On 29 and 30 November, the eyes of the international sailing world and SailGP fans will be on Abu Dhabi. The finale of the fifth season will take place in the United Arab Emirates. The favourites have positioned themselves for this in a total of 80 races at eleven events. The three leading teams from Great Britain (85 points), New Zealand (82 points) and Australia (80 points) have the best chances of making it to the triple final.
SailGP: the biggest prize money in sailing
But the Spanish defending champions (76 points) can also still make it to the decisive race of the season, at the end of which the winners can look forward to two million US dollars in prize money. To reach the grand final again, Diego Botin's Los Gallos would have to be four places higher than Tom Slingsby's Bonds Flying Roos at the end of the fleet races at the Mubadala Abu Dhabi Sail Grand Prix, for example.
Who will win the race for two million US dollars? Because the only final race - as is usual in the SailGP - starts from scratch and no points are taken from the season, the starts, daily form, nerves of steel and crew interaction will be the deciding factors. If the last event, which is likely to be held in light winds, is spared from crashes and possible damage or cancellations, the top three in the last race in Abu Dhabi will be competing for the biggest prize money in international sailing.
The importance of the starts in the SailGP was once again demonstrated by the races this season. And so it was in the grand finale of last seasonin which the Spaniards sensationally defeated the Australians and Kiwis. They laid the foundations for their triumph with a strong start. Although the Australians briefly took the lead twice in the final, Los Gallos refused to be shaken and landed their coup.
The British are the favourites for the SailGP final
The Spaniards achieved this in a golden month in which helmsman Diego Botin and his SailGP wing trimmer Flo Trittel won Olympic gold in the 49er just a few weeks after winning the SailGP season in the Bay of Marseille. In November, they were consequently named World Sailors of the Year 2024. The competition knows that these Spaniards are always a force to be reckoned with. But they are not favourites for the final.
A look at the figures for the season speaks in favour of the Brits around helmsman Dylan Fletcher: they were the only team to win three events. The Kiwis and Spaniards won twice, the Bonds Flying Roos once. With eleven individual race wins, the Brits are also narrowly ahead in this category. The New Zealand Black Foils won ten races, the Australians nine and the Spanish five.
The most striking aspect of the British team's dominance - and therefore consistency - is the number of top-three finishes achieved in the races of the fifth SailGP season: Dylan Fletcher and his team finished in the top three 29 times. The Kiwis achieved this 24 times, while the Australians and Spaniards finished in the top three 22 and 18 times respectively.
Four finalists, four prominent drivers
The comparison between the helmsmen of the four final candidate teams is also exciting: at the age of 41, Australian Tom Slingsby is the oldest and most successful player in the SailGP with three wins this season. The 2012 Laser Olympic champion was "the power" in the racing league for a long time until others caught up and overtook him. For him, the fourth win of the season would be sweet redemption at the end of a not always easy season.
At 34, Peter Burling is the second youngest of the quartet of finalists. But none of his rivals can match his track record in sailing: In addition to his 49er Olympic victory in 2016, he also has his Olympic silver medals from 2012 and 2021. "Pistol Pete" won the America's Cup three times with the Kiwis before now switching to the Italian team Luna Rossa. What is he missing? The SailGP championship title!
Diego Botin already has it, is the youngest of the contenders at the age of 31 and the reigning Olympic champion in the 49er. After last year's coup, his Spanish team has the most difficult starting position in this fifth SailGP season for the fight for a place in the final. But Los Gallos have shown more than once that they are good for surprises.
Team Germany bets on Brits or Kiwis
One of the most exciting questions ahead of the Abu Dhabi final is whether Dylan Fletcher, his strategist and double Olympic champion Hanna Mills and their Team Emirates GBR will be able to withstand the pressure of being favourites. At 37, Dylan Fletcher is the second oldest final candidate at the helm, having won 49er gold in Enoshima in 2021 and the challenger round of the America's Cup alongside team CEO Sir Ben Ainslie in Barcelona last year. Peter Burling and the Kiwis were only one size too strong for the Brits in the 37th match for the silver jug.
Can they now take revenge for their Cup defeat in the SailGP final? Erik Kosegarten-Heil's tip fits in with the exciting starting position. While he wants to continue the recent strong upward trend with the Germany SailGP team in Abu Dhabi, the German helmsman is good friends with the Spanish sailors. For years, the German SailGP driver and his Olympic 49er foresailor Thomas Plößel trained with Botin and Trittel.
But for the SailGP final of the fifth season, Erik Kosegarten-Heil also has a different favourite tip based on the previous performances this season: "I'm not quite sure: Brits or Kiwis? The Brits have been so strong throughout the season that they deserve to win. But in a situation like this three-way final, the Kiwis could also have a very good chance."
The betting odds also speak in favour of the Brits
Flensburg SailGP coach Lennart Briesenick agrees and is adamant: "I think the British will win. I think Dylan will hold his nerve." The SailGP betting odds speak a very similar language to the protagonists in the German racing team. A successful win for the Emirates Team GBR will return €2.50 for every euro bet. The odds of victory for the other final candidates: The Black Foils stand and the Bonds Flying Roos are seen as equals, each at 2.90. The Spaniards (71.40) are seen as outsiders.
Regardless of the final battle for the millions in prize money, Abu Dhabi is also about the event victory and the placings, which - unlike usual - are already decided after the fleet races in the last showdown of the season. The Germany SailGP Team wants to be part of this concert. Just honoured by more than 16,000 fans as the team with the biggest leap in performance this season and of which extra motivatedthe season should ideally end on a high.
Erik Kosegarten-Heil deliberately remained down-to-earth in his comments on the priorities for the approaching final weekend: "It's business as usual for us. We have normal races ahead of us. We want to improve as normal and make the most of our time on the boat." The races on 29 and 30 November will show what this can lead to at the end of the season.
The Rolex SailGP live on ZDF
ZDF will be broadcasting the SailGP action live on both race days on 29 and 30 November from 11 am. Click here for the transmission links that will then be activated. Kristin Recke moderates. A good preview of the battle of the giants is also provided by Part 12 of the series "Racing on the Edge - Sailing at the Limit".
