05/12/2026
by Emma Harrison
If you ever wanted a snapshot of all the things that can happen at a Rolex SailGP Championship in the space of one day’s racing, then look no further than how the events unfolded on Day 1 in Saint-Tropez, as the ROCKWOOL France Sail Grand Prix got under way.
The Day That Had a Bit of Everything
Two teams – Mubadala Brazil SailGP Team and United States SailGP Team – waiting till the eleventh hour to confirm they were even taking part in today’s racing: check.
One team – Red Bull Italy SailGP Team – taking a huge nosedive at the start of Fleet Race 1, but recovering to carry on racing: check.
Home favorites FranceSailGP Team handed a start-line penalty in Fleet Race 1 and dropped to the back of the fleet: check.
The Americans pulling out of the first race at the last minute with a technical issue, doing the same ahead of Fleet Race 3, as did NorthStar SailGP Team, also in Race 3. Yes, that too.
A maiden SailGP win for Red Bull Italy SailGP Team in Fleet Race 3? Well, why not? It’s been that sort of day. Congratulations to Ruggero Tita and his team for their outstanding achievement.
And don’t even get us started on Fleet Race 4, which included a start-line penalty for Championship leaders the BONDS Flying Roos, relegating them to the back of the fleet.
That was before a remarkable comeback from the Australians was followed by a second penalty in the race, this time for not giving room to the Black Foils SailGP Team. Emirates Great Britain SailGP Team went on to win Fleet Race 4.
Winners and Losers After Friday
Of course, all of the above provided plenty of entertainment and edge-of-your-seat action for the sold-out crowd in Saint-Tropez to soak in, but what of the actual results? Who were the big winners, and losers, of the day?
Championship leaders, the BONDS Flying Roos, took Race 1 while the Black Foils won Race 2. Red Bull Italy won that third race, as we know. That was before Emirates Great Britain SailGP Team clinched victory in the final race of the day, to end Friday in style.
As for Los Gallos SailGP Team, their pre-race odds of 10.53 for each of the first two races were justified: they didn’t win either of them.
But they came pretty close. They secured third-placed finishes in the first two races and an even better runner-up spot in the third. They were the only team on the day to register three Top Three finishes.
It’s not been an easy 2025 Season for the Brazilians, who are down in 10th place on the overall standings with just 11 points, but they can be proud of their work in the final race of the day, with Martine Grael leading her crew to an impressive third-place finish.
The big winners of the day were therefore Emirates GBR, whose win and runner-up spot went a long way to contributing to their total points tally of 31 at the end of the first day’s racing. A good day tomorrow, and Championship leaders the BONDS Flying Roos and the Black Foils will start feeling the pressure.
As for those two, it was the Kiwis who had the better day. There was that win in Race 2, followed by a third-place finish in Race 3, and they ended Friday on 30 points, just one behind the British.
Uphill Battle for BONDS Flying Roos Tomorrow
As for the Aussies, they’d better get a good night’s sleep and a hearty dinner in them tonight, because they have plenty of work to do tomorrow.
Things couldn’t have started any better for them with that win in Race 1 but that was their only Top Three on Friday, so not a great day for them, by their own sky-high standards.
They’re really going to have to turn things up a notch in Saturday’s Races 5 and 6, if they’re going to make the final.
It was a day that can only be described as chaotic out there on the French Riviera, where strong breezes were followed by no breezes and the wind consistently changed direction during the day’s races, making the challenge that much harder for everyone out there.
More of the same on Saturday? Yes, please.
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