The Dubai Sail Grand Prix presented by P&O Marinas featured the tightest racetrack in SailGP history and delivered the closest shoreside racing yet, with the fleet’s F50s racing just meters away from spectators.
The weekend culminated in a drama-filled Final of crazy racing between Australia, France and Great Britain, with the Aussies executing an unbelievable comeback to claim the trophy. We round up five of the most exciting moments from across the weekend.
Great Britain loses the Final on one manoevure
Dubai hosted the closest Final in SailGP history, with all three finalists leading the race at different points. Ben Ainslie's Great Britain seized its opportunity to overtake France, which had been dominating throughout, and was set to seal its first event win since May 2021. But a critical error on the final jibe saw the British F50 fall off the foils meters from the finish line. The British team were swiftly overtaken by Australia and, to add insult to injury, France swept in to steal second place, leaving Great Britain in third.
Denmark retires due to technical issues
The sixth fleet race was a heartbreaking one for Denmark, which was forced to retire due to technical issues. It was a mixed event for the Danish, who picked up a 3-3-9-4-4 racing record ahead of the sixth race and finished in fifth overall after being awarded average points for the final fleet race of the event.
New Zealand misses out on Final after Switzerland collision
The Kiwis were set to secure a place in the Final, but a collision with Switzerland saw them docked four penalty points. This meant New Zealand was left tied on points with Australia ahead of the Final. But the Aussies performed better than New Zealand in the last fleet race, and allowed them to snatch the last place in the Final from the Kiwis.
Spain wins Fleet Race 6
It's been a tough season for Jordi Xammar's Spain, but the team bounced back from a 9-9-5-7-5 racing record to triumph in the final sixth fleet race. This marked Xammar's second race win since taking over as Spanish driver in Season 2.
E-foiler Omeir Saeed joins forces with the U.S.
Elsewhere, SailGP welcomed professional wakeboard and two-time Guinness world record holder Omeir Saeed. Saeed accompanied the United States during a training session, flying alongside the American F50 on the smooth waters of Port Rashid.
