Heartbreak for the Flying Roos in £2M Grand Final Showdown as Great Britain claims victory
by BONDS Flying Roos 30 Nov 21:08 GMT
29-30 November 2025
Australia's fight for a record-fourth SailGP championship title ended in heartbreak for Tom Slingsby and the Bonds Flying Roos, after one of the closest and most hard-fought Grand Finals in the league's history which saw three nail-biting lead changes.
Slingsby's crew went head-to-head in the three-boat, winner-takes-all Grand Final race with longstanding rivals Dylan Fletcher from Emirates GBR and Peter Burling of the Black Foils, set against the iconic backdrop of Abu Dhabi's skyline.
The entire 2025 season came down to a 15-minute see-saw battle for the sport's largest prize purse of USD $2 million. Australia opened with aggressive intent as Slingsby nailed a perfect start to seize the early advantage before his 100-metre lead gradually slipped away.
A split-second call left to what Slingsby described as a "toss-up" proved costly and opened the door for Great Britain and New Zealand to break through and challenge for control of the race. The Aussies were unable to close the 200-metre gap as the Brits stormed to Grand Final victory, but true to form, Slingsby surged from third position to snatch second from the Kiwis.
Bonds Flying Roos Driver and CEO Tom Slingsby said, "It's heartbreaking to lose the final. We were in with a good shot and we got a great start in that last race. It's always a toss up which way we should go. We tried to keep it simple and clean but the wind shift went the other way. We wanted to lay that right-hand turn but we were going against the upwind and because the shore was so close to the racecourse, we couldn't see what wind was coming. It's hard to know what's right and what's wrong in the moment.
"It hurts right now but I'm incredibly proud. We have an amazing team and it's a privilege to work with all the sailors, the shore crew and everyone behind the scenes. I have so much to be thankful for. We will reset as a group before the next event in Perth and come back stronger in January."
The Australians finished second in the overall season standings after a tough 2025 campaign marked by highs and lows, setbacks and learnings. Despite this weekend's result, they remain the most successful team in SailGP history, with three wins and two second-place finishes from five Grand Final appearances across five seasons.
Bonds Flying Roos Strategist Tash Bryant said, "It says a lot about this team. Five seasons and five Grand Finals is pretty impressive, and it really shows the grit everyone had today to get through some tricky races and make the Grand Final in the first place.
Abu Dhabi also marked a major milestone for ROCKWOOL Racing, as the Danes secured their first-ever event win with a standout fleet-race performance that sets them up strongly for the 2026 Season.
Bryant added: "I'm really excited next season starts so soon and especially that we'll be racing twice on home waters. We're pumped to compete in front of a home crowd and our families. We'll take the learnings from today but I'm sure we'll have completely different conditions down under and some epic racing coming up."
The Bonds Flying Roos will take some much-needed time off and regroup before the league's inaugural Perth season-opener event on 17-18 January 2026.
The 2026 Rolex SailGP Championship will be the most expansive season yet, spanning 13 events across five continents and bringing together a record 13 teams to form the largest-ever F50 fleet.