Please select your home edition
Edition
Switch One Design

SailGP: Coutts says weather events have put Kiwis in a precarious position on the leaderboard

by Russell Coutts/SailGP 18 Mar 2023 09:07 NZDT 18 March 2023
The SailGP F50 fleet in action during a practice session ahead of the KPMG Australia Sail Grand Prix in Sydney © David Gray/SailGP

The ITM New Zealand Sail Grand Prix | Christchurch kicks off on March 18. Ahead of the event, SailGP CEO Russell Coutts reveals his behind-the-scenes insight of the fleet.

The big news of this event is that we have all nine F50s racing this weekend. That’s thanks to the SailGP Tech Team doing an incredible job to get the boats back on the water. It would have been hard enough to repair one or two boats in that time frame, let alone nine, but they’ve put in an incredible effort to ensure we have the full fleet sailing. The initial reaction after Sydney’s weather incident was that we might have to pause things for six months, but here we are in New Zealand four weeks later with all nine teams on the starting line.

This is the first SailGP event in New Zealand and there’s a lot of excitement. Tickets have completely sold out, so the grandstands in front of the racecourse are going to be packed - it’s going to be a great spectacle for our fans.

It’s also the New Zealand team’s home event and that comes off the back of their boat getting significantly damaged by a lightning strike in Singapore. That meant all of the electronics and hydraulics had to be replaced. Then in Sydney, the Kiwis were pretty unlucky to have an equipment failure in the first race, which put them into last place. They followed that with a third and fourth place finish - solid results that would normally get you onto the podium. But those technical problems and the shortened event, meant they finished down the leaderboard. That put them into a precarious position of fighting for points with France, Emirates Great Britain SailGP Team and Denmark.

This event really comes down to a battle between those four teams. The game is all about securing a place in the million-dollar, winner-takes-all, three-boat Grand Final. For Emirates GBR and Denmark, the only way to move forward is to beat New Zealand and/or France to move into the top three.

The Australians and the Kiwis have enjoyed a slight performance advantage over the fleet for most of this season, but it’s almost as if the game re-starts now. The French showed on day one of Sydney that they were sailing with almost a full degree of windward heel than all other teams. That’s obviously not easy to achieve otherwise they would all be doing it, because it’s definitely fast. So it will be interesting to see how much the other teams have closed the gap.

The race to the Season Grand Final really comes down to the teams which respond the best to the pressure of these last two events. They cannot race with a conservative viewpoint if they want to make the top three. The reality is that racing is so close now that any of the top six teams could win an event. Denmark really has nothing to lose and it would be a fantastic turnaround for them to come out of New Zealand with a win and shake up that whole leaderboard. I imagine their mentality is focused on exactly that.

Elsewhere, I thought Spain, led by new driver Diego Botin, made good progress in Sydney. We’ll see how they develop over the next two events, but there’s a really good vibe in the team and you get the impression they think their process is preparing them to be competitive for Season 4.

The racecourse of Whakaraupo, Lyttelton Harbour is going to be largely unknown to the teams. High winds forecast for Friday meant we had to cancel practice racing, so teams will have no time to practice before they begin racing on Saturday. They won’t know the geography of the venue or have any familiarity with the course - so that will add another dynamic too. I’ve done a fair bit of sailing here and the dramatic high hills either side of the harbor mean the wind tends to funnel down. It will definitely be more disturbed on the left side of the course and there’s also a current active enough to be a factor. We’re expecting medium sea breezes for this weekend, which is a great forecast for this venue.

The ITM New Zealand Sail Grand Prix | Christchurch will take place on March 18 & 19, with racing kicking off at 15:00 NZDT. Full broadcast information and How To Watch details are here: sailgp.com/watch

Related Articles

SailGP comes to Portsmouth!
We speak to the sailors ahead of the weekend The Emirates Great Britain Sail Grand Prix | Portsmouth takes place this weekend, with the 12 teams competing in F50 catamarans close to the waterfront, where a massive grandstand has been built for the spectators. Posted today at 5:41 pm
SailGP: No practice racing at Portsmouth
The Practice Race was a fizzer, however the future of the SailGP fleet development was revealed. The scheduled Practice Day failed to fire at SailGP Portsmouth, after the forecast, admittedly light, breeze failed to male an appearance. The self propelled start marks were making a much better speed than the F50s. Posted today at 4:14 pm
SailGP reveal new Southampton technology facility
SailGP Technologies have opened the doors on their new tech HQ, in Southampton. SailGP Technologies have opened the doors on their new tech HQ, ahead of the Emirates Great Britain Sail Grand Prix in Portsmouth, UK, this weekend. Posted on 17 Jul
SailGP Technologies officially launches
New center of excellence in technology & innovation in Southampton, UK SailGP today marks the official opening of SailGP Technologies – the global racing championship's center of innovation, design, and engineering, based out of Southampton, UK. Posted on 17 Jul
SailGP - Fresh breezes predicted
Fresh breezes are forecast the first day of racing in SailGP and the Admirals Cup. With two days remaining to the start of racing in SailGP Portsmouth, the forecast is for fresh breezes on both racedays, which should make for exciting racing. Posted on 16 Jul
SailGP: Stands go up in Portsmouth
The grandstand is in place and prominent on the Portsmouth shoreline, in readiness for the weekend The grandstand is in place and prominent on the Portsmouth shoreline, in readiness for this weekend's SailGP event, which marks the start of the European circuit for the League's Season 5. Posted on 16 Jul
Martine Grael in Racing on the Edge
First female driver to win a Fleet Race captured in behind-the-scenes documentary Major milestone moment for SailGP captured in behind-the-scenes documentary series, which reaches 10 million total viewers since launching in 2021. Posted on 15 Jul
Dylan Fletcher previews Portsmouth
Fletcher says SailGP's Portsmouth debut offers the team the chance to 'right the wrongs'. With just a week to go until SailGP's return to Great Britain, we sit down with Emirates GBR driver Dylan Fletcher to discuss the opportunities and pressures of a home event. Posted on 12 Jul
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
Vetus-Maxwell 2021 v2 FOOTERU-DECK 2023 - No.3 728x90 BOTTOMRS Sailing 2021 - FOOTER