From SailGP’s finalized Season 4 calendar to San Francisco’s Grand Final explained, we round up the our most read stories from April.
SailGP finalizes record 12-event calendar for Season 4
First up is SailGP’s finalized 12-event Season 4 calendar, which will run from June 2023 - July 2024. The calendar sees the league increase its focus on the US, with events in Chicago, Los Angeles, New York and San Francisco, as well as the first-ever Canada event.
Australia vs New Zealand: Data reveals which team is most likely to win Mubadala SailGP Season 3 Grand Final
Next up, we drill down into the data to reveal which of the two teams at the top of the leaderboard has the edge heading into the San Francisco Grand Final. Defending, two-time champion Australia has an 11-point lead and is the only team guaranteed a spot in the Grand Final, while New Zealand, currently comfortably in second place, looks set to join them.
“It’s all on in San Francisco to make that Final spot”: Emirates Team GBR coach Rob Wilson looks ahead to Grand Final showdown with France
Ben Ainslie’s Emirates Great Britain SailGP Team currently sits fourth on the overall leaderboard, just one-point away from France in third. Heading into San Francisco, coach Rob Wilson reflects on the season so far and reveals how the team is gearing up for the final installment of Season 3.
From dramatic close crosses to Denmark’s poor performance: 5 moments you might have missed from Christchurch
Next up, we dissect the first ever SailGP event in New Zealand, rounding up all the near misses, neck-and-neck battles and dramatic penalties you might have missed.
“We put the boat on the edge and we didn’t hold back”: Phil Robertson explains how Canada secured ‘comeback of comebacks’ in Christchurch
Canada driver Phil Robertson debriefs the team’s historic first event win in Christchurch, from heading into the race weekend with no practice racing to navigating the fierce competition of fleet racing. Robertson dissects the Final showdown with New Zealand and Australia and reveals the tactics behind the team’s first ever victory.
Nine teams, two days of dramatic racing and only one winner: San Francisco’s Grand Final explained
Ahead of the Mubadala SailGP Season 3 Grand Final, we explain the format of the season-ending showdown, including scoring, the racing schedule and which three boats will compete in the championship-deciding final race.
The fight to the Final, windy conditions and protecting the asset: Drivers look ahead to San Francisco Grand Final
The drivers of SailGP’s nine strong F50 fleet look ahead to San Francisco as they prepare to do battle across five fleet races before the three-boat, winner-takes-all Grand Final. Tom Slingsby gives insight into Australia’s strategy, while teams including the United States and Denmark revealed they will use the event to prepare for Season 4.
“Canada could make it in one maneuver whether they went out of bounds or not”: Craig Mitchell dissects the penalty action from Christchurch
Next up, chief umpire Craig Mitchell debriefs all the penalty action from Christchurch, which saw 23 penalties dished out across the two days of racing from 42 protests. The event was packed with boat on boat situations, close crosses and tight mark roundings, while France picked up four Part 2 penalties alone.
“Ainslie is never as good as when his back is against the wall”: France’s Bruno Dubois predicts San Francisco showdown
France team manager Bruno Dubois is interviewed in the latest episode of SailGP’s Deep Dive podcast about the looming battle with Emirates Team GBR in San Francisco. Speaking about the event, Dubois said ‘every single crew member’ in the French team, from logistics staff to the sales manager, is ‘concentrated on that Final’. “We’ll see where it goes, but we know what we are capable of, that’s for sure.”
Established crews regroup and new additions to Spain: Confirmed San Francisco crew lists
Finally, we reveal the crew and substitution line-ups for the teams ahead of racing this weekend. Established crews have regrouped while Spain has brought in new talent in preparation of Season 4.
