Please select your home edition
Edition
Mackay Boats 728x90 TOP

SailGP continues to break new ground as Singapore debut looms

by SailGP 13 Jan 2023 05:56 PST 14-15 January 2023
Spain SailGP Team, Canada SailGP Team, Switzerland SailGP Team, USA SailGP Team and Great Britain SailGP Team take part in a practice session against the backdrop of the city skyline ahead of the Singapore Sail Grand Prix © Bob Martin for SailGP

As SailGP continues to enhance its reputation as a truly global championship with a regional debut this weekend, all nine drivers have been coming to terms with the unique waters off the coast of Singapore ahead of the Singapore Sail Grand Prix on January 14 and 15. At the first race of a three year deal in the city-state, fans can expect the same close to shore racing that is a hallmark of SailGP globally.

Much of the focus remains on the Australia SailGP Team led by Tom Slingsby, who hold a commanding lead in the championship season after a remarkable come from behind win at the last SailGP event in Dubai last November.

Speaking at the official pre-event press conference at the heart of the Singapore Sail Grand Prix Event Village in East Coast Park, Slingsby said he believed the Australian team had ridden a mix of skill and good fortune to the top of the standings. 

Slingsby said: "I wouldn't say it's been a consistent season for us. For sure we've had a couple of events I'd describe as lucky, and in others the team has sailed really well in important times when we looked like we were down and out, in particular Dubai and Chicago. I see that as a great effort by our team, performing under pressure and a bit of luck, ultimately that's sport. We've been on the right end of a few calls this season and that's put us in a good position heading into Singapore." 

Starting the weekend in a more challenging position is the defending champion's closest rival New Zealand, with driver Peter Burling left regretting contact with the United States yesterday in training that will see his team start the weekend on minus four points and receiving two penalty points in the season standings.

Burling said: "It's a frustrating one but it's going to be a long weekend so we're just looking forward to putting our best foot forward and making the most of it. The rules are the rules and you've got to play to them. We get such a short amount of time to practice here that you really need to make the most of it, and you can make mistakes through that."

There will be a familiar face returning to the field this weekend as Great Britain strategist Hannah Mills makes her comeback three months after giving birth to her first child, daughter Sienna. Great Britain driver Sir Ben Ainslie said it had given a huge boost to the team to see the most decorated Olympic female sailor of all time return to the fold.

Ainslie said: "To have Hannah back with the team is a really big deal for us, she's a once in a generation sailor and I'm really impressed that she's back just three months after giving birth, Yesterday we were sailing four up and she was on the handles and giving great feedback on the strategy." 

Much of the talk between the drivers was wondering who best can handle the new environment of the Singapore race course. 

United States driver Jimmy Spithill said: "It's an amazing venue here in Singapore. It looks like an incredible city, a great setup for fans - I expect to get a lot of people turning up to enjoy the racing. I'm not sure there can really be a favorite in these conditions, but we should take some confidence because we've shown that we can compete at this level in these lighter conditions. When you see some teams like the Aussies having an advantage once the conditions get a little windy, in the lighter air it seems like that's gone and everyone is on the same level." 

Commercially three of the teams are starting the season on a high, with Spain signing an agreement with port and logistics company Perez y Cia, France signing two deals, one with global financial services provider ICM.com and the other with French hotel group Accor's lifestyle loyalty program ALL- Accor Live Limitless. The Australian team has also agreed multi-year terms with Skyy Vodka as a sponsor.

SailGP's thought leadership program Champions For Change brought together like-minded individuals at the Adrenaline Lounge as the build up to the first Grand Prix of 2023 continued. The Danish SailGP team used the event to launch a new initiative with its partner One Ocean Foundation - "More Speed, Less Plastic", which will take the top speed of the Danish team in each event and turn that into an amount of plastic trash to divert from the ocean. This will also be done for the fastest overall team and the Danish will offset on its behalf, so it gives teams another reason to go fast. 

Spectators wanting a unique experience can opt to purchase tickets for the SailGP Beach Club. Located on the beach at Parkland Green, East Coast Park, ticket holders can enjoy a completely new vibe to watch the battles on the water play out in front of them. With an unobstructed view, gazebo shading, dedicated screens, an all-inclusive food and drinks package, it is the ultimate place to experience the fast-paced action.

Racing starts at 2.00pm local time and is live on beIN Sports Asia Pacific and SPOTV2 across the region on both days. For all the details on how to watch around the globe, visit SailGP.com/watch

For fans in Singapore, a few tickets still remain, head to SailGP.com for more information. 

