasons, twice finishing the championship in second place. Since Japan's exit in 2022, the 39-year-old has been stuck on the sidelines. His return as Artemis driver represents one of the winter's biggest coups – widely considered one of the world's best F50 helmsmen, back where he belongs.

Percy admits his phone lit up the moment Artemis rumours started circulating, and the signings speak for themselves: Chris Draper poached from reigning champions Australia as wing trimmer, Andy Maloney from Brazil as flight controller, Julia Gross and Brad Farrand from Italy, Julius Hallström from Denmark.

League boss Russell Coutts has said he expects Sweden to be a contender from their very first race, and with good reason. Percy brings Artemis Technologies' clean-tech credibility, Törnqvist brings deep pockets and unfinished business from previous Cup cycles, while Outteridge brings the track record of turning teams into winners. Put those together and you get a team the fleet will consider a real threat long before they’ve sailed a single SailGP race.