Ten different winners in ten group races make the Emirates Great Britain Sail Grand Prix the most competitive event to date.
Spain’s Los Gallos have secured their second consecutive victory at the SailGP event, triumphing over Artemis, Explora Swiss, and Northstar in a closely contested four-boat final. The race concluded with Los Gallos edging out their competitors in a thrilling finish.
With the results calculated, Spain has moved closer to Australia’s Bonds Flying Roos in the Rolex SailGP Championship standings, while Artemis has climbed to third overall, surpassing the United States and Emirates GBR after an impressive showing in Portsmouth.
Winning driver Diego Botín expressed his exhilaration, stating, “An amazing weekend – with the conditions we had – very windy, with a small wing, which we love. It was amazing to get the win back to back after Halifax; it felt like we were gelling as a team in every aspect.”
Artemis finished second, consistently ranking no lower than third throughout the weekend, accumulating more points than any other team at the event leaderboard. Driver Nathan Outteridge remarked, “We said we’ve got to start working on our consistency, and to get two finals in a row now, and two seconds, is really pleasing.”
Outteridge noted that the final was closely contested: “The final could have gone either way. We had the lead, we had a really good start, and it’s always tough when you get the choice of which top mark you want to take and the boat behind goes the other way and passes you. It’s a little tough, but the fact that we’re in the mix and doing all the basic things really well is really good.”
The NorthStar SailGP Team from Canada marked continued progress by finishing third, their second event final of the season. The Explora Journeys Swiss SailGP Team finished fourth, providing a motivating outcome for driver Sébastien Schneiter as he pursues his first event win.
Teams competed in two qualifying fleet races each, using high-speed 18-meter wingsails, rudders, and foils to optimise performance. New Zealand’s Black Foils encountered difficulties, receiving two costly penalties in race four, which caused them to drop to fifth place.
Emirates GBR faced a disappointing weekend, failing to qualify for the finals after a series of mid-fleet finishes and a crucial error in their fifth qualifying race. Strategist Hannah Mills commented, “We made a new plan today and got it together, but unfortunately the second race was a bit tricky with the Swiss boat. We were so close to each other going around that mark, and a boat handling error from us meant that the race was done. We’ve got a lot of work to do to get ourselves back where we need to be.”
The Bonds Flying Roos, who led the Championship, had a challenging weekend, finishing seventh overall and missing the final after a lacklustre performance.
Despite the mixed results, fans enjoyed the most competitive racing of the season, with each of the ten group races in Portsmouth being won by different teams. With 20,000 spectators attending over the weekend, Emirates GBR driver Dylan Fletcher expressed gratitude to the fans, saying, “The fans have been amazing, and all credit to the sport, despite us not delivering the result they wanted. It was amazing to see all the kids with their t-shirts on. So thanks for coming down, and hopefully we’ve inspired the next generation a little bit.”
Looking ahead, the Rolex SailGP Championship will continue in Germany for the ROCKWOOL Germany Sail Grand Prix | Sassnitz on August 22-23, 2026, with limited tickets available at SailGP.com/Sassnitz.
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