Things are looking up for Sebastian Vettel and Thomas Riedel's new sailing racing team: the Germany SailGP team achieved two top-five finishes for the first time this Sunday in what was only their fourth regatta since joining the SailGP professional league in June. The fact that they only managed to finish ninth and last in the competition with the major sailing powers in the Italian Gulf of Taranto was due to the foil breakage the day before.
An early start and strong performances in light winds
On Saturday, a board of the German racing catamaran broke in the first race of the Italian SailGP summit. As a result, the team finished last and missed the next two races. Despite a good performance on Sunday, the team was unable to make up this deficit, which was not their fault. According to initial investigations, it cannot be ruled out that the lead for the foil was already damaged when the Germany SailGP team started the first race. An intensive data analysis to determine the exact cause of the breakage is underway with the league experts.
The turning point for Team Germany came on the second day in Taranto: helmsman Erik Heil, strategist Kahena Kunze, wing trimmer Stuart Bithell, flight controller James Wierzbowski, Kiel grinder Jonathan Knottnerus-Meyer and other crew members visibly put the pressure on at the starts. So much so in race four that they and four other teams were identified as close early starters. After a strong performance in light winds, they still managed a good fifth place at the finish.
We would have loved to have brought home the lead in the last race" (Erik Heil)
In the final fleet race, the Germany SailGP team even took the lead for a longer period of time. Then, however, they deprived themselves of the big win when they chose the wrong side for the barrel rounding at the gate, bucking the trend in the field. The decision-makers on the German F50 did not want to get caught up in the downwinds of the competition and looked for their chance. But the course side proved to be unprofitable. The fact that there were also several violent wind shifts of more than 50 degrees in the "game of chance" was recognised even more clearly during the evening debriefing on the basis of the processed data than on the course.
Despite a visible upward trend and some impressive performances, two-time Olympic bronze medallist Erik Heil therefore drew a mixed balance: "We would have loved to have brought home the lead in the last race. We sailed ourselves backwards. Overall, however, we are well above what we expected for our first SailGP season at this point." The fact that Russell Coutts attested to him in conversation that Team Germany already seemed ready for top five places was in line with the performances shown.
Another SailGP balm for Sir Ben Ainslie
The Italian SailGP summit was won by Sir Ben Ainslie's Emirates GBR team, just like the previous regatta in Saint-Tropez, ahead of the three-time season winners from Australia led by Tom Slingsby. For Ben Ainslie in particular, the second SailGP victory in a row was a balm after the defeat suffered by his America's Cup team Ineos Britannia in the first pre-regatta for the 37th America's Cup in Vilanova i la Geltrú. The British team only came sixth and last.
The United States SailGP team sailed to third place at the Rockwool Italy Sail Grand Prix in Taranto. The triple final could not be completed in the dying winds - the placings after the five fleet races applied.
Australia leads the season standings
Australia (35 points) is ahead of Spain and Great Britain (both 29 points) in the season championship, which is endowed with a total of five million US dollars and at the end of which the winners win one million US dollars. The fifth of twelve regattas in the fourth SailGP season 2023/2024 will be held on 14 and 15 October in Cadiz, Spain.
