SailGP



SailGP is an international sailing competition that features high-performance F50 foiling catamarans, where teams compete across a season of multiple grands prix around the world. Its reigning champions are Diego Botín's Spain SailGP Team, winning the 2023–24 SailGP championship.

Background
The competition was founded by Larry Ellison, founder of Oracle, and champion yachtsman Russell Coutts. They aimed to establish a commercially viable global race series with a large audience. This had been unsuccessfully attempted in the past with series such as the Extreme Sailing Series. The SailGP format uses fast-foiling catamarans in a variety of spectacular locations. Teams are currently owned by the competition with the intention of becoming privately owned.

In the fourth season the fleet grew to 10 teams, with 5 of these privately owned. The organizer expect two more teams for the fifth season.

Racing
The F50 boats used in the competition are one-design boats maintained and operated by SailGP. Technical information is also shared between teams, which includes large amounts of data collected using Oracle systems. This is intended to prevent secret "arms races" that the organizers believe dominate the America's Cup and to ensure that the outcomes of races are determined by skill and ability, and not technology.

Each SailGP event consists of two days of competitive racing. The first day of racing consists of three fleet races, while the second day consists of two fleet races and a match race final. In the 2019 SailGP championship, the two highest-ranking teams in the event leaderboard qualified for the match race final of that event; in the 2021-22 SailGP championship, the three highest-ranking teams in the event leaderboard qualified for the match race final.

The final race of the season is a match race between the two highest-scoring crews over the season, with the winner earning a US$1 million prize. The circuit has been funded for 5 years to allow the competition to become self-sustaining. This would see it run until at least 2023.

Scoring at events
Fleet races in each event are scored with the winning team scoring ten points, the second-placed team scoring nine points, and so on. The three highest-ranking teams in the event leaderboard qualify for the match race final of that event.

Scoring in the championship
The winner of the match race final is awarded ten points in the championship leaderboard, with second and third place being awarded nine and eight points respectively. Teams who did not qualify for the match race final are awarded points corresponding to their rankings in the event leaderboard.

Penalties
After the 2021 Bermuda Sail Grand Prix, additional penalty rules were put in place to discourage collisions on the race course. Boats that collide during an event accumulate contact and damage points, which result in deductions from the season championship.

Driver
The driver or helm, is responsible for making decisions regarding the boat's course on the racecourse and communicating the plan to the crew. Additionally, many skippers, including the driver, are heavily involved in the logistics of the event.

Flight Controller
The flight controller's primary responsibility is to maintain the boat's elevation, aiming to keep it airborne as much as possible. Any time the boat touches the water is considered a mistake by the flight controller. They work closely with the driver and wing trimmer to ensure the boat maintains its speed and stability.

Wing Trimmer
The wing trimmer is tasked with understanding how to generate and distribute power effectively on the boat. They have control over the wing's shape, influencing the boat's performance. The wing trimmer collaborates closely with the driver to optimize sailing modes for speed.

Grinder
Grinders are positioned at the front of the boat, with one facing forward and the other facing backward. They operate the winch handle to assist in trimming the wing sheet efficiently. This requires precision and coordination with the wing trimmer to deliver the necessary power.

Strategist
The strategist or tactician, positioned behind the driver, plays a crucial role in analyzing data and providing strategic input. They are responsible for monitoring changing wind conditions, assisting in maneuvers, and keeping a close watch on the fleet. With the introduction of a control panel and information display screen, the role of the strategist has become even more integral to sailing.

2019 season
The inaugural competition was in 2019 with six teams competing from Australia, China, France, Great Britain, Japan, and the United States of America. The competition consisted of a circuit of five race meets in Sydney, San Francisco, New York, Cowes, and Marseille. The Australian team, skippered by Tom Slingsby won the competition and the prize in a final match race against the Japanese team skippered by Nathan Outteridge.

Over the first season, SailGP attracted over 133,000 live spectators and had a television audience of 1.8 billion. The five races had a claimed economic impact of US$115 million on their host cities.

2021–22 season
The second season, of SailGP introduced two new teams to the sport, with Spain replacing the Chinese team and Denmark joining on as the 7th team. The British team changed as well, signing four-time Olympic Gold medalist and America's Cup skipper Ben Ainslie. The revamped team introduced members of the original British team and the America's Cup team Ineos Team UK.

This season was scheduled to visit the same venues of the first season but with Marseille swapped out for Copenhagen for the final venue, which coincided with the arrival of the new Danish team. The first round of the season began in Sydney, Australia. On the first day, Ben Ainslie and his British team won the first three races. On the second day of racing, Great Britain won a further race in the fleet races, with Australia taking the final fleet race. In the championship race, Great Britain beat the Australian team, winning them their first event title.

The second round of the 2020 SailGP race was due to be held in San Francisco, in May 2020, however SailGP suspended its season until the end of June 2020. SailGP later delayed the second season until 2021 due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, with points from the Sydney race removed from the championship.

The 2021–22 SailGP championship saw the arrival of the New Zealand SailGP Team, skippered by two-time America's Cup winner and 49er gold medalist Peter Burling. The season commenced in April 2021 with the Bermuda Sail Grand Prix, which was won by Ben Ainslie's Great Britain SailGP team. Future venues include Taranto, Plymouth, Aarhus, Saint-Tropez, Cádiz, and Lyttelton Harbour, with the final venue being San Francisco.

Ultimately the season was won by the Australia SailGP team in the final race in San Francisco Bay.

2022–23 season
The third season of SailGP again introduced two new teams to the sport, with Canada and Switzerland joining, and three new venues with the additions of Dubai, Singapore, and New Zealand. The venue in Denmark moved from Aarhus to Copenhagen and there were 2 venues in the United States, Chicago, and San Francisco

2023–24 season
The fourth season of SailGP intended to introduce a fan-owned team to the sport, representing Bermuda and the Caribbean, but funding considerations delayed their entry. In addition, a new team, representing Germany, was added as the 10th SailGP team. The new SailGP Germany team is co-owned by Riedel Communications owner Thomas Riedel and former Formula 1 champion Sebastian Vettel.

2024–25 season
The fifth season of SailGP includes new stops in Brazil, two in the UAE, a yet to announced Middle Eastern Country, Germany, Switzerland and a return to Great Britain as well as the introduction of the new Brazil SailGP Team. The Bernoulli | Locke Bermuda & Caribbean SailGP Team is also slated to enter season five resulting in 12 teams but only 11 available boats which will necessitate at least one team being cut from the lineup leading to lots of speculation and nervousness amongst lesser funded teams and fans alike.

eSailGP
Starting 2019, SailGP also organized an Esports competition known as eSailGP for 3 seasons.