SailGP: Windy, wild and dangerous - start of the season in the "Fremantle Doctor"
Tatjana Pokorny
· 16.01.2026
The sixth SailGP season kicks off this weekend off Fremantle. 13 teams wanted to start the new year with 13 events with the Oracle Perth Sail Grand Prix. Now there are only twelve teams left before the start of the race because the Spaniards with the 49er Olympic champions Diego Botin and Flo Trittel suffered a heavy crash in training. The foil box broke during a jibe.
SailGP season opener: Los Gallos have to watch
As a result, the Spanish F50 foiler crashed into the Fremantle floods and was damaged even further. So badly that even the experienced SailGP team will not be able to help until the races on 17 and 18 January. Los Gallos will have to sit out the first event of the year and will not be able to return until mid-February at the second SailGP summit in Auckland.
The first injuries had already occurred at the beginning of the week in the pressurised winds. The Swedish newcomers from Team Artemis Racing wing trimmer Chris Draper was thrown face-first onto the trampoline during training. He was hospitalised with facial injuries, but examinations revealed no further consequences.
In the meantime, top man Iain "Goobs" Jensen has also injured his knee in the Australian Bonds Flying Roos team. It was not yet clear on Friday evening local time in Fremantle whether he would be able to play at the weekend. However, the Australians pointed out that foiling authority Glenn Ashby was on site and could take over Jensen's job.
SailGP-Powerplay: between danger and pleasure
While the interim results after three days of training and the practice races were already worrying, the first SailGP race weekend of the new season is expected to be very challenging in terms of wind and competitive pressure. German helmsman Erik Kosegarten Heil said at the pre-season press conference on 16 January: "It will be the fastest and most uncontrolled races yet."
Team Germany's co-founder has known the new SailGP area for a long time. He competed in a 49er World Championship in Fremantle in 2011 with Thomas Plößel, with whom he later won two Olympic bronze medals. They finished eleventh in the strong wind arena off Fremantle. Nathan Outteridge and Iain Jensen won the 2011 World Championship ahead of Peter Burling and Blair Tuke - all four top sailors are now among the strongest teams in the SailGP.
We've already seen what can happen in Perth with the 'Fremantle Doctor'. That was Armageddon." Erik Heil
At the same time, the hairy conditions also bring frenzied fun for sailors and spectators alike. At hardly any other event in the league are danger and enjoyment as closely intertwined as at the upcoming 50th event since the SailGP premiere in February 2019. "Windy, wavy, wild. No breakage, no injuries. We'll continue tomorrow," Team Germany was able to report from training.
Australians with home advantage and XL experience
Who will best master the "Fremantle Doctor", the typical strong wind that usually sets in at midday and hits the coast from a south-westerly direction? With record champion Tom Slingsby and comeback driver Nathan Outteridge in the instantly co-favoured team Artemis Racing, two helmsmen from the first hour of the SailGP are taking part. The Australians bring home advantage and a wealth of SailGP experience to the new season.
With 25 events contested so far in their third season, the German racing team only has around half their experience. They are chasing their deficit with smart ideas and a lot of ambition and have already been able to visibly reduce it in the second half of the fifth season with the upswing in Sassnitz, the first team victory on Lake Geneva and top results recently.
This year, Schwarz-Rot-Gold wants to place in the top half of the fleet. "The top six will be tough, but I agree with our coach Lennart Briesenick that it's a realistic goal. We had our sights set on the top seven in 2025 and would have achieved that without the penalty points," says Kosegarten Heil, looking back on the past SailGP season and ahead of the start of the new one.
How good is Team Germany with the new wing trimmer?
Following the transfer of Stu Bithell to the British team, French winger Kevin Peponnet is a new addition to his team. Technically focussed, he has a different focus to Bithell. "Kevin has a different skillset to what we've experienced so far," says Anna Barth. The strategist went on to explain: "Stu had also taken on a lot in terms of communication, which wasn't always what we wanted. But that's his nature and was also due to the fact that he already knew the boat when we joined SailGP."
Kevin Peponnet also had offers from Denmark and Brazil, but chose Team Germany "because the team has a great dynamic". He said: "If you look at the last four or five events, they were one of the three best teams. Their progress is pretty incredible." That's exactly how Team Germany should continue with the newly formed core crew.
In addition to driver Erik Kosegarten Heil, wing trimmer Kevin Peponnet and strategist Anna Barth, flight controller James Wierzbowski and grinders Will Tiller and Linov Scheel are also in demand. "We are on the right track and ready to go," announced Erik Kosegarten-Heil, "The long-term goal remains to win this series. We believe in that. That's the mentality in the team." The races will have to show what this mentality and a lot of work will be worth this weekend at the Fremantle Powerplay. Click here for the YACHT season review with a preview of the sixth season now starting.
Les Bleus enter season six stronger than ever
There was also good news for Les Bleus at the start of the season. In addition to its previous partners, the Accor Group and L'Oréal, DS Automobiles has come on board as a further supporter of the team under the direction of Franco-German CEO Stephan Kandler and Co-CEO Bruno Dubois. "We have been under pressure in the commercial sector for several years. I think Stephan and Bruno have done an incredible job. We can now set up the structure for the new season and refine the vision," said helmsman Quentin Delapierre at the press conference in Australia.
ZDF will be showing the races in the Oracle Perth SailGP on Saturday and Sunday (17/18 January) in its SailGP stream with a time delay from midday. If you want to get up at 6 a.m. and enjoy the live entertainment, you can access the original broadcast via SailGP or at Wedo TV back.
