European leg of Season 4 wrapped in Cadiz this weekend
by Switzerland SailGP Team 15 Oct 2023 12:06 PDT
14-15 October 2023
Switzerland SailGP Team helmed by Sebastien Schneiter lead over Emirates Great Britain SailGP Team helmed by Ben Ainslie and New Zealand SailGP Team helmed by Peter Burling on Race Day 1 of the Spain Sail Grand Prix in Cadiz, Spain © Felix Diemer for SailGP
The European leg of SailGP Season 4 ended in Cadiz today, after three back-to-back events in France, Italy, and Spain. Packed crowds lined the sea wall in the vibrant ancient port city in the Andalucía region of Spain to watch the 10-strong fleet battle it out.
The first day of racing in Cadiz was packed with drama, especially for Swiss SailGP Team after a surprising black flag and disqualification in the opening race of the day. An afternoon of aggressive racing and tight boat-on-boat situations followed and the team bounced back to claim 4th in the third and final race of the day.
Today saw lighter racing conditions and the crews were tested further by sailing with only four onboard the F50s. Jimmy Spithill's United States stunned fans and rivals ROCKWOOL DEN and Australia by claiming a definitive victory in the three-team winner takes all final race.
Swiss Driver Sebastien Schneiter said: "We've just finished the Cadiz event - and the European leg - and there's been three events pretty close together so it's been quite an intense few weeks. We've had some crew changes and different crew configurations onboard the F50, but we feel that we have progressed this season, and as a team we are learning from the new experiences. We are going in a good direction but, we didn't quite show up yet. It's frustrating and disappointing for the team at times but I don't think we need much more to really get the hang of it.
"We now have some time off from the SailGP racing to go into the detail of the past few events. Then in Dubai, in December, we will have the chance to put it all into practice with a few extra days of training there ahead of the racing."
The F50 fleet will next meet at the Emirates Dubai Sail Grand Prix presented by P&O Marinas on December 9-10.
Spain Sail Grand Prix | Andalucía - Cádiz // Final Standings //
1// United States 10 points
2// ROCKWOOL Denmark 9 points
3// Australia 8 points
4// New Zealand // 7 points
5// Canada // 6 points
6// Spain // 5 points
7// France // 4 points
8// Emirates GBR // 3 points
9// Germany // 2 points
10// Switzerland // 1 point
SailGP Season 4 Championship Standings (after five events) //
1 // Australia // 43 points
2 // ROCKWOOL Denmark // 36 points
3 // United States // 32 points
4 // Spain // 32 points*
5 // Emirates GBR // 32 points
6 // New Zealand // 30 points**
7 // Canada // 24 points***
8 // France // 24 points
9 // Switzerland // 11 points
10// Germany // 8 points****
*Spain SailGP Team docked two points in Season Championship for four-point penalty at Spain Sail Grand Prix | Andalucía - Cádiz
**New Zealand SailGP Team unable to compete in Taranto due to the structural failure of the team's wingsail at France Sail Grand Prix | Saint-Tropez
***Canada SailGP Team Docked four points in Season Championship for eight-point penalty at France Sail Grand Prix | Saint-Tropez
****Germany SailGP Team docked two points in Season Championship for four-point penalty at Oracle Los Angeles Sail Grand Prix