- Switzerland SailGP Team return to race on iconic Sydney Harbour (24/25 February)
- One of the biggest and breeziest venues in the SailGP League
- Big day on shore: Swiss team announced as winners of SailGP’s Impact League Focus area 2
- Click to go behind the scenes of driver Sebastien Schneiter’s journey to Paris 2024
It’s been just over one month since the first Sail Grand Prix of 2024 in Abu Dhabi, now this weekend Switzerland SailGP Team, led by Geneva’s Sebastien Schneiter, will return to race on the iconic waters of Sydney Harbour.
Racing at the KPMG Australia Sail Grand Prix takes place over two days, 24/25 February, from 16:00 AED/ 06:00 CET. Fans back home in Switzerland can watch all the action live - with an early start - or delayed throughout the day on Blue Sport. How to watch around the world HERE.
After back-to-back light wind venues, it will be super Saturday in Sydney, with a forecast of 25-30 km/h winds, gusting to 37 km/h, set to challenge the 10-strong fleet. It will be a big day for all the teams, who head onto the racecourse cold, with no prior racing practice.
Driver Sebastien Schneiter said: “Abu Dhabi was a light weekend with a tough ending, but we have a really good team spirit going into Sydney. It’s one of the best sailing venues in the world. The last few events have been little wind, with a reduced crew onboard for racing, not much foiling and low speed regattas, and we didn't really get to use the F50 to its full potential. So, we are looking forward to a good sea breeze and some exciting racing again.”
Despite no action on the water, it was still a big day in Sydney with the announcement that Switzerland had won the second key focus area ‘accelerating inclusion’ of SailGP’s Podium for the Planet, the Impact League.
During the Spain Sail Grand Prix, with the support of Purpose Partner WE Foundation and World Sailing, the team hosted the WE Foundation SailGP One Sport Inclusive Regatta, featuring 10 SailGP athletes and 10 inclusive sailors, to increase disability awareness and inclusivity. The team now sit top of the Impact League overall.
Schneiter on the win: “When the season started, it was one of our goals to try and win the Impact League and we’ve made a lot of progress on that aspect. We’re trying to use SailGP as a platform to increase awareness of our cause and show that sports are about equal opportunities.”
Sydney is the eighth event of SailGP’s Season 4 and also marks one year since Olympic gold and silver medallist, Will Ryan, joined the Swiss line-up. Ryan said “I did a lot of sailing in Sydney, when I was growing up and for my Olympic training, and although I live in Switzerland these days, it still feels like my home port. It’s good to be back here and racing in front of such an iconic backdrop!
“During this event last year, I was supporting the team in a coaching role, so it’s my first-time actually racing on the harbour as wing trimmer. It was one of the windiest events we’ve had in SailGP and this weekend’s forecast is looking similar, so it’s going to be a big one for me out there for sure.
"We should also have our full crew back onboard and it's going to be the more traditional F50 racing and full on action that we're used. It will be exciting for us sailors... and the spectators!"
KPMG AUSTRALIA SAIL GRAND PRIX | SYDNEY //
Day One Racing: Saturday, February 24, 4.00 p.m. - 5.30 p.m. AEDT
Day Two Racing: Sunday, February 25, 4.00 p.m. - 5.30 p.m. AEDT
Switzerland SailGP Team crew line up:
Sébastien Schneiter - Driver
Will Ryan - Wing trimmer
Nicolas Rolaz - Flight controller
Laurane Mettraux - Strategist
Guy Endean - Grinder (G1)
Eliot Merceron - Grinder (G1)
Jérémy Bachelin – Grinder (G2)
