SailGP: Australia win four straight in Rio as top teams topple.
by SailGP & Sail-World.com 13 Apr 07:59 AEST
Flying Roos SailGP Team celebrate on the stage - Race Day 2 of the ENEL Rio Sail Grand Prix in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil - April 12, 2025 © Mike Lawrence/SailGP
The Bonds Flying Roos won four straight races on the second day of racing at SailGP Rio.
That included the three qualifying races sailed, plus the final - a feat unprecedented in the six seasons of SailGP League racing.
The Bonds Flying Roos have claimed victory in the inaugural Enel Rio Sail Grand Prix – their second event win of the 2026 Season. Australia now move into the top spot in the Rolex SailGP Championship standings after a disastrous weekend from Emirates GBR, who now sit second overall. Artemis made their first event final, finishing third in Rio ahead of Los Gallos in second.
Twelve teams battled gusty, unstable conditions on Guanabara Bay – with F50 handling made even harder due to major swells rolling around the corner from the nearby Atlantic Ocean, and a wind shadow around Sugarloaf Mountain causing shifts across the course.
The teams started with the same 27.5m wing used yesterday, but with a higher wind speed of 16-32 km/h. They were also fitted with light-air T-foils and rudder package as well as the big jib, raced with five athletes onboard.
But the wind and waves were no match for three-time Rolex SailGP Champion Tom Slingsby, who won each of the day’s three qualifying fleet races before taking the event final. The Aussies were forced back to position three in race six; however, after being handed a five-point penalty for a rule 14 breach (against the Swiss), which resulted in damage.
Celebrating in front of the cheering crowds of Brazilian fans, Slingsby said, “I’m really pleased with the team. We’ve brought together a group with huge potential, and although we hadn’t fully clicked before today, we finally showed what we’re capable of when everything comes together. It’s a really satisfying feeling — not just as a driver, but from a broader perspective. It was also special to get this first win with Goobs [Iain Jensen]. We go way back, so sharing that moment meant a lot.”
Los Gallos – the Spain SailGP Team – were another standout on day two, never finishing below fourth (4, 2, 4) in the final qualifying fleet races to edge their way into the winner-takes-all event final, alongside Artemis.
While Artemis briefly took the lead early, a handling error dropped them off the foils and handed momentum straight back to the Aussies. From there, Australia stretched away while the battle shifted behind them. A costly penalty for Artemis ended their challenge, allowing Los Gallos to secure second as the Swedes swept across the line in third – their best SailGP result to date.
Los Gallos driver Diego Botín said, “It’s been incredible to be back in Rio, it’s such an iconic place to sail with Sugarloaf Mountain and Christ the Redeemer as the backdrop. Overall, we’re very happy with our result this weekend. Finishing second in SailGP is never easy, and reaching our third final of the season shows we’re improving. The Australians were one step ahead today, and there’s a lot we can learn from that.”
2026 Season entry Artemis SailGP Team driver Nathan Outteridge said, “It was a successful event for us. We made the final, which is a great step forward. Today was really tricky with the gusty conditions and being a bit overpowered on the 27.5-meter wing, but overall we’re really happy. It’s our first final as a team, so that’s something positive to build on for the rest of the season. Looking ahead, Bermuda will be exciting, I can’t wait – it’s always a fantastic place for sailing.”
Despite performing well across the weekend’s qualifying fleet races, it wasn’t to be for the U.S. SailGP Team, Rockwool Racing, Germany Deutsche Bank or Red Bull Italy, who finished fourth, fifth, sixth and seventh in Rio, respectively.
A rare ‘black flag’ disqualification at the start of the fourth and final fleet race (race 7) cast a shadow on DS Automobiles Team France’s Rio return. For Emirates GBR, it was a challenging weekend, with Dylan Fletcher’s championship-winning team recording their lowest event finish to date (12th) after a difficult run of results across the event (11, 6, 11, 12, 12, 10, 10).
