SailGP Rio event cancelled to facilitate wingsail repairs
by SailGP 10 Apr 23:15 AEST
Flying Roos (AUS) - Race Day 2- Oracle San Francisco SailGP - March 23, 2025 - San Francisco © Ricardo Pinto/SailGP
After identifying a defect in select wingsails across the F50 fleet, SailGP has made the difficult decision to cancel next month's Rio event (May 3-4) in order to facilitate required repairs ahead of New York and the remainder of the 2025 Season.
The issue was discovered following testing and analysis of the Australia SailGP Team's wingsail collapse last month in San Francisco. SailGP CEO Russell Coutts has called the decision "a necessary action to take."
Coutts said, "After thorough review, our engineers and technicians have discovered an issue with the bonding of the core material in the shear web of some of the wingsails, which could potentially compromise the structural integrity of those wingsails. As such, we've made the prudent choice to suspend next month's event, giving us sufficient time to complete repairs and conduct any further investigations."
Tom Slingsby, Australia SailGP Team Driver and CEO commented on the news saying, "We're gutted not to be racing in Rio next month — it's such an epic venue and we were really looking forward to putting on a show for the Brazilian fans. But at the end of the day, this is 100% the right call. Athlete safety has to come first, and I back SailGP's decision to take the time to properly investigate the issue they have discovered from our wing collapse in San Fran, to make sure the boats are in top shape before we hit the water again in New York.
"I've got full confidence the league will get the repairs sorted in time so we can have our Aussie comeback in New York", Slingsby added.
In line with SailGP policy, all ticket holders will be fully refunded in the coming days, while the Championship considers potential options to reschedule the 2025 Rio event.
Coutts continued, "While we know this news will be hugely disappointing, the safety of our athletes is our key priority. We want to thank our passionate racing fans in Brazil for their ongoing support of SailGP and the Brazilian team, alongside our partners in the country and across the globe. It's a big job ahead, but we're confident we can get all 12 national teams ready to race when SailGP returns to New York in June."
Following the Australia Team's wing collapse in San Francisco, work is well under way on the production of a new wingsail for the team.
Slingsby said, "Our wing took a pretty big hit, but the SailGP Technical Team has been working around the clock at the SailGP Technologies facility in Southampton to build us a brand-new one," Slingsby said. "It's been a massive effort, but the bulk of the work is now behind us and there's real confidence that we'll be set and ready for New York. The Tech Team's been incredible — they've gone above and beyond to get us back out there."
Slingsby affirmed the team's resilience saying, "Aussies are known for their fighting spirit, and we'll be carrying that with us. This setback won't shake us—we're pushing forward for our team and our fans."
Further information will be shared as it becomes available. Tickets to all 2025 Season events are on sale now at SailGP.com/tickets. First destination details of SailGP's 2026 Season Calendar - including an event in Rio de Janeiro - will be shared in the coming days.