The first Sail GP won by the Spaniards
Diego Botín and his crew secured third qualifying place for the Grand Final after a mistake by the French team. The French, penalized after losing their starboard rudder in a collision with the Danish boat, saw their hopes of qualification dashed on Sunday, despite a successful first day on Saturday. The Spaniards were therefore a double winner. In addition to qualifying for the Grand Final, they won this final $2 million race over three-time defending champion Australia, who finished second, and New Zealand, who took third place. France finished in seventh place, a disappointing result which does not reflect the team's level of performance on this flying catamaran championship.
A final run in a steady wind
The second day of the San Francisco Grand Prix got off to a good start. The wind was present and the 10 F50s, equipped with their 24-meter wings and small foils, promised an impressive show.
The French, in the lead after the first day, resisted the attacks of the Spanish as they approached the start line of the first race of the day. Starting late but ahead of their Spanish rivals, the French, led by Quentin Delapierre, managed to gradually work their way up the fleet. However, a late tack at the last mark before the finish line resulted in a near capsize and a collision between the French starboard rudder and the Danish port leeward hull. In the end, they finished ninth in this race, which will be their last. The damaged rudder is irreparable, and mistakes leading to collisions are heavily penalized on SailGP. The French were awarded 12 penalty points for the San Francisco Grand Prix and 8 penalty points for the season as a whole.
The Australians, previously unbeaten in San Francisco, won the day's two fleet races, as well as the overall event classification.
However, attention was already focused on the Grand Final, a final race to decide the top three teams in the championship at the end of the season's 13 Sail Grand Prix events. Peter Burling's New Zealand, Tom Slingsby's Australia and Diego Botín's Spain battled it out one last time for the title. While the Kiwis and Australians battled it out for the best leeward zone on the start line, the Spaniards took the opportunity to get off to a good start, upwind. Their strategy paid off, as they took the lead as soon as they passed the first course mark. They then maintained their lead, executing the maneuvers without error all the way to the finish, leaving no chance for the Australians, three-time defending champions, and the New Zealanders, this season's favorites.
A final ranking that does not reflect the season's performances
For the French team, this latest Sail Grand Prix was marked by a very fine first day and Quentin Delapierre's exceptional starts. Their ability to be fast on the water, sail cleanly, seize opportunities and control their F50 Along with the New Zealanders and the Americans, they were one of the only teams not to have made any mistakes resulting in penalty points. After a season of battling for points to qualify for the Grand Final, marked by steady progress, four Grand Prix finishes at the foot of the podium and two finals with two second places, the French team certainly deserved a better epilogue.
FINAL SAILGP SEASON 4 RANKING
1- Spain / Diego Botin
2- Australia / Tom Slingsby
3- New Zealand / Peter Burling
4- Rockwool DEN / Nicolai Sehested
5- Emirates GBR / Giles Scott
6- Canada / Phil Robertson
7- France / Quentin Delapierre
8- United States / Taylor Canfield
9- Germany / Erik Heil
10- Switzerland / Nathan Outteridge
