A second Formula 1 marriage for the America's Cup: The Cup comeback: Alinghi Red Bull Racing has taken off

Almost twelve years after his last race in the America's Cup on 14 February 2010, Ernesto Bertarelli's Swiss team Alinghi is back at it again. The Swiss have formed a new team and are going for the oldest international trophy in the sporting world as Alinghi Red Bull Racing. After the British team Ineos Britannia, which has joined forces with the Formula 1 team Mercedes-AMG Petronas, the team of the billionaire and regatta sailor Bertarelli has now also upgraded under the umbrella of the Société Nautique de Genève. The new team was presented at a press conference on Tuesday.

"We've never really left, we've continued to race fast boats over the years, which is our DNA. We'll tackle it with Swiss-born sailors," said the 56-year-old Bertarelli, whose team Alinghi was the first European team to win the America's Cup in New Zealand and defended it off Valencia in 2007. The team initially did not answer questions about the team budget and the possible purchase of a used AC 75 Cup yacht from the 36th America's Cup. However, Bertarelli repeatedly emphasised his enthusiasm for the host country: "My family, my team and I have always felt very comfortable in New Zealand and would love to sail there. But we are also ready for any other venue." The Kiwis had recently continued to promote their overseas plans because financing the event and team in their own country had become difficult in times of coronavirus. The Irish city of Cork, Valencia and Jeddah in Saudi Arabia are being discussed as possible venues.

Commenting on the partnership with current Formula 1 world champions Red Bull, for whom Dutchman Max Verstappen raced to his first and his team's fifth world championship title on Sunday, Bertarelli said: "Red Bull brings victories to the partnership. We are competing against Mercedes and Ineos, maybe even Ferrari. This is incredibly exciting!" Bertarelli's Ferrari reference refers to a possible cooperation between Patrizio Bertarelli's racing team Luna Rossa and the legendary racing team from Maranello. However, the Italians themselves have not yet officially commented on their participation in the 37th America's Cup. What is known, however, is that they too have already recruited people.

The new partners Alinghi and Red Bull have got to know and appreciate each other as opponents on the water in the Extreme Sailing Series over the past few years. Double Olympic champion Hans-Peter Steinacher, who represented Red Bull at the press conference, recalls a memorable moment in 2014 in Qingdao, China. Back then, he and the crew around his sailing partner Roman Hagara on "Red Bull" almost came to blows with the Swiss team Alinghi. "That was like our first kiss," said Steinacher, "now it's about the greatest thing you can achieve in sailing. As Red Bull, we will do everything we can to make the team successful."

The team has already paid the entry fee of around 1.33 million euros. Red Bull's Formula 1 team boss Christian Horner, whose voice was still sore after the exciting Formula 1 weekend and the many world championship victory celebrations, said: "We are taking the Formula 1 DNA and using it for the boat. It's full of energy." Team Alinghi Red Bull Racing will set up its headquarters near Lausanne in Écublens, where the AC75 hull will also be built in accordance with the provisions of the Cup foundation charter. The future sailing crew described the team as "100% Swiss made".

Alinghi Red Bull Racing introduced four-time America's Cup winner Brad Butterworth, 62, from New Zealand as skipper, who is expected to use his experience to contribute to the third Swiss Cup victory after 2003 and 2007. This could happen in a role similar to that of Max Sirena as conductor for the Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli Team in the 36th America's Cup. Butterworth said he wanted to "take the old school into the new world". Swiss skipper Arnaud Psarofaghis is part of the still small core team that the Swiss presented on Tuesday. The 37th America's Cup will take place in 2024. The venue is to be decided by March 2022. Project manager Silvio Arrivabene summed up the Alinghi Red Bull Racing goal until then by once again referring to the current Red Bull World Championship triumph last weekend: "We saw a dream come true on Sunday. Now we are going for it again."