Based on the trend of the previous stages, there is a clear favourite: the Dutch team Brunel. The crew around skipper Bouwe Bekking has won two of the last three stages. In Newport, they were unlucky to miss out on a well-deserved stage win just a few hundred metres before the finish. If it had been enough there too, Brunel would now be in second place. An impressive run of form considering the rather disappointing start to the race.
But Mapfre is also always good for a win, as the arrival in Newport showed, where the team came from fourth place around the three top teams and won. In Xabi Fernandez, the team also has an Olympic-experienced skipper, which could bring advantages, especially on the remaining two short, small-scale legs to Gothenburg and the finish in The Hague. However, Brunel also has this in the form of America's Cup winner Peter Burling, who, like Fernandez, is experienced on small courses and decorated with Olympic gold.
However, Mapfre also has the advantage of a comfortable 50-point lead over Dongfeng (42 points) and Brunel (36 points) in the in-port standings. In the event of a tie at the end of the race, this score would be used to break the tie. A tie would therefore be enough for Mapfre, a small but not insignificant advantage, at least psychologically.
And of course there is the Dongfeng Race Team with Charles Caudrelier, which is currently in the lead and is therefore the sole favourite in terms of points.
Or can one of the other teams catapult themselves to the top?
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Lars Bolle
Chief Editor Digital
