Riviera racing: SailGP set for Saint-Tropez return, as league confirms 2026 expansion team plans
by SailGP 11 Sep 07:36 PDT
12-13 September 2025
SailGP athletes ahead of the ROCKWOOL France Sail Grand Prix in Saint Tropez © Felix Diemer for SailGP
The Rolex SailGP Championship returns tomorrow - and France's famous "Mistral [wind] has turned up just in time," according to league CEO Sir Russell Coutts. Twelve national teams will hit the startline for the sold-out event, the ninth stop of the 2025 Season calendar.
The action gets under way tomorrow (Friday September 12), with current forecasts pointing to gusts of more than 40 km/h - right at the top end of the wind range for SailGP's F50 fleet.
France SailGP Team driver Quentin Delapierre said, "Tomorrow could look a bit like two years ago here," recalling "an unbelievable racing day, right on the edge" in which the French team set a new speed record (99.94 km/h). That record was shattered just last month by Rockwool Denmark's Nicolai Sehested, who clocked 103.93 km/h in Germany.
Delapierre continued, "If tomorrow can be the same we'll be super happy. We never race for the speed record but when you break it, it's always really special."
After "an incredible effort by the team at SailGP Technologies," both Brazil and the U.S. are on track to compete this weekend (pending final checks), said Coutts - who confirmed a team of 40 worked on the respective rebuilds, clocking 4,000 project hours in total.
Reflecting on a refit that "seemed almost impossible," Mubadala Brazil driver Martine Grael said, "We haven't been given the all-clear yet - we were expecting to hit the water yesterday but there were so many other things to do. So we still need to do commissioning tomorrow before racing."
Coutts also provided an update on the league's 2026 expansion plans, including the sale of team 13 to an undisclosed group following a competitive global tender process. Coutts said, "We've got some exciting news coming up - team 13 will be announced in the next few weeks so we're looking forward to that."
He continued, "We've also made the decision that team 14 will start in 2027" - citing the league's decision to prioritize the current fleet, while also tabling the newest F50 - once complete - for use in a long-term training facility. "I think that's going to make a big difference to the league going forward," Coutts said, and "a fantastic solution for new and existing teams to train their athletes."
With only three events - Saint-Tropez, Geneva and Cádiz - plus the racing in Abu Dhabi separating teams from the winner-takes-all Grand Final, this weekend could prove make or break for those battling to stay in contention for the sport's top prize.
Currently third in the overall standings, Emirates GBR driver Dylan Fletcher said, "We're getting towards the sharp end of the Championship - four events with the Grand Final included. We're just looking to keep up the consistency, hopefully sail as we have done and stay out of trouble."
New Zealand driver Peter Burling - currently tied with Australia on 61 points at the top of the leaderboard - brushed off any suggestion the Black Foils would be complacent in their lead. "We're just trying to continue to grow," said Burling. "Everyone knows the key to winning SailGP is to get to the final, and put your best foot forward in Abu Dhabi. That's what we're trying to do."
Burling continued, "Tom [Slingsby]'s been setting the benchmark pretty high in the strong breeze so everyone knows they've got to go out and put together a good day to get to the top of that leaderboard. It's exactly what we're trying to do - we love that rivalry with the Australians and look forward to carrying it on."
The ROCKWOOL France Sail Grand Prix will unfold over two action-packed days of racing, beginning at 1.30pm CEST Friday September 12, and 12.30pm on Saturday September 13. Racing will be live on Canal+ Sport. Find out more at SailGP.com/Watch.