While preparations for Charlie Dalin's victory party are in full swing at the Vendée Globe this Monday, the SailGP teams on the other side of the world are preparing for their first regatta of the new year. On 18 and 19 January, Auckland's famous America's Cup race area will be the stage for the second summit of the fifth SailGP season.
New titanium T-foils for the SailGP
For the first time in the history of the Formula 1 of sailing, twelve (!) teams will be challenged, as the French will also be taking part again after the completion of their boat. Erik Heil and the Germany SailGP Team are also ready for the start of the year and the baptism of fire with the new T-Foils, which will be used for the first time in a SailGP regatta.
After almost two years of intensive testing, the league is introducing the eagerly awaited new high-speed titanium foils for its international F50 fleet. Five of the twelve national teams have already tested the new foils during an action-packed training session on Monday. The T-Foils will be used in racing for the first time next weekend in Auckland as part of the high-speed configuration.
The innovation should ensure higher speeds and even closer competition. Erik Heil and his team have so far had the opportunity to sail with the new T-Foils in light winds for a few hours during a training session in Dubai. The two-time Olympic bronze medallist from Strande near Kiel says: "I'm still quite neutral about the new foils. The old foils were a bit more fun to ride, they felt more like a go-kart. Now you drive more like a bus: it's all faster because it runs like it's on rails, because you no longer slide sideways."
T-foils instead of L-foils for even more speed
This is particularly important on downwind courses, says Erik Heil. The 35-year-old pro explains: "I think it will be very interesting downwind. On downwind courses, you can quickly lose a lot of metres downwind if you make the wrong settings. It just gets better on the cross, I think. You have better angles to the wind. We probably sail more like 30 to 40-degree angles to the wind."
Andy Maloney, Flight Controller in the Mubadala Brazil SailGP team led by Brazilian double Olympic champion and helmswoman Martine Grael, described Monday's training session in gusts of up to 50 kilometres per hour as a knife-edge ride: "It was pretty crazy conditions for our first day on the T-Foils. The wind was very gusty and fickle here in Auckland - it was a real baptism of fire for all the teams out there. A really good first day, but the learning curve is definitely steep."
So far, the T-Foils have only been tested to a limited extent and not in competition. First and foremost by the Canada SailGP Team, which carried out a series of tests during the development phase in the fourth SailGP season. In training, the Canadian team led by helmsman Phil Robertson achieved a top speed of 101.98 kilometres per hour. The test team had already beaten the existing league speed record of 99.94 kilometres per hour set by the France SailGP team in Saint-Tropez in the third season.
New balance of power possible in the SailGP?
The T-Foils have replaced the previous "L-Foils" that have been used since the SailGP was founded in 2019. Made from milled titanium and carbon, the high-speed T-Foils have some thinner sections than the current L-Foils, which reduces drag at high speeds. In Monday's multi-boat practice session, New Zealand was the fastest team with a speed of 97.2 kilometres per hour.
We are not without self-confidence." Erik Heil
As all teams with identical F50 catamarans are competing to master the new technology, the T-Foils could change the balance of power in the fleet. This would also give newer teams the opportunity to catch up with more experienced crews more quickly. Erik Heil took a realistic view of the possibilities of some competitors: "The America's Cup teams will continue to have an advantage due to their experience. But we are working hard to get there."
The "Black Foils" are table leaders and top favourites
The test of strength at the second regatta of the Rolex SailGP 2025 season championship begins this weekend in the "City of Sails". New Zealand's "Black Foils" and their skipper and helmsman Peter Burling will head into their home match in first place after a commanding victory at the season opener in Dubai. The Germany SailGP team achieved their first acclaimed race win at the season opener in Dubai, finishing the regatta in ninth place with three points.
More than 25,000 fans are expected in the SailGP stadium in Auckland or on the water. Andy Maloney said fans could be in for an incredible show: "I'm hoping for windy conditions, similar to today. If that's the case, we'll see the boats going faster than ever before. It's going to be pretty incredible."
Attention, time difference! ZDF will be showing the races in Auckland on 19 and 20 January from 8 a.m. in online streaming.
The future of F50 catamarans is already here! Made from titanium instead of carbon fibre, the new T-foils are designed to make the already speedy boats even faster with less drift:
