Cup Spy - June 1: Two times F1 World Champion sails with Alinghi Red Bull Racing
by Richard Gladwell Sail-World NZ 2 Jun 07:06 BST
2 June 2023
Max Verstappen on board the Swiss tender - Alinghi Red Bull Racing - AC75 - Day 66 - June 1, 2023 - Barcelona © Alex Carabi / America's Cup
Two times F1 Grand Prix World Champion Max Verstappen, who drives for Red Bull Racing, sailed with their America's Cup partners, Alinghi Red Bull Racing off Barcelona.
The visit coincided with this weekend's Barcelona F1 Grand Prix. Verstappen was accompanied by Red Bull Racing F1 and BAR (2014-17) America's Cup designer Adrian Newey.
What happened in the Cup - June 1, 2023:
- Alinghi Red Bull Racing sailed out of Barcelona in their AC40 with media on the water ahead of the Red Bull Racing F1 team visit. Unfortunately event organizers were unable to book a breeze, and would appear that apart from an inspection of the AC75 on the ATBR dock, the double F1 World Champion Max Verstappen (Red Bull Racing) could only watch the AC75 being towed on its foils by the team chase boat. The team also hosted Red Bull Racing's Chief Technical Officer Adrian Newey - a top F1 designer - who worked with Ben Ainslie's BAR for a couple of years prior to the 2017 America's Cup in Bermuda. Newey is the holder of a first class honours degree in Aeronautics and Astronautics from the University of Southampton, and would be able to find much more scope for this talents on the AC75, than was possible with the largely one-design AC50, wingsailed foiling catamarans used in Bermuda. Also on board was Dean Barker, six times America's Cup skipper and Congressional Cup winner. As they are already based in Barcelona, the Swiss are unaffected by the Protocol prohibition on sailing anywhere apart from Barcelona, while the other teams have to transit to their new Barcelona base.
- INEOS Britannia sailed two 40ft boats again - with the LEQ12 being matched against the team's AC40. Two of the co-helmsmen Dylan Fletcher and Giles Scott - both Gold medalists from Tokyo2020 swapped positions with Fletcher stepping across to the LEQ12, and Scott joinng his usual co-helmsman Ben Ainslie. Rather than match racing the speed and tacks/gybes were benchmarked, with the lighter AC40 having an advantage in the tacks/gybes and the LEQ12 proving to be a better option in a straight line.
- Emirates Team New Zealand sailed two boats, in a match race situation. They enjoyed fresh offshore winds, flat water. On board the AC40, the most experienced Match Racing crew of the team - Josh Junior and Leonard Takahashi were able to tip the LEQ12 off its foils in the prestart, on three of the four pre-starts. However the LEQ12 enjoyed a substantial speed advantage in the post-start sailing.
- Luna Rossa did not sail for the third successive day.
- American Magic, last sailed on March 10, and is packing out to make the move to their permanent base in Barcelona.
- No further news from the Orient Express Team (formerly K-Challenge).
Alinghi Red Bull Racing - AC75 - Day 66 - June 1, 2023 - Barcelona
From the AC37 Joint Recon team:
Alinghi Red Bull Racing rolled out their AC75 at 08:30 ahead of a special day for the team, with ‘Oracle Red Bull Racing’ Formula 1 team visiting the base, along with two times World Champion, Max Verstappen, and Chief Technical Officer, (S-W: Formerly with BAR for the 2017 America's Cup)
The yacht was craned in and prepared for the day; regular cyclor system tuning and other pre sailing checks were carried out, the M1-1R mainsail and J1-2R were prepared on deck. Max was escorted to the yacht by ARBR Lead Helm, Arnaud Psarofaghis, and given a run through of the ins and outs of sailing the boat.
Adrian Newey was brought on board and shown around by ARBR Design Principal, Marcelino Botin.
The team docked out at 11:50, hoisted the main and towed out. Unfortunately there was not enough wind to sail, with anemometer readings between 0-4 knots.
Max was ferried out to jump on Chase Alpha with Arnaud, as the team towed the yacht on foils along the Barcelona beach front. After the photoshoot was over and Max returned to the base, the yacht was towed South as the team struggled to find wind, eventually returning back to port.
Adrian Newey was then brought out on Chase Alpha along with Marcelino Botin, and the yacht was towed again, along the coast towards Port Olimpico and back to base.
The team docked in at 15:40 after not managing to sail due to the light conditions. It is not often that the team have not been able to sail, however not uncommon for these conditions to occur at this time of year.
Session Statistics: Alinghi Red Bull Racing - AC75 - Day 66 - June 1, 2023 - Barcelona
- Wind Strength: 0-5ktskts
- Wind Direction: E
- Weather: Sunny 20°C
- Sea State: Beaufprt 1-2
- Roll out: 0900hrs Dock Out: 1150hrs
- Dock In: 1540hrs Crane out: 1600hrs
- Total Tacks: 0
- Total Gybes: 0
Crew: Arnaud Psarofaghis, Maxime Bachelin, Yves Detrey, Bryan Mettraux, Florian Trüb, Augustin Maillefer, Nils Theuninck, Nico Stahlberg. Dean Barker was on board.
Emirates Team NZ - LEQ12 & AC40 - Day 30 - June 1, 2023 - Auckland
From the AC37 Joint Recon Team [Alastair Moore AC-Recon]:
Both the LEQ12 and the AC40 dropped lines just after 11 and we taken in tow down the harbour to stop just East of Bean rock to bend on sails. At 11.26 the LEQ12 had her M2 and J3 on their locks and she was sailing at 11.32.