The well-performed Emirates Team Great Britain, who led the points table going into Rio, suffered a dramatic loss of form, finishing 12th and last, with little explanation as to why. The team suffered a technical failure (a broken board spring) in the very first race and struggled with penalties and disturbed air throughout the event, ultimately finishing in last (12th) place overall.
British skipper Dylan Fletcher after Day 1: "I think not too many positives other than we didn’t do anything very well. We know that is not how we can sail, and I certainly let the side down today – bad starts and didn’t really get a break. But these things happen in SailGP; the fleet is a high standard, and we didn’t sail well enough, and we don’t deserve to get good results if we sail like that."
His words were echoed by strategist Hannah Mills after the second day of racing: “It certainly wasn’t our best weekend of racing, and today just wasn’t our day. We got ourselves into some nice positions off the start line, but rightly or wrongly, we picked up penalties and made a few mistakes that dropped us to the back of the fleet. In these conditions, it’s almost impossible to make gains.
"It’s been a tough event, but we’ve made a strong start to the season overall, and we’re still in a good position in the Championship. We’ll get our heads down, regroup, dive into the data, review and reassess and come back stronger for Bermuda.”
Nearly 8,000 fans attended the inaugural Enel Rio Sail Grand Prix – a weekend the Mubadala Brazil SailGP Team wouldn’t soon forget. In fact, several of those who won Gold Medals a decade previously in RIO2016, failed to fire in the SailGP event. Giles Scott (GBR), who won a Gold medal in the Finn class, finished 10th overall. Hannah Mills (GBR), who also won her first of two Gold Medals in Rio in the Womens 470, finished 12th on the points table. Peter Burling, winner of the Gold medal in the 49er in Rio, was in the commentary booth while his team, the Black Foils, are awaiting the delivery of a replacement boat.
On a positive note, Los Gallos (Spain) rewarded their new owners with a second-place overall finish, moving up from 5th on the overnight leaderboard. New team this season, Artemis Racing made the podium for the first time after they finished third overall, and Team USA kept their momentum rolling with a fourth overall, hanging on in the fresher breeze after some great performances in the light and fickle breezes of the first day.
Local team Mubadala Brazil got off to a bad start, sitting out the first two races on Day 1 after a modem power supply issue that took over 90 minutes to resolve.
Driver Martine Grael said after the series, “It was such a special event here in Rio. Sailing in these conditions, especially under Sugarloaf, is both challenging and incredibly fun. The wind is very shifty, and I think that pushed everyone to their limits. In the end, sailing is all about consistency, and we still need to improve in that area as a team. Hopefully, when we come back to Brazil, we’ll be able to deliver a much better result and an even better show.”
SailGP CEO and co-founder Sir Russell Coutts agreed: “Bringing SailGP to Rio for the first time has exceeded expectations. The energy on the waterfront, the passion of our fans and the intensity of racing on Guanabara Bay have made this a landmark moment for us as a league. This weekend is exactly what SailGP is about – world-class sport, close-to-shore stadium racing, in iconic destinations. Rio has delivered on every front, and we can’t wait to be back in 2027.”
The most exciting racing on water returns next month – visiting fan-favorite destination, Bermuda, for the Apex Group Bermuda Sail Grand Prix (May 9–10).
Overall Points from Rio SailGP:
1. BONDS Flying Roos - 10 points
2. Los Gallos (Spain) - 9 points
3. Artemis (Sweden) - 8 points
4. U.S. SailGP Team - 7 points
5. ROCKWOOL Racing (Denmark) - 6 points
6. Germany Deutsche Bank - 5 points
7. Red Bull Italy - 4 points
8. DS Automobiles SailGP Team France - 3 points
9. Mubadala Brazil - 2 points
10. Northstar (Canada) - 1 point
11. Switzerland - 0 points
12. Emirates Great Britain - 0 points
13. Black Foils - 0 points