Fremantle Doctor shakes up fleet ahead of Rolex SailGP Championship's 2026 Season Opener
by SailGP 16 Jan 00:39 PST
17-18 January 2026
DS Automobiles SailGP Team France helmed by Quentin Delapierre in action during a practice session, ahead of the Oracle Perth Sail Grand Prix presented by KPMG in Perth, Australia © Ricardo Pinto for SailGP
The Rolex SailGP Championship's 2026 Season gets under way this weekend in Perth - with the fleet already reeling from early encounters with the venue's infamous 'Fremantle Doctor'.
Spain will not compete after sustaining significant damage in pre-season training, while others - including the BONDS Flying Roos and new entry, Artemis - find themselves with key stars injured before the Oracle Perth Sail Grand Prix, presented by KPMG begins.
Confirming his teammate - Iain 'Goobs' Jensen - would miss at least today's official practice racing following a knee injury in training, BONDS Flying Roos grinder Kinley Fowler said, "We're resting him [Jensen] today for sure and assessing later whether he can join us for the weekend. We've got Glenn Ashby here - a real veteran of the sport - so we're briefing and getting the team gelling in case the worst comes to worst and we have to sit Iain out for the weekend."
Fellow wing trimmer Chris Draper (Artemis SailGP Team) also fell victim to the Doctor's strong breeze earlier in the week. Driver Nathan Outteridge said, "He [Draper] went flying onto the boat and got pretty badly hurt on his lip - a bunch of stitches for him and a day off on Wednesday. But he was back on board yesterday and we're back sailing again."
"He's really tough," continued Outteridge. "I said take another day off, but when you hire great people, they want to get back as soon as they can.
This weekend marks SailGP's debut in the Western Australian capital of Perth - and while it won't be the first time all 13 international teams line up - the event has already proven historic. A crowd of 15,000 expected across the weekend, watching from a fully sold-out Race Stadium lining the shores of Bather's Beach.
Few teams enter the new season with their 2025 rosters intact, as a record number of off-season transfers reset expectations across the fleet. Perhaps no line up has been more affected than that of the newly-minted DS Automobiles Team France, whose off-season signings include a new wing trimmer (Leigh McMillan), grinder (Bruno Mourniac), reserve athlete (Enzo Ballanger) and team manager in former Red Bull Italy coach, Philippe Presti.
Driver Quentin Delapierre said, "We changed a few things in the team. I'm super pleased to see Philippe Presti coming in - we wanted to see him back - and we're sailing again with Leigh McMillan. It's a real pleasure, just enjoying the journey together. He's a super talented, super technical athlete, and for the moment it's going well."
With no crew changes for 2026, Peter Burling's Black Foils are a rare exception - something Burling hoped would give the Kiwis an edge. "We've got the same group back together again, which is really nice," Burling said. Continuing, "It means we can just focus on refining what we do, rather than relearning things, and hopefully that consistency pays off over the season."
Opening a season SailGP CEO and co-founder Sir Russell Coutts called, "a major step change" for the league, the five-time America's Cup winning legend said, "In my opinion, we're entering the most competitive season in SailGP history. After a disruptive off-season of transfers, we've got unbelievable depth across the fleet, a new Rolex SailGP Champion, and no clear favorite heading into this first race."
Dylan Fletcher, driver for Emirates GBR and 2025 Season Rolex SailGP Champion agreed. "The level across the fleet is so high that anyone can win on any weekend," Fletcher said. Entering 2026 with a target on his back, Fletcher said, "We're just focused on starting the season well and putting ourselves in the best position to be competitive from the outset."
Racing gets under way tomorrow Saturday January 17 at 1pm AWST. For the latest news, updates and broadcast information, head to SailGP.com/Perth.