Please select your home edition
Edition
Leaderboard FD July August September 2023

SailGP upgrades F50 fleet ahead of New York event

by SailGP 12 May 07:31 PDT
SailGP Team Australia#s new wing is worked on at SailGP Technologies in Southampton, UK © Jason Ludlow for SailGP

Following a full inspection and review, SailGP can confirm a series of upgrades are now under way to all 12 wingsails in the championship's fleet of high-speed F50 catamarans.

Ahead of the Mubadala New York Sail Grand Prix (June 7-8, 2025), each boat will receive an upgraded 'main element 1' - the area of the wingsail that bears the most load in racing conditions - with further upgrades scheduled throughout the season.

The news follows confirmation of a bonding issue in some shear webs across the F50 fleet, which are being replaced alongside the upgrades. Works will ensure all 12 boats are not only in top shape for New York, but perfectly matched too - a critical part of SailGP's commitment to even, one-design racing.

Changes will bolster the strength of wingsail elements, with teams working across multiple facilities to remove and upgrade affected parts, reinstall electronics and systems, and rebrand each wing. On-site, each SailGP team will complete a full sea trial in its own F50 in addition to extensive checks conducted by SailGP's team of designers and engineers.

SailGP CEO Sir Russell Coutts said, "These new components for the wingsails feature an Aluminum Nomex core and increased laminate, which means the new shear webs will be approximately twice as strong."

Coutts continued, "This is a major refit, with multiple teams working around the clock on extraction, production, design, testing, and reinstallation, split between the American Magic facility in Pensacola, Florida, and at SailGP Technologies in the U.K. It's a huge team effort, but our fans can expect all twelve teams back on the race course when racing kicks off in New York."

SailGP made the decision to cancel last month's Enel Rio Sail Grand Prix after identifying a potential defect in select wingsails across the F50 fleet - now confirmed. The issue was discovered following testing and analysis of the Australia SailGP Team's wingsail collapse in March in San Francisco. At the time, Coutts called the decision to cancel the inaugural Rio Sail Grand Prix a "necessary action" to facilitate required repairs.

SailGP is on course to resume competition for the 2025 Season at the Mubadala New York Sail Grand Prix, June 7-8, 2025. The event marks the global racing championship's third visit to New York and will be the final stop on the U.S. leg of the season before the championship moves to Europe in July.

Related Articles

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 today at 12:09 pm
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
SailGP: Media Conference concludes in New York
Skippers speak ahead of the Mubadala New York Sail Grand Prix The media conference ahead of the Mubadala New York Sail Grand Prix has concluded, without any special points being revealed, save for Brazil lending a crew member to Germany. Posted on 5 Jun
Should SailGP ditch the wings?
As SailGP resumes in New York this weekend, we ask the question As SailGP resumes in New York this weekend, we ask the question of whether the F50's solid wingsails should be ditched and replaced instead with twin-skin mainsails, in a similar way to what is used on the AC75 and AC40 of the America's Cup. Posted on 5 Jun
Hyde Sails 2024 - One DesignVaikobi 2024 DecemberAllen Dynamic 40 Footer