
The 2026 SailGP season has a record 13 teams, and after two events, collisions have kept all from finishing. The latest was February 14-15 in Auckland, New Zealand when a frightening incident between France and New Zealand crushed both boats with each team sending a crew to the hospital.
Winds in excess of 20 knots on Waitematā Harbour had all teams on edge, and it was on the first leg of the third race when New Zealand lost control, rounding up in front of France. The race was soon abandoned, as was further racing on day one. With strong winds expected on day two, the teams were divided into two heats to complete the qualifying stage.
In gusts of up to 24 knots, the winner-takes-all Podium Final featured SailGP’s only three Championship-winning teams as Australia faced Great Britain and Spain in an exhilarating sprint battle. After an early dogfight with Spain, the Aussies took the win, moving them to the top of the overall standings, tied with Emirates GBR but leading on countback.
“It’s been a year since our last event victory, so it’s been a long time between drinks,” said winning driver Tom Slingsby. “We’ve been sailing really well, and it’s nice to be rewarded for that. In those three-boat Finals anything can happen so to win the event points score and go into the Final feeling confident made a big difference.”
Looking forward, both New Zealand and France have been ruled out for the next event on February 28-March 1 in Sydney, Australia.
Team crew lists: https://sailgp.com/news/26/revealed-full-crew-lists-sailgp-auckland-new-zealand/
SailGP information – Auckland details – How to watch
Auckland Results*
1. Australia, Tom Slingsby (AUS), 1-4-1-2-(1)
2. Great Britain, Dylan Fletcher (GBR), 11-2-1-1-(2)
3. Spain, Diego Botin (ESP), 4-6-6-3-(3)
4. France, Quentin Delapierre (FRA), 2-3-retired
5. Artemis, Nathan Outteridge (AUS), 9-5-2-4
6. Germany, Erik Heil (GER), 5-13-3-2
7. United States, Taylor Canfield (USA), 8-12-3-1
8. Denmark, Nicolai Sehested (DEN), 6-7-5-6
9. New Zealand, Peter Burling (NZL), 3-1-retired
10. Canada, Giles Scott (CAN/GBR), 13-10-2-3
11. Switzerland, Sébastien Schneiter (SUI), 10-9-4-5
12. Brazil, Martine Grael (BRA), 7-11-5-5
13. Italy, Phil Robertson (NZL), 12-8-4-4
* Qualifying had two full fleet races on day one and two split fleet races on day two.
New Zealand handed 8 point penalty for collision with France during Fleet Race 3 (later abandoned).
Italy handed 4 point penalty for colliding with a racecourse mark during Fleet Race 1.
Season 6 Results (after 2 of 13 events)
1. Australia, Tom Slingsby (AUS), 2-1
2. Great Britain, Dylan Fletcher (GBR), 1-2
3. Spain, Diego Botin (ESP), 12-3
4. France, Quentin Delapierre (FRA), 3-4
5. Artemis, Nathan Outteridge (AUS), 4-5
6. Germany, Erik Heil (GER), 9-6
7. United States, Taylor Canfield (USA), 5-7
8. Denmark, Nicolai Sehested (DEN), 8-8
9. New Zealand, Peter Burling (NZL), 13-9
10. Canada, Giles Scott (CAN/GBR), 6-10
11. Switzerland, Sébastien Schneiter (SUI), 11-11
12. Brazil, Martine Grael (BRA), 10-12
13. Italy, Phil Robertson (NZL), 7-13
Season 6 – 2026 Schedule:
• Jan 17-18 – Perth, Australia
• Feb 14-15 – Auckland, New Zealand
• Feb 28-March 1 – Sydney, Australia
• Apr 11-12 – Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
• May 9-10 – Hamilton, Bermuda
• May 30-31 – New York, USA
• June 20-21 – Halifax, Canada
• July 25-26- Portsmouth, GBR
• August 22-23 – Sassnitz, Germany
• Sept 5-6 – Valencia, Spain
• Sept 19-20 – Geneva, Switzerland
• Nov 21-22 – Dubai, UAE
• Nov 28-29 – Abu Dhabi, UAE
Note: The 11th event was moved to Geneva from Saint-Tropez, France.
Season 6 format:
• Thirteen teams compete in identical F50 catamarans.
• Each event is two days.
• All teams compete in up to seven qualifying fleet races of approximately 15 minutes.
• The top three teams from qualifying advance to a final race for the event title.
• The season ends with the Grand Final event which includes the Championship Final Race for the top three teams in the season standing.
• All teams are privately owned except for New Zealand and Spain which are owned by the league.
Season 6 prize money:
A total of USD $12.8 million is up for grabs in 2026. The winner of each of the 13 events takes home $400,000, with $260,000 for second and $140,000 for third. The team with the most points at the end of the season wins $400,000, while the team that wins the Championship Final Race wins USD $2 million.
F50 Configuration:
All teams use same configuration based on weather forecast. There are four wingsail sizes (18m, 24m, 27.5m, and 29m), two T-foil daggerboards (high-speed and low-speed), and one set of rudders with high-speed and low-speed settings.
Established in 2018, SailGP seeks to be an annual, global sports league featuring fan-centric inshore racing among national teams in some of the iconic harbors around the globe.
Source: SailGP







Follow Us!