The thrilling conclusion of SailGP’s Season 4 saw the 10-strong F50 fleet reconvene on the iconic waters of San Francisco Bay for an action-packed, two-day racing schedule.
Heavy winds and choppy waters challenged crews as practice racing got underway, with teams struggling to keep control of their F50s.
There were plenty of close calls and near misses, with the Swiss crew only just avoiding a capsize during practice racing, while the German F50 was seen bucking out of the water.
The drama continued when official racing got underway, with France executing blistering starts to finish the day with a 1-3-3 race record and in line to steal Spain’s Grand Final place.
Elsewhere, there was a dramatic incident at the end of the second fleet race when Canada pushed ROCKWOOL DEN wide to miss the finish line.
Canada driver Phil Robertson then steered the F50 into the finish mark in a desperate attempt to cross the finish line, resulting in a four point event penalty and two point season penalty. Later, Robertson said the team failed to see the mark and by the time they spotted it ‘it was too late’.
The beginning of day two saw France’s Season 4 hopes come to an end with a dramatic crash between the French and Danish F50s in the fourth fleet race. The incident unfolded on the final turning mark when France, under pressure to overtake ROCKWOOL DEN to make it into the three-boat Grand Final, crashed into the side of the Danish boat.
The incident destroyed one of France’s rudders and also incurred the loss of 12 event points and 8 season points. Later, driver Quentin Delapierre described the incident as ‘an unbelievable error’.
This meant that Australia, New Zealand and Spain proceeded into the winner-takes-all, $2 million Grand Final, with Spain winning the start.
Diego Botin’s team lead at Mark 1 and continued to pull away, but was close to being overtaken by Australia just meters from the finish line.
Under pressure from the approaching Aussies, Spain just managed to get back up on the foils in time and crossed the finish line to end Australia’s three-Championship winning streak.
The 2024/2025 Season will get underway on November 23-24, with the first event of the record-breaking 14-event calendar - the Emirates Dubai Sail Grand Prix presented by P&O Marinas.
