Emirates GBR Driver Dylan Fletcher says the job is not done yet
by Emirates GBR SailGP Team 28 Nov 05:21 PST
28 November 2025
Emirates Great Britain SailGP Team preparing to battle it out for a spot in the $2m Grand Final in Abu Dhabi © Cameron Gregory
Emirates GBR Driver Dylan Fletcher said "the job's not done yet" as his team enters the Grand Final weekend in pole position.
The Mubadala Abu Dhabi Sail Grand Prix 2025 Season Grand Final, presented by Abu Dhabi Sports Council, takes place this Saturday and Sunday with six fleet races planned across the two days, before the top three teams from the entire season battle it out in a single, winner-takes-all race - worth $2m.
Emirates GBR currently sits top of the season leaderboard on 85 points, while New Zealand's Black Foils are in second on 82 points and Australia's BONDS Flying Roos are in third on 80 points. Last season's winners Spain are currently in fourth on 76 points and are still very much in with a chance of making that top three Grand Final race. While the Brits are in the best possible position heading into the weekend's racing, Fletcher said the team was not getting ahead of themselves.
"The job's not done yet," he said.
"We've seen in SailGP many times before that anything can happen, so we are just focused on delivering a consistent performance in the fleet races to hopefully secure our spot in that Grand Final race. Essentially, there are four teams competing for three spots in the Grand Final and it's super close on points. It will be whoever comes out best in the fleet races here in Abu Dhabi that will make it into that $2m race, and if we manage to get in there we will go hell for leather to try and win the Season Championship."
One team that has demonstrated that anything can happen in SailGP is New Zealand's Black Foils, after Driver Peter Burling severed his finger during a training session in Abu Dhabi on Wednesday. The injury meant he had to stay shore on Thursday, and leaves him in doubt for the weekend's racing.
It's been a successful season so far for Emirates GBR, with three event wins, 11 race wins and 29 podium finishes. The team has also had reason to celebrate off the water, after being crowned Impact League champions for the second year running earlier this week. SailGP's Impact League is a championship that tracks and rewards teams for their social and environmental impact, and after the team's most recent victory, Emirates GBR made history as the first team to win the league twice.
Emirates GBR Strategist Hannah Mills said: "It's amazing to win the Impact League two years in a row. It feels quite emotional because I know the effort all of the team puts into this, so it's great for that to be recognised. Now we just need to go out there and deliver on the water to do the double, winning the Impact League and the Season Championship."
Ahead of the weekend's racing, Emirates GBR was joined by two British sporting legends who came to wish them luck for the Grand Final, and join them on the F50 for a Sixth Sailor Experience. England and Lancashire cricket stars Sir Jimmy Anderson and Kate Cross were guests of Emirates and took on the adrenaline-fuelled experience on Thursday, with the pair both stating they had never experienced anything like the thrill of the F50.
"It was incredible, I loved it," Anderson said. "It was wicked, I've never done anything like that, it was so cool."
While Cross faced two of her fears, boats and the sea, by taking on the Sixth Sailor Experience, and luckily it paid off.
"My experience on the boat was unbelievable, it surpassed everything I thought it was going to be," she said.
"I'm someone that hates the sea and I had a great time, so that says it all."
The Mubadala Abu Dhabi Sail Grand Prix 2025 Season Grand Final, presented by Abu Dhabi Sports Council, kicks off tomorrow, with the best sailors in the world battling it out to become season champions and take home the $2m prize. UK viewers can watch all the action live on TNT Sports on Saturday and Sunday from 10:00 GMT.