From Australia’s historic three-peat victory in San Francisco to Germany becoming the latest nation to join SailGP, we round up our most read stories from May.
Australia seals historic SailGP three-peat by beating the Brits and Kiwis in dramatic San Francisco showdown
First up is SailGP’s blow by blow report of San Francisco’s Grand Final, which saw the Aussies beat the Kiwis and Brits in the winner-takes-all showdown to secure the historic SailGP three-peat.
Leading German sports stars Sebastian Vettel and Erik Heil announce first Germany SailGP Team
Next is the exciting news that Germany is the latest nation to join the league. Driven by Erik Heil, Germany will make its racing debut on the waters of Lake Michigan when Season 4 gets underway in Chicago later this month.
“I was surprised Ainslie came at us from the start”: Quentin Delapierre dissects Emirates GBR’s aggressive game plan in San Francisco
In third is France driver Quentin Delapierre’s day one debrief of the Season 3 Grand Final in San Francisco. The French were sitting in third heading into the event, but pushed out by the Brits who deployed chaos tactics on the start lines of the first three fleet races.
The Russell Report: The fight for the Grand Final three-boat showdown, intensified team rivalries and Season 4 examined
SailGP CEO Russell Coutts’ preview of the Championship-deciding Season 3 Grand Final proved popular with fans, with Coutts providing exclusive, behind-the-scenes insight of the fleet. Coutts also teased the news that Germany would be joining the league, revealing the fledgling team would spend crucial time training in San Francisco following the Grand Final.
"I could see how quickly the Kiwis were coming”: Slingsby debriefs Season 3 Grand Final; reveals ‘vultures’ aim to poach Aussie crew
Next up Australia driver Tom Slingsby tells the inside story on how the Aussies clinched the Season 3 victory despite falling off the foils just meters from the finish line. Slingsby recalls seeing the Kiwis approaching at speed but fought to ‘keep his head’. Slingsby also looks ahead to Season 4 and revealed his ‘biggest challenge’ is ‘keeping the team together’, with Aussie crew members receiving offers from other teams.
Starting stats, top speeds and fly times: Top teams’ practice racing stats compared ahead of Grand Final
The performances of the top four teams in San Francisco’s practice racing were put under the spotlight ahead of Grand Final showdown, with data showing Emirates GBR picked up a perfect 100% fly time across the three practice races. Despite an exemplary performance on the first day of racing, the Brits were unable to repeat their practice racing dominance when it came to the Grand Final.
Denmark beats New Zealand to lift Season 3 Impact League trophy in San Francisco
Meanwhile off the racecourse, it was Denmark which vanquished Season 2 Impact League champions New Zealand to raise the Season 3 trophy in San Francisco. Nicolai Sehested’s team beat the Kiwis by just five points and won significant prize money for its Race For The Future partner, One Ocean Foundation.
GALLERY: The best photos from the Mubadala SailGP Season 3 Grand Final in San Francisco
We round up the best photos from the season-deciding Grand Final in San Francisco, including Emirates GBR’s fleet racing showdown with France, the racing dominance of the Aussies and the furious battle between Australia and New Zealand in the sprint to the finish.
Unstoppable growth across the board for SailGP in Season 3
Next up, we revealed SailGP’s incredible process in Season 3, with the league delivering more than ever for its fans, partners, host cities and athletes. There were a total of nine teams on the racetrack, 11 events around the world and a total of 26 female athletes on the team rosters.
From Australia’s Saint-Tropez nosedive to France’s Bermudian black flag: Watch the most dramatic moments of Season 3
Season 3 was packed with near misses and close calls - we round up the the most dramatic moments from the 11-event calendar, including Australia’s dramatic nosedive in Saint-Tropez and Emirates GBR running aground in Copenhagen.
