SailGP: Burling - Not "anywhere near the end of reaching the learning curve".

BlackFoils enjoy an enthusiastic fan base © Ricardo Pinto for SailGP

A sold out Saturday Race Stadium in Sassnitz is set to welcome teams to the first ever Germany Sail Grand Prix this weekend but separate incidents during Friday's practice racing mean not all 12 teams will be on the startline for this weekend's event.

New Zealand's Black Foils enter the weekend at the top of the Rolex SailGP Championship after winning last month's Emirates Great Britain Sail Grand Prix. The season-long championship remains tightly fought with just three points separating the top three teams.

The Mubadala Brazil SailGP Team will not compete after their practice racing incident which saw the front beam of the team's F50 collapse after a high-impact nosedive - no crew were injured and an investigation into the incident is under way.

France also suffered damage to a rudder during an incident in the same race with repairs under way in an attempt to get the team on the startline tomorrow. All of the France crew were confirmed as safe following the incident.

Black Foils Co-CEO and Driver Peter Burling said anytime there was an incident everyone's immediate concern was for those on board.

"SailGP is a tight knit community and while we weren't involved in that race we saw both incidents from the side of the course and you immediately hope everyone is safe and unharmed. We obviously don't know the extent of the damage yet but you certainly hope the teams are sidelined for long and that any safety lessons can be taken from the situation after a thorough investigation from the league."

Looking ahead to the weekend Burling noted that no matter where you are on the championship ladder racing an F50 was a constant challenge.

"I don't think we're anywhere near the end of reaching the learning curve, I still feel we've got lots to work on. Getting consistency, that muscle memory, that understanding between the group is growing all the time, and now we're really excited by carrying that momentum through the rest of the European block, the cadence of the events is going up and up for the the next month or so right through to Cadiz, and then we get a bit of time to reset going through to Abu Dhabi, so we're looking forward to riding the wave."

Burling added that every race across a Grand Prix weekend was a challenge.

"There's always threats from teams down the table - just look at the Swiss getting into their first final and having an amazing event (last month in Portsmouth). The league is super tight and any team could make the final on their day. That competition for the top four is super tight as well. As the points continue to grow towards the Grand Final it'll be interesting to see who's in the top three. Obviously to win the Championship you've got to win the final and get into the last race, and that's what we're focusing on.

The Germany Sail Grand Prix begins Saturday 16 August 2025, with racing starting at 3-30pm local time or 1330hrs UTC.