Emirates GBR endured a frustrating final day at the Rolex Switzerland Sail Grand Prix in Geneva, finishing ninth overall as the battle for a place in the winner-takes-all Season Grand Final continues.
Extremely light conditions once again dominated racing on Lake Geneva, with Dylan Fletcher’s Emirates GBR beginning their opening Group B race on the back foot after straying outside the course boundary and picking up a penalty.
The British team were forced to sail a wide angle towards the opening mark to burn off their penalty. Despite the setback, Emirates GBR recovered strongly to round Mark 1 in fourth place.
Fletcher and his crew continued to build around the outside of the fleet, gaining another position to enter Gate 2 in third. The wind dropped again in the closing stages, but Emirates GBR held their position to cross the line third, behind Canada and Australia.
Under the initial RaceManagement plan for the day, which would have seen just one race for each fleet group before the Event Final, the result would have been enough to secure Emirates GBR a place in the Final.
However, with the conditions on Lake Geneva improving, the Race Management opted to run an additional race for each fleet group, giving Emirates GBR another fight to secure qualification.
In the decisive fifth and final Group B race, Emirates GBR entered the start line late, with only Canada behind them. On a tight course and in light winds, opportunities to overtake were limited. Fletcher’s crew fought throughout to claw back positions but were unable to make the gains they needed, eventually losing out to Canada at the final mark rounding to finish sixth.
Australia’s BONDS Flying Roos and home team Switzerland secured the Group B qualification places for the Event Final.
In Group A, ROCKWOOL Denmark continued their impressive form with two consecutive race victories, adding to their race win from Saturday to qualify for the Final alongside Los Gallos Spain.
Spain went on to claim victory in the Event Final ahead of Australia, Denmark and Switzerland.
Emirates GBR finished the Geneva event ninth overall, ahead of rivals the United States but behind Artemis SailGP Team, who finished seventh. Both teams are Emirates GBR’s closest rivals in the increasingly tight battle for the third and final qualification spot in the winner-takes-all, top-three Season Grand Final.
The result leaves the British team fifth in the overall Championship standings six points of third, with just two events remaining in the 2026 season Dubai (21-22 Nov) and the season finale in Abu Dhabi (28-29 Nov).
Emirates GBR Wing Trimmer Stuart Bithell said: “It was a frustrating day for us in the end. The start is so important in these conditions, and we didn’t deliver in that last race, especially after putting ourselves in a position to make the Event Final in the race before.
“Today was classic SailGP, anything can happen. After the first race we thought we were in the Final, but then another race was added. We needed to stay on our toes and adapt, and that’s certainly something we can learn from.
“It’s not been the result we wanted here, but we’re still right in the mix for a Grand Final place with two events to go. As ever with this team, we won’t give up. We’ll keep fighting right until the end.”
With the fight for a place in the Season Grand Final still open, Fletcher and his Emirates GBR crew will now turn their attention to Dubai as every Championship point becomes increasingly important in the closing stages of the season.