Switzerland driver Sebastien Schneiter has responded to criticism from Australia driver Tom Slingsby, insisting ‘we’re not complacent’.
Appearing at a pre-event press conference, Schneiter said watching the latest episode of Racing on the Edge - in which Slingsby criticized the new generation of SailGP drivers - was ‘painful’.
Speaking in the episode, Slingsby says: “I sit there are those press conferences just frustrated - you hear Sebastien saying (…) he’s happy with a seventh. I’m fuming if we come third. I’m breaking things and it’s just a different mindset. I sit there being like how are you happy, mate? I know you’re new but who cares? “
Responding to the comments, Schneiter said: “For sure we don’t want to be in that position - we want to be able to challenge Tom and all the top guys much more than we are right now.”
![Season 4 // Sebastien Schneiter at Sydney press conference](http://images.ctfassets.net/2lppn7hwgzta/4gNw67JdCfqvnDeUjPLbrR/ea82d57a781c1792794d6e46f7f19e8a/FD2_5274.jpg)
He added that he was ‘surprised’ by Slingsby’s comments.
“We have different personalities on the water. Some are more expressive, some need to break things. I’ve got a more of a humbler, Swiss personality.”
He admitted that ‘maybe it’s hard to read my emotions’ but insisted ‘we’re really hungry - it’s extra motivation for this weekend and we can thank Tom for that.”
The KPMG Australia Sail Grand Prix | Sydney takes place on February 24-25, with racing from 16:00 AEDT.