Written by Maximilien Lai
As we returned to school in September, an international fleet of flying catamarans converged upon Lac Léman as Geneva hosted SailGP racing for the first time ever. With ground-breaking technology, these multi-hulled boats can fly above the water, resting upon lightweight foils. This allows the boats to race faster than ever before, allowing them to reach speeds of up to 100kmph, SailGP was founded with a vision: to be the grand prix of sail racing, with the speed, cutting-edge technology and thrilling head-to-head competition to rival Formula One.
Team Switzerland is among SailGP’s youngest competitors. Since their debut in the 2022-2023 season, they have made great progress, winning their first podium place at Portsmouth, England in July 2025. This meant they qualified, for the first time ever, to contest the final. Facing off against host Great Britain and New Zealand’s fearsome Black Foils, our local heroes got off to a flying start. Mid-way through the race, however, the vessel suffered a hydraulic failure and forced them to withdraw.
Even so, this achievement in the run-up to the historic Lac Léman race inspired Team Switzerland to redouble their efforts. In September, fleets arrived from far-flung Australia and New Zealand, from across the Atlantic (Brazil, Canada, and the United States) and from closer shores (Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, Spain and the United Kingdom). SailGP Geneva was not only the first hosted by Switzerland, it was the only time it has been raced in any European lake.
“Every event will be important for us next season, but if there’s one event where we want to win more than the others, it’s this one,” said Sebastien Schneiter, further adding, “It’s going to be impressive”. This only fuelled the excitement for the upcoming race.
Due to shifting winds which prevail over lakes, teams equipped their fleets with new light-air rudders and T-foils designed for Lac Léman conditions. Crews also adapted by fielding three people instead of the usual six onboard.
The weekend began under picture-perfect conditions, brilliant blue skies with the sun shining upon the competitors. The Jet d’Eau in the background was the unmistakable emblem of our city.
Buoyed by the resounding cheers of supporters thronging the lakeside, Team Switzerland started solidly, with a fifth-place finish in the first race. The cheers grew louder with their best-ever showing, second place on the podium, in the next race. A daring start to the last race for Saturday drew a penalty that saw them fade to eighth place.
‘Super Sunday’ dawned under a grey drizzle, but the supporters’ enthusiasm remained undampened. Team Switzerland took seventh place in the first qualifier, before storming back strongly to second place in the last qualifier. The results earned our home team an opportunity to contest the final. This time, they faced Australia’s seasoned Bonds Flying Roos, three-time SailGP champions, and Germany’s Deutsche Bank SailGP Team, an unexpected challenger.
In the Grand Final, Switzerland got off to an excellent start but had to duck Australia who came barrelling towards them on their foils. Australia continued guarding the home team closely, stealing their wind and forcing them off their foils again and again. This left the course clear for a struggling Germany Deutsche Bank to limp towards their first ever win in a SailGP event. The home team finished third and was greeted by a standing ovation.
Though a home victory just eluded Switzerland, they left hope for the next season after proving their place among the world’s best sailors.