East down the Motukorea channel and then hardening up pacing East of Browns Island up into Eastern beach where chase one was setting up a 2 mile course about 3 miles off Eastern Beach. Both yachts came to a stop around the start line/bottom gate at 12.01. We observed 12-14 knots of Westerly breeze and a flat sea state.
Both yachts were up and sailing by 12.14 and lining up on their First Pre Start with the LEQ12 entering on port at 12.17.50, some tight controlled maneuvers lead to an even split tack start with the LEQ12 on port at the committee boat and the AC40 at the pin, both on time. The yachts returned to the starting box after one tack up the beat and went into the Second Pre-Start of the day at 12.22.50. The AC40 had port entry, very tight turns getting tighter towards 40 seconds to go, the LEQ12 tried to gybe inside after a slow tack and came off her foils giving the start to the AC40.
The Third Pre Start kicked off with port entry at 12.27.50 given to the AC40, this time the LEQ12 came off he foils while gybing outside the AC40, maybe going through her wind shadow was enough? This gave the start to the AC40. Both race yachts came to a stop with their respective chase boats at 12.32.
Here the breeze peaked about 15 knots still out of the West.
At 12.45 both the LEQ12 and AC40 were up foiling and at 12.47.50 the AC40 had port entry for the Fourth Pre Start. With about 30 seconds to go after a tight gybe-tack the LEQ12 came off her foils again at the committee boat end giving the start to the AC40 again.
The marks started to be pulled at 12.53 and the yachts sailed in company out the western end of the Tamaki straight and into the Motukorea channel generally beating up towards Kohl with one loop back performed by the LEQ12 to keep the AC 40 in touch.
The LEQ12 came to a hurried stop off Kohimaramara (opposite North Head), dropped her sails with chase away, looking to have one foil arm not cooperating. The Starboard foil arm looked not to go full down or up for that matter. She was taken in tow in displacement mode for 6-8 minutes before control of the cant system was regained and she was towed on her foils back to base.
On the dock at 13.48
Session Statistics - Emirates Team NZ - LEQ12 & AC40 - Day 30 - June 1, 2023 - Auckland
- Weather: 18°C 2Fine
- Wind Strength: 10-15kts
- Wind Direction: West
- Sea State: Chop
- Roll out: 1017hrs Dock Out: 1108hrs
- Dock In: 1348hrs Crane out: 1416hrs
- Total Tacks: 28 - Fully foiling: 26; Touch & Go: 1; Touch Down: 1
- Total Gybes: 20 - Fully foiling: 18; Touch & Go: 2; Touch Down: 0
Crew: (LEQ12) Nathan Outteridge, Peter Burling, Andy Maloney, Blair Tuke (AC40) Josh Junior, Leo Takahashi, Sam Meech, Marcus Hansen
INEOS Britannia - LEQ12 - Day 55 - June 1, 2023 - Mallorca
Top sailing journalist Justin Chisholm was on the water and made various observations on the British boat:
The British America's Cup team squeezed in a second session of two boat sailing on Palma Bay today – albeit a short two hour session due to the arrival of a threatening set of swirling thunderstorm cells from the centre of the Mallorca land mass.
With the skies darkening and the thunder already rumbling in the distance while the two boats were being rigged outside Palma Port shortly after midday the two boats made a beeline for the clearer skies outside Palma Bay where the steadiest of the 6-9 knot southerly thermal breeze was blowing.
Making the most of the flat sea state – and perhaps also due to the lighter winds than the previous day – the two crews kept the maneuvers to a minimum and focused instead in paralleling each other in long straight line runs. From our observers position it was hard to detect any noticeable difference between the two boats going upwind. When they turned downwind the AC40 was able to gybe easily while the heavier T6 was unable to pull off any airborne gybes.
More windward heel was observed on the AC40 than on T6. As the thunderstorms and torrential rain prevailed ashore the breeze began to steadily ease back forcing the T6 crew – helmsmen Ben Cornish and Dylan Fletcher with trimmers/flight controllers Luke Parkinson and Iain Jensen – called an end to the day at shortly after 1430 and after a long tow in were back on the dock at 1530.
A T6 only sailing day has been scheduled for tomorrow (Friday June 2).
Noted at launch yesterday but omitted from the report was the removal of the offset camera on the starboard foil (leaving just the central upper and lower cameras)
Session Statistics: INEOS Britannia - LEQ12 - Day 55 - June 1, 2023 - Mallorca
- Weather: Clear offshore 22° C
- Wind Strength 6-9kts Flat sea
- Wind Direction: 170°
- Roll out: 1010hrs Dock Out: 1215hrs
- Dock In: 1530hrs Crane out: 1600hrs
- Total Tacks: 7 - Fully foiling: 5 Touch & Go: 0; Touch Down: 2
- Total Gybes: 4 - Fully foiling: 0; Touch & Go: 0; Touch Down: 4
Crew: LEQ12 Ben Cornish, Dylan Fletcher, Luke Parkinson, Iain Jenson AC40: Ben Ainslie, Giles Scott, Leigh McMillan, Bleddyn Mon
This commentary was written and compiled from video, still images and statistical content extracted from the AC37 Joint Recon program and other material available to Sail-World NZ including photo files, and other on the water coverage from the 2010, 2013, 2017 and 2021 America's Cups. Its format is intended to give Sail-World readers a snapshot of all teams' progress on a given day or period.