Please select your home edition
Edition
InsureMy leaderboard April May June 2025

France Sail Grand Prix in Saint Tropez - Day 1

by SailGP 9 Sep 2023 22:05 BST 9-10 September 2023

Dramatic race day in Saint-Tropez as New Zealand wing collapses

No athletes injured in incident after New Zealand had finished day one second in standings behind ROCKWOOL Denmark at France Sail Grand Prix

The New Zealand SailGP Team faces a race against time to compete on day two of the France Sail Grand Prix in Saint Tropez after its wing collapsed moments after the day's final race.

It had up to that point been a good day for Peter Burling and his team as they had ended the day second overall in the standings behind Nicolai Sehested's ROCKWOOL Denmark SailGP Team. An assessment of the New Zealand boat is still ongoing and no athletes sustained any injuries in the incident.

Burling said: "I've honestly got no idea [why it failed], on board we weren't doing anything different, we were just gently touching the boat in and coming up on course and we were just cruising to say hi to a few friends at the end of the day. It's crazy to think from where we were right after the last race how much has changed to where we are now but it's just in the hands of the tech team now and the organizers to see what they can make happen tomorrow."

Strategist Jo Aleh said: "It just happened so quickly I just saw the mast and the sail coming back at us and I mean there was nothing we could have done and we were just super lucky with where it landed. We'll keep working on it and I'm sure we'll come back strong."

Speaking after the day's racing, all drivers expressed their relief no one was hurt and were keen to see what news an assessment of the damage brought. United States driver Jimmy Spithill said: "I think we all take it for granted, as athletes, you just get so comfortable at these super high speeds, in these massive boats, but these things can happen, we push these boats to the edge."

On a day where teams struggled for consistent results ROCKWOOL Denmark bucked the trend and sailed well in the tricky conditions to top the standings. Sehested said: "As a race day for us it actually felt pretty average, to be honest, but I think most teams have felt like that out there. It's so shifty and there were so many up and down races. I don't think anyone had a really clean day. So I think it might be alright points wise for us, but it didn't feel that good."

Rediscovering the form that saw it win the Saint-Tropez event last year, the United States won the day's third race and sits in third place on the overall standings, equal on 20 points with Ben Ainslie's Emirates Great Britain.

The home team had one of its better races of the season so far to be well in contention for an event final appearance, Quentin Delapierre's team now sitting in fifth place on 19 points. It was a debut day for new flight controller Jason Saunders, with the French team's gamble of bringing him in mid-season seeming to reap immediate dividends. Season standing leaders Australia won the day's second race but sit in sixth place after inconsistent performances in the other two races.

On a day not short of drama, Spain and Canada collided in the day's first race, with Phil Robertson seeing his team's event all but ended with a 10 point penalty. It sits in tenth place on the event standings with 1 point.

Robertson said: "It was odd, Spain didn't even bother to try and turn out of the way, I expected them to start turning, and look, we made a mistake, I turned too late, so yes it was an error on our part, but I'm still a little puzzled we have been penalized so heavily."

Diego Botin's Spain finished the day in seventh despite the incident, with Erik Heil's Germany having one of its better days on the water to sit in eighth, two points ahead of Sebastian Schneiter's Switzerland.

The France Sail Grand Prix | Saint-Tropez continues at 1:30pm local time tomorrow, September 10, and can be seen live on Canal Plus Sport 360 in France. For details on how to watch around the globe visit SailGP.com/watch.

FRANCE SAIL GRAND PRIX | SAINT-TROPEZ //

Day Two Racing: Sunday, September 10, 1:30 p.m - 3:00 p.m. Central European Summer Time

FRANCE SAIL GRAND PRIX DAY ONE STANDINGS //

1// ROCKWOOL Denmark 21 points
2// New Zealand 21 points
3// United States 20 points
4// Emirates Great Britain 20 points
5// France 19 points
6// Australia 19 points
7// Spain 16 points
8// Germany 11 points
9// Switzerland 9 points
10// Canada 1 point*

*Canada penalized 10 points for making contact with Spain SailGP Team

Related Articles

SailGP: Roger Federer inspires Swiss SailGP team.
Roger Federer joins forces with Switzerland SailGP Team to inspire success One of Switzerland's greatest sporting icons, Roger Federer, features in the newest episode of Racing on the Edge, SailGP's official behind-the-scenes docuseries, produced in partnership with Rolex. Posted on 27 Jun
Rolex SailGP Championship 2026 dates confirmed
Including a return to fan-favorite destination, Auckland SailGP has released further details of forthcoming 2026 Season, including the return of fan-favorite locations, multi-year hosting agreements secured across all regions, and an evolved regional structure to raise the stakes for athletes and fans alike. Posted on 26 Jun
SailGP opens tender process for two new teams
SailGP has confirmed 2026 expansion plans, unveiling details of a tender process to seek investment. SailGP has confirmed 2026 expansion plans, unveiling details of a tender process to seek investment for ownership of two new teams entering the global racing championship next season, alongside available stakes across existing national teams. Posted on 23 Jun
Mubadala New York Sail Grand Prix overall
Spain SailGP Team claims second consecutive U.S. win Diego Botin and the Spain SailGP team have punched their way to the top of the Rolex SailGP Championship, taking the win on Sunday in New York. Posted on 9 Jun
SailGP: Spain lead in New York - Day 1
Spain top the leaderboard after the first day of racing in the Mubadala New York Grand Prix Spain top the leaderboard after the first day of racing in the Mubadala New York Grand Prix, after a consistent day's sailing on the murky and rainswept Hudson River. Full replay and leaderboard in this story. Posted on 7 Jun
Mubadala New York Sail Grand Prix day 1
Spain overcomes storm clouds, topping the standings Diego Botin's Spain SailGP Team leads the fleet after a stormy and tactical opening day of the Mubadala New York Sail Grand Prix. France, ROCKWOOL Denmark and New Zealand are all hot on his heels for all-important leaderboard points. Posted on 7 Jun
SailGP to Kick Off Summer in New York
With this Weekend's Mubadala New York Sail Grand Prix An unforgettable weekend of high-speed, close-to-shore racing and world-class entertainment will take place this weekend when the Mubadala New York Sail Grand Prix takes place in front of the most famous skyline in the world. Posted on 5 Jun
SailGP: Media Conference concludes in New York
Skippers speak ahead of the Mubadala New York Sail Grand Prix The media conference ahead of the Mubadala New York Sail Grand Prix has concluded, without any special points being revealed, save for Brazil lending a crew member to Germany. Posted on 5 Jun
Should SailGP ditch the wings?
As SailGP resumes in New York this weekend, we ask the question As SailGP resumes in New York this weekend, we ask the question of whether the F50's solid wingsails should be ditched and replaced instead with twin-skin mainsails, in a similar way to what is used on the AC75 and AC40 of the America's Cup. Posted on 5 Jun
SailGP Racing on the Edge Season 5 Episode 5
Los Gallos revisit their SailGP Season 4 triumph Get a behind the scenes look at the inner workings of the SailGP Season 4 Champions as they return to winning territory – facing personal and professional challenges head on. Posted on 3 Jun