SAILGP SEASON 3 CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS (after seven events):

1 // Australia // 60 points   
2 // New Zealand // 51 points 
3 // France // 50 points
4 // Great Britain // 48 points 
5 // Denmark // 42 points 
6 // Canada // 40 points
7 // United States // 39 points 
8 // Spain // 22 points 
9 // Switzerland // 16 points

*United States penalized 4 season points for incident with France
*Switzerland penalized 2 season points for incident with United States 
*New Zealand penalized 2 season points for incident with Switzerland 

SAILGP SEASON 3 IMPACT LEAGUE STANDINGS:

1 // Canada // 1074 points   
2 // New Zealand // 1072 points 
3 // Denmark // 1069 points
4 // Great Britain // 1065 points 
5 // France // 1035 points 
6 // Spain // 1019 points
7 // United States // 1009 points 
8 // Australia // 998 points
9 // Switzerland // 985 points

Related Articles

SailGP: Roger Federer inspires Swiss SailGP team.
Roger Federer joins forces with Switzerland SailGP Team to inspire success One of Switzerland's greatest sporting icons, Roger Federer, features in the newest episode of Racing on the Edge, SailGP's official behind-the-scenes docuseries, produced in partnership with Rolex. Posted on 27 Jun
Rolex SailGP Championship 2026 dates confirmed
Including a return to fan-favorite destination, Auckland SailGP has released further details of forthcoming 2026 Season, including the return of fan-favorite locations, multi-year hosting agreements secured across all regions, and an evolved regional structure to raise the stakes for athletes and fans alike. Posted on 26 Jun
SailGP opens tender process for two new teams
SailGP has confirmed 2026 expansion plans, unveiling details of a tender process to seek investment. SailGP has confirmed 2026 expansion plans, unveiling details of a tender process to seek investment for ownership of two new teams entering the global racing championship next season, alongside available stakes across existing national teams. Posted on 23 Jun
Russell Coutts explains SailGP's investor value
Russell Coutts explains the growth of SailGP and why investors are chasing a slice of the action. SailGP co-founder and CEO Russell Coutts discusses the hard to understand investment, and growth of SailGP. The growth multiples hoped for SailGP have been achieved, on paper, by the same investors in other sports. Posted on 12 Jun
Mubadala New York Sail Grand Prix overall
Spain SailGP Team claims second consecutive U.S. win Diego Botin and the Spain SailGP team have punched their way to the top of the Rolex SailGP Championship, taking the win on Sunday in New York. Posted on 9 Jun
SailGP: Spain win in New York - Day 2
Diego Botin's Spanish crew scraped into the Final, and then took their second successive SailGP win. The Spanish crew led by Diego Botin staged a comeback in the last race after losing an 8pt lead to squeeze into the Final, only taking the lead halfway through the three boat Final. Full race replay here. Posted on 9 Jun
SailGP: Spain lead in New York - Day 1
Spain top the leaderboard after the first day of racing in the Mubadala New York Grand Prix Spain top the leaderboard after the first day of racing in the Mubadala New York Grand Prix, after a consistent day's sailing on the murky and rainswept Hudson River. Full replay and leaderboard in this story. Posted on 7 Jun
Mubadala New York Sail Grand Prix day 1
Spain overcomes storm clouds, topping the standings Diego Botin's Spain SailGP Team leads the fleet after a stormy and tactical opening day of the Mubadala New York Sail Grand Prix. France, ROCKWOOL Denmark and New Zealand are all hot on his heels for all-important leaderboard points. Posted on 7 Jun
Russell Coutts reports ahead of SailGP New York
The New York Russell Report: Coutts on fleet-wide wing repairs and top picks for New York podium SailGP has returned to New York for the third time ahead of this weekend's Mubadala New York Sail Grand Prix on June 7/8. Ahead of racing, SailGP CEO Russell Coutts reveals his behind-the-scenes insight of the fleet. Posted on 7 Jun
SailGP to Kick Off Summer in New York
With this Weekend's Mubadala New York Sail Grand Prix An unforgettable weekend of high-speed, close-to-shore racing and world-class entertainment will take place this weekend when the Mubadala New York Sail Grand Prix takes place in front of the most famous skyline in the world. Posted on 5 Jun
Palm Beach Motor YachtsArmstrong 728x90 - Performance Mast Range - BOTTOMNorth Sails Loft 57 Podcast