France Set New SailGP Speed Record on Wild Opening Day in Sassnitz
by SailGP 22 Aug 18:09 BST
22-23 August 2026
DS Automobiles France - Day 1 - Rockwool Germany Sail Grand Prix - Sassnitz - August 22, 2026 © Jason Ludlow/SailGP
Six races, five different winners and a new speed record: the fastest racecourse in the world lived up to the name on opening day of the ROCKWOOL Germany Sail Grand Prix. Three-time Rolex SailGP Champions Australia lead Group B into Day 2 with 10 points on the event leaderboard, as trans-Tasman rivals New Zealand top the Group A standings with 12 points.
DS Automobiles SailGP Team France hit 107.63 km/h in the final race, obliterating the all-time SailGP record of 103.93 km/h set by Denmark's ROCKWOOL Racing in the same location last year. ROCKWOOL Racing themselves went past their own mark at 106.79 km/h in the same race, before losing control in a high-speed nosedive. Los Gallos of Spain clocked 106.55 km/h.
DS Automobiles Team France driver, Quentin Delapierre, said: "I was definitely on the edge and it was quite scary on that last bear-away. I guess that's where we broke the record. It was quite a slow bear-away, so we were going really fast. I was just focusing on not putting too much pressure on Jason's foil so he could stay on the foil. At this speed, the first boundary comes up very quickly."
Battling it out at speeds upwards of 40km/h of Baltic breeze, F50s were configured with the smallest 18-meter wingsail, high-speed rudders and boards. Teams competed in two groups: Sweden, Canada, the United States, Australia, Germany and Great Britain together in Group B, alongside Spain, Switzerland, New Zealand, France, Denmark, Italy and Brazil in Group A.
Opening day (race B1) got off to a flying start, as the Bonds Flying Roos led the sprint to mark one, building a significant lead in a masterful display of boathandling. A rare wobble on leg five looked like it might open the door for NorthStar, but the Australians held them off to win as Artemis crossed the line in third.
Group A's Sassnitz opener (race 2) went the way of the Black Foils, as Peter Burling took control at the second gate and never gave it back - crossing the line first ahead of Explora Journeys Swiss SailGP Team in second and Red Bull Italy in third.
Black Foils driver, Peter Burling, said: "Yeah, it was a super-fun day of racing. It was definitely super shifty, with the little rain squalls coming through, and I think the group did an amazing job starting the day strong, chipping away and getting some good results on the board."
The Australians controlled the start once more in race 3 (B2), leading at mark one to stretch away with a 24-second lead to claim their second consecutive race win. Emirates GBR came back from fifth to take second, followed by Artemis in third.
BONDS Flying Roos' Tom Slingsby said: "It felt super easy in the first two races. You get a good start, you're out in front and you're just sailing around by yourself. It felt great. Then the last race was just a battle. Everyone's attacking you and everyone just slows each other up if you get caught in the pack, and that's what happened to us. So, two good ones and a shocker."
DS Automobiles Team France led at mark one in race 4 (A2), while the Black Foils picked up an early boundary penalty. France held the lead at gate three with the Kiwis closing in - battling throughout to finish first and second, respectively, as Denmark crossed the line in third.
In their third and final fleet race of the day (race 5), Germany took the lead and eventually the win - much to the delight of the sold-out Sassnitz crowd. Northstar finished second, as Artemis surged from sixth to third at the final mark - their third podium finish in as many races.
Driver Erik Kosegarten-Heil said, "It was fantastic to win one race in front of the home crowd. We had a good start and we didn't have the other races before that. Now we are back in the game. It will be a tough second day of racing for us, but everything is still in it."
The day's headline arrived in the finale (race 6), as DS Team France shattered the Rolex SailGP Championship's speed record: a blistering 107.63 km/h.
ROCKWOOL Racing suffered a heavy nosedive that dropped them from second to seventh, as Los Gallos fought their way back from a boundary penalty to overtake France - claiming their race win and keeping their Final hopes alive for tomorrow.
The ROCKWOOL Germany Sail Grand Prix returns tomorrow - Sunday August 23 - for remaining qualifying fleet races and a winner-takes-all Grand Final. The action gets under way at 2 p.m. local time (CEST). Find out more at SailGP.com/Watch.