The most prestigious regatta series in sailing is racing towards the finale of its third season. Two of the nine SailGP teams had already qualified for the showdown ahead of time after strong performances in ten of eleven regattas this season: Tom Slingsby's Team Australia is fighting for its third title in a row. With Team New Zealand around Peter Burling, the current America's Cup dominators have also managed to qualify.
Who will take third place in the SailGP final: Emirates Great Britain vs Les Bleus
France and Great Britain have been battling it out for the third and final place under the Golden Gate Bridge since Saturday. In the overall standings, Les Bleus with helmsman Quentin Delapierre were in third place after ten events before the decision in San Francisco with 69 points and a one-point lead over the British. For Sir Ben Ainslie's Team Emirates GBR, the task is clear: they must be at least one place ahead of France after the five fleet races in San Francisco if they want to make it to the final.
With their backs against the wall, four-time Olympic champion Ben Ainslie and his Team Emirates Great Britain were on top form on the first of the two SailGP days at the US summit. Finishing 2-1-2, they demonstrated once again why Ben Ainslie is one of the all-time best in the sailing world: The harder his task, the better he gets. After day one at the Mubadala Sail Grand Prix in the USA, the Brits were tied on points with the leading Australians Australia with 28 points collected.
We are very proud Brits and hopefully we can do our job." (Sir Ben Ainslie)
France, on the other hand, seems to be out of contention for the last place in the final with just 13 points after three races ahead of the two remaining fleet races starting late Sunday evening. Quentin Delapierre and his team-mates had not managed to finish higher than 6-8-6 in the opening race. They had too little to counter Ainslie's match racing skills and the Brit's experience. In the first fleet race, Ainslie had already chased the French in the pre-start phase according to all the rules of aggressive match racing and then left them behind at the start.
Although the French had expected it, they were no match for the British on the day of King Charles III's coronation. "Today is a great day for Britain. We are all very proud Brits and hopefully we can get the job done," said "King Ainslie" in San Francisco after the successful start. In 2013, the now 46-year-old exceptional sailor was awarded a knighthood by the British Queen after his fourth Olympic victory. He will be competing for the America's Cup in 2024 with his America's Cup team Ineos Britannia.
The final of the giants approaches
Commenting on his ambitions for the SailGP, Ainslie said: "We are a proud sailing nation. Success in sailing is very important to us. It goes back a long way in the history of British sailing. And the SailGB is the new frontier in sailing. So it's a big responsibility to be the top team on this course, paving the way into the future for generations to come." There is no question that these Brits will do everything they can to make it to the final of the Giants on the night of 8 May. The foundations have been laid.
Should it come down to the golden trifecta between Australia, New Zealand and Great Britain, the most successful sailors of their generation and their crews would face each other in the battle for one million US dollars in prize money. The motto: The winner takes all. The other two finalists will go away empty-handed.
The dream final takes place tonight
All three - Tom Slingsby, Peter Burling and Ben Ainslie - have already won the America's Cup, raked in Olympic gold and been World Sailor of the Year several times. The dream final, which will be very difficult for the French to get into before the remaining two fleet races, will take place on 7 May from 23:30 German time on the foiling F50 catamarans.
So far, Tom Slingsby and his Australians have been unbeatable in the SailGP. The green-and-yellows from Down Under have won the first two championships of the season and have twice scooped the million. Can they do it a third time? Or have the Kiwis, after a tough learning curve in the SailGP, now acquired the tools to beat the Australians? Or can Sir Ainslie and his Brits - if they make it to the final tonight - turn the tide in their favour? Everyone knows: Ben Ainslie is at his best when he is under the most pressure.
