Luna Rossa Sailing Team Announced for the Naples Preliminary Regatta
by Luna Rossa Team 14 Sep 19:45 AEST
Luna Rossa 1 – Senior Team © Luna Rossa / Studio Borlenghi
Ten days before the start of the Preliminary Regatta Naples, Luna Rossa has announced the sailors who will make up the sailing team, although the final line-ups will be decided on a daily basis.
In keeping with a sporting approach consolidated over the years, the athletes have been rotated to give everyone the opportunity to compete on board the AC40s, while allowing younger talents to gain valuable time on the water and integrate with the rest of the crew.
Following the work carried out over the past few months, Luna Rossa has selected the following athletes:
Luna Rossa 1 - Senior Team
- Peter Burling - Helmsman
- Marco Gradoni - Helmsman
- Ruggero Tita - Helmsman
- Maria Giubilei - Trimmer
- Gianluigi Ugolini - Trimmer
- Umberto Molineris - Trimmer
Luna Rossa 2 - Y&W Team
- Margherita Porro - Helmswoman
- Massimiliano Antoniazzi - Helmsman
- Lorenzo Sirena - Helmsman
- Maria Vittoria Marchesini - Helmswoman/Trimmer
- Giovanni Santi - Trimmer
- Alice Linussi - Trimmer
At the end of today, Luna Rossa will also leave the Palumbo Superyachts Refit shipyard, which has hosted its temporary base in Naples since 3 July, and move to Nisida. From there, the team will continue training until the Preliminary Regatta gets under way on 24 September.
The summer programme has been both highly productive and demanding for the Italian team, involving the simultaneous management of two programmes: the AC40 campaign in Naples with the Y&W Team, joined at different stages by members of the Senior Team, and the AC75 programme in Cagliari. Sailing on the racecourse of the 38th America's Cup during the same period of the year in which the 2027 competition will be held has, however, been of fundamental importance in gathering useful data and training the crew, while at the same time involving and developing a new generation of sailors.
"I'm very satisfied with the work we've done this summer," said Max Sirena, CEO of Luna Rossa. "Both in Naples and Cagliari, the team has worked extremely hard to run two complex programmes in parallel, from both a sporting and logistical standpoint. We are now in the final stage of our preparation ahead of the Preliminary Regattas starting on the 24th. We still have a few days of training ahead of us and we intend to make the most of them, but these months of sailing in Naples have certainly been extremely valuable. Now we need to turn the work we've done and the information we've gathered into results. I would particularly like to thank Palumbo Superyachts, which hosted our temporary base and provided us with the conditions to operate efficiently and in complete safety. Special thanks also go to Sport & Salute, which has worked tirelessly to prepare the infrastructure that will host us in Nisida during the event and to facilitate our move. From a sporting perspective, I'm very pleased with our line-ups: we have top-level, highly experienced sailors alongside young athletes - women and men - with enormous potential and already significant results behind them. This mix of skills and different approaches represents real added value for us. We are now focusing on the racing ahead, determined to give everything and achieve the goals we have set ourselves."
Athlete Bios
Luna Rossa 1 - Senior Team
Peter Burling is an Olympic gold and silver medallist, a multiple world champion and a two-time World Sailor of the Year. As helmsman of Emirates Team New Zealand, he won three consecutive America’s Cups in 2017, 2021 and 2024. He joined Luna Rossa in 2025 and, as skipper and co-helmsman, won the 2026 Preliminary Regatta Sardinia with the Senior Team.
Ruggero Tita is a two-time Olympic champion, having won consecutive gold medals in the Nacra 17 at Tokyo 2021 and Paris 2024, and was named Rolex World Sailor of the Year in 2022. After working with Luna Rossa during the two previous America’s Cup campaigns, he joined the Sailing Team for the 2027 campaign. In 2026, as AC40 co-helmsman, he won the Preliminary Regatta Sardinia with the Senior Team.
Marco Gradoni is the only sailor to have won three consecutive Optimist World Championships, from 2017 to 2019, and at just 15 became the youngest-ever Rolex World Sailor of the Year. He later won both the Junior World and European titles in the 470 Mixed class. As Luna Rossa co-helmsman, he won the 2024 UniCredit Youth America’s Cup and the Youth & Women title at the 2026 Preliminary Regatta Sardinia.
Maria Giubilei is the 2026 Nacra 17 World Champion, a three-time World Championship silver medallist and a three-time U24 World Champion. She joined Luna Rossa in 2024 and, as AC40 trimmer, won the 2024 Puig Women’s America’s Cup and the Youth & Women title at the 2026 Preliminary Regatta Sardinia.
Gianluigi “Gigi” Ugolini is the 2026 Nacra 17 World Champion, a three-time World Championship silver medallist and a three-time U24 World Champion. With Luna Rossa, he won the 2024 UniCredit Youth America’s Cup as AC40 co-helmsman. In 2026, he was part of the Senior Team that won the Preliminary Regatta Sardinia.
Umberto Molineris is an Italian 49er Champion and has achieved several top-ten finishes at world level. He joined Luna Rossa through the New Generation programme in 2021 and, as trimmer, took part in the 2021 and 2024 America’s Cup campaigns. In 2026, as AC40 trimmer, he won the Preliminary Regatta Sardinia with the Senior Team.
Luna Rossa 2 - Y&W Team
Margherita Porro is a multiple youth world champion and has won both the World and European Championships in the 29er class. After moving into foiling and the Nacra 17, she joined Luna Rossa in 2024 and, as AC40 co-helmswoman, won the 2024 Puig Women’s America’s Cup and the Youth & Women title at the 2026 Preliminary Regatta Sardinia.
Massimiliano Antoniazzi won two Italian Optimist titles before moving into the ILCA classes, where he claimed European silver medals in both the ILCA 4 and ILCA 6, as well as a World Championship bronze medal. In 2024 he moved into foiling and later joined Luna Rossa. In 2026, he was part of the Youth & Women Team at the Preliminary Regatta Sardinia.
Giovanni Santi won the 2024 29er World Championship, in addition to two World Championship silver medals and one bronze. After moving into the 49er, he became Italian Champion in 2025 and won bronze at the U23 European Championships. He joined Luna Rossa in 2026 and, as AC40 trimmer, won the Youth & Women title at the Preliminary Regatta Sardinia.
Alice Linussi became 420 World Champion at just 15 and later won the 2019 Junior Mixed European Championship in the 470. In 2023, she also finished third in the Women Foiling Gold Cup on board a 69F. She joined Luna Rossa in 2024 and was part of the women’s team that won the Puig Women’s America’s Cup in Barcelona and the Youth & Women title at the 2026 Preliminary Regatta Sardinia.
Maria Vittoria Marchesini won the 2019 Junior Mixed World Championship in the 470 and has also won World Championship medals in both the Optimist and 420 classes. She later moved into foiling, finishing third in the 2023 Women Foiling Gold Cup. With Luna Rossa, she was part of the women’s team that won the Puig Women’s America’s Cup in Barcelona and the Youth & Women title at the 2026 Preliminary Regatta Sardinia.
Lorenzo Sirena is a two-time Nacra 15 Youth World Champion, having won the title in both 2024 and 2025, as well as the 2025 Open World Championship in La Rochelle. After moving into the Nacra 17, he finished sixth at the 2026 Junior World Championship. In the same year, he joined Luna Rossa’s Youth Team ahead of the 2027 Youth America’s Cup.