36 umpire penalties shake Spain SailGP - Australia settles for sixth

CADIZ, SPAIN – 4 October, 2025 – The BONDS Flying Roos faced a challenging opening day at the DP World Spain Sail Grand Prix in Andalucía-Cadiz, as a barrage of harsh penalties and difficult light-air conditions put their pursuit of a fourth Championship title to the test.

The racing quickly descended into chaos with an astonishing 36 penalties dished out across the entire fleet as all 12 national teams fought to control their F50s in the brutal sea state and “speed-bump” waves off the Spanish coast.

The Australians were in the umpires’ firing line early, picking up a contentious late penalty in Race One after a fierce exchange with rivals New Zealand, followed by another in Race Two for not giving the Kiwis enough room at the start box. This latter penalty was particularly costly, forcing Tom Slingsby’s crew to drop to the back of the pack, losing 600 metres in lead time.

Speaking to the media after racing, BONDS Flying Roos Driver, CEO and Co-owner Tom Slingsby reflected on the day, stating, “The first two races we didn’t do great. The first one we got a really harsh penalty call and the next one we had a bad start and couldn’t find the lane. It’s tough out here and when you get clear, it’s a different game. There is so much bad air and you don’t know where the bad spots are.”

Despite the early setbacks, the Aussies showcased resilience in Race Three, executing a remarkable comeback to claim a dominant victory ahead of the fleet. They then fought their way from 11th to 5th in the final race, ending the day with results of 9th, 11th, 1st, and 5th, placing them sixth overall.

Wing Trimmer Chris Draper commented on the challenging conditions, saying, “It was like a bucking Bronco with the waves. The wings produce a lot of gas and a lot of turbulent air, making it really hard to anticipate out there. It’s quite hard to follow around the racecourse.”

Despite the challenges faced on the first day, the Australians managed to regroup and keep their hopes alive for Super Sunday, with only four points separating them from a seat in the Podium Final. Slingsby noted, “We’re obviously not in a great position heading into tomorrow, but we’ll go out and fight for a couple of good races. It’s going to be tough; there’ll be a lot of teams battling for that last spot in the Final. Six teams will probably miss out and one will make it. Hopefully, we can be that one.”

With everything to play for, the BONDS Flying Roos continue their pursuit of a spot in the winner-takes-all Podium Final tomorrow, with racing kicking off for Australian fans from 11:30pm AEST / 12:30pm AEDT on Sunday 5 October, live on Fox Sports and Kayo Sports.