Controversial Penalty Ends Australia's Podium Hopes
by BONDS Flying Roos 20 Jul 22:10 BST
19-20 July 2025
Tom Slingsby, controls the wheel of the BONDS Flying Roos SailGP F50 catamaran, whilst in action during race 1 on Race Day 2 of the Emirates Great Britain Sail Grand Prix in Portsmouth, UK © Felix Diemer for SailGP
The BONDS Flying Roos' hopes of a podium finish at the Emirates Great Britain Sail Grand Prix came undone in dramatic fashion on Sunday, with a contentious umpire call combining to derail their Finals campaign.
The fleet on the Solent were pushed to the limit in what many described as "survival racing". The high stakes Super Sunday saw Emirates GBR and Spain both suffer tech issues during racing, near-misses across the fleet, and boats reaching speeds of up to 83 km/h in wild conditions.
Tom Slingsby's crew were in the hunt for the third seat in the winner-takes-all final ahead of Switzerland after the team secured a fourth place in Fleet Race 5.
However the defining moment for the Australians came in Fleet Race 6, when they were hit with a controversial penalty in a four-boat incident involving Canada, Denmark and Great Britain. Australia was deemed the outside boat failing to give room to Canada by the umpires, a decision that forced the team to go behind Canada losing several places in the fleet and ultimately a place in the Final.
Tom Slingsby shared his view on the penalty saying, "We obviously didn't even see Canada, they were three boats apart. I have seen the footage and I am still shocked as to how we got the penalty. GBR didn't even attempt to gybe and if they did we would have had to avoid and keep clear of them, but I am still baffled by the decision. That cost us the final."
New Zealand's Black Foils claimed victory on the Solent, edging out Great Britain and Switzerland, while Australia finished fourth overall at the Emirates Great Britain Sail Grand Prix.
Slingsby commented on the team's overall performance saying, "We've got speed and we've got the skills to do it. We had some really great moments and some average moments, but we know we can sail better than that so we will regroup and review the footage so we can keep improving."
The Kiwi win has triggered a shake-up at the top of the 2025 Season Leaderboard, with New Zealand now moving into first place on 54 points, narrowly ahead of the BONDS Flying Roos on 52 points, and Spain close behind on 51 points.
The Rolex SailGP Championship now shifts to Sassnitz, Germany, with the next Grand Prix scheduled for August 16-17, as the BONDS Flying Roos continue their campaign for a fourth championship title.