The Emirates Great Britain SailGP Team endured a tough opening day in Rio de Janeiro as the SailGP Championship made its debut on Guanabara Bay.
Heading into the event leading the overall 2026 season standings, Driver Dylan Fletcher MBE and Strategist Hannah Mills OBE returned to familiar waters, having previously competed in Rio during the Olympic Games.
GBR struggled with their starts from Race 1, opting for a late approach to the line but getting caught in disturbed air from Spain, which dropped them to last place. Spain executed a near-perfect start, while Sweden’s Artemis Racing led at the first mark and went on to take the race win.
In light winds averaging 14.2 km/h, only four boats managed to stay consistently on the foils, with positions changing frequently across the fleet. GBR’s opening race was ultimately cut short due to a technical failure, a broken board spring, which prevented them from keeping their foil board down and the team was forced to retire.
After successfully completing repairs on the water, GBR returned for Race 2, while the hometown team Brazil remained sidelined, having also missed Race 1 due to technical issues.
Race 2 saw another strong start from Spain, while GBR found themselves mid-fleet. Receiving a penalty for being over the line early pushed them to the back, but an impressive recovery saw GBR climb from 11th to 5th during the first run.
A tactical split to the left side of the course proved costly, allowing both the USA and Canada to move ahead. A late attempt to pressure the USA at the final mark was not quite executed, and it also opened the door for Canada, leaving GBR to cross the line in 6th place, with Spain’s Los Gallos taking the win.
The Brazil SailGP Team returned to the racecourse in Race 3, where GBR again faced a difficult start, rounding the first mark in 11th position. The British team showed strong race craft to gain four places by Gate 3, overtaking Sweden, Germany, Switzerland and Canada. They continued to make progress, including a pass on Brazil, but lost ground later in the race on a challenging course. GBR ultimately finished 11th, with Red Bull Italy taking the win.
In the final race of the day, GBR were once again on the back foot after the start. Early gains saw them climb from 11th to 7th after getting onto the foils quickly. A strategic move to the left initially paid off, but they were unable to maintain foiling conditions and dropped back to finish 12th. Germany SailGP Team claimed victory, becoming the fourth different race winner of the day.
Emirates GBR SailGP Team Driver Dylan Fletcher reflected on the opening day in Rio:
“We know that’s not our level of performance. We didn’t really get a break today, but SailGP is the highest standard, and you don’t deserve results when you’re not on your A game.
We will come out firing tomorrow, have a bit of a reset and push up the leaderboard as much as possible. In SailGP, anything can happen”.
Emirates GBR will look to bounce back on day two, UK viewers can watch the final day’s action live on TNT Sports 2 from 19:00 BST on Sunday.