By Maximilien Lai, Year 10
An eventful 2025 SailGP season, marked by notable firsts–the first Geneva SailGP, the lake regatta in Europe, the first final for Team Switzerland–has ended with Team Great Britain claiming the season title for the first time, surging ahead to seize the trophy from fellow Commonwealth members Australia and New Zealand in the thrilling grand final.
In the light, summery winds off sun-drenched Abu Dhabi, teams struggled to lift single foils through the first day’s qualifying races. Last season’s defending champion, Spain, was among those who failed to qualify for the grand final after a disappointing series of fleet races. With the winds hardly registering a presence, even the downdrafts from the helicopters filming the event were affecting the racing conditions.
Fortunately, the winds strengthened for day 2, with most teams able to foil. In the grand final, Australia’s Flying Roos, three-time season champions, took an early lead on the sprint leg, with New Zealand’s Black Foils, winners of more than 50% of their finals, moving into the lead as Australia came off its foils after rounding the second mark, and Team Great Britain last off the line. In a decisive moment at the third gate, however, Team Great Britain split the course as Australia and New Zealand set off in the opposite direction. With this strategic thinking, Team Great Britain overhauled its rivals and stretched their lead by more than 200 metres. Taking advantage of shifts in the wind, Team Great Britain were on foils for 98.3% of the race, winning their first title in commanding style.
Over the season, Team Great Britain led in event wins (3), fleet race wins (11) and fleet race podiums (24), setting them up well for the crowning victory. With the $2.4 million prize money from the weekend’s racing, they also led the financial stakes with total winnings of US$4.4 million for the season, trailed by New Zealand’s Black Foils at $1.76 million and Australia’s Flying Roos at $1.2 million.
Team Great Britain was also winner of the Sail GP Impact League, which runs parallel to the sail racing. All Sail GP teams participate in the Impact League, which challenges them to develop initiatives that focus on the Race to Zero Waste, Climate Action, Accelerating Inclusion or Breaking Gender Boundaries. These initiatives are meant to support Sail GP’s strategy for environmental and social sustainability.
For 2025, Team Great Britain set up the 1851 Trust, which provides sport-inspired education and training to young people between 8 and 16 years on STEM and climate in the marine environment. The 1851 Trust was launched by Team Great Britain principal and former driver, Sir Ben Ainslie, who is the most decorated Olympic medallist in sailing, having won five medals, including four golds at consecutive Olympic Games. The 1851 Trust, named after the year of the first America’s Cup, one of the oldest and most storied regattas, has hosted more than 10,000 STEM events for young people. In addition to their events, the 1851 Trust has a digital platform with resources across 12 subjects, from physics and coding to climate education and design technology at STEMCrew.org
