SailGP, officially the Rolex SailGP Championship, is an annual international sailing competition featuring national teams racing identical high-performance F50 foiling catamarans. The series consists of multiple grands prix held at venues around the world, with teams earning points at each event toward an overall season championship. Races are designed to be short, fast-paced, and spectator-friendly, showcasing cutting-edge sailing technology and elite crews. Since its inaugural season in 2019, SailGP has become one of the leading professional sailing leagues, combining elements of sport, technology, and environmental sustainability initiatives. The reigning champions are Emirates GBR, winners of the 2024–25 SailGP championship.
History The competition was started in 2018 by Larry Ellison (co-founder of Oracle) and champion yachtsman Russell Coutts. They aimed to establish a commercially viable global sailing race series with a large audience, receiving initial funding from Ellison for five years (later extended to five seasons) to allow the competition to become self-sustaining. This had been unsuccessfully attempted in the past with events such as the Extreme Sailing Series. The SailGP format uses fast-foiling catamarans in a variety of locations. Many teams were initially owned by the competition, with the intention of becoming privately owned.
The first SailGP season took place in 2019 with six teams, taking place across four countries in a five grands prix season. The Australia SailGP Team went on to win that season's championship, helmed by Olympic gold medal winner Tom Slingsby. Australia went on to win the first three championships, becoming the most successful team in the sport.
In the 2023–2024 fourth season, the fleet grew to 10 teams, with five being privately owned. Two more teams were added for the 2024–2025 fifth season. Since June 2026 following SailGP's sale of the Black Foils all teams have been privately owned.
Racing The F50 boats used in the competition are one-design boats maintained and operated by SailGP. Technical information is also shared between teams, which includes large amounts of data collected using Oracle hardware and software systems. This is intended to prevent secret "arms races" that the organizers believe dominate the America's Cup and to ensure that the outcomes of races are determined by skill and ability, and not technology.
Event format Each Sail Grand Prix is contested over two days and typically consists of a series of fleet races followed by an event or season final. Results from each event contribute to the overall season standings, which determine qualification for the season final.
Fleet races Each SailGP event begins with a set of up-to seven fleet races, typically involving all competing teams racing simultaneously on a short, stadium-style course. These races determine the ranking of teams for progression into the event final and contribute to the season championship standings.
Event final At the conclusion of the fleet races, the top teams on cumulative points advance to the event final. The event final is a winner-take-all race, usually contested by three teams, in which the event podium is decided irrespective of points earned earlier in the event.
Season final The final race of the season is a winner takes all grand final race between the three highest-ranked crews on the season standings. The winner of the season final is crowned the overall season champion, regardless of cumulative points earned earlier in the season. During the inaugual SailGP championship, the event and season finals were raced as a match race between just the two highest-ranked teams.
Scoring System During a season, teams are awarded both event points (following each race) and season points (at the end of each event). Since the 2024–2025 season, when the league exceeded ten teams for the first time, the points system has been updated to only award points to the top ten teams in both the event and season standings.
Scoring during events 1st2nd3rd4th5th6th7th8th9th10th10987654321 For each of the up to seven fleet races during an event, points are awarded to the top ten finishers. The winning team in each race scores ten points, the second-place team scores nine points, and so on. Teams that place outside the top ten are not awarded points in the event leaderboard, meaning a team may score anywhere between 70 if they win first in seven races, or zero if they place outside the top ten in all races. In the event of a tie, the tie is broken by ordering the teams according to their placement in the most recent race. Even if a race is terminated, points can still be awarded as long as a boat has reached gate three.
The three highest-ranking teams in the event leaderboard qualify for the winner-takes-all event final.
Scoring during the season Event FinalEvent Leaderboard1st2nd3rd4th5th6th7th8th9th10th10987654321 At the end of each event, the winner of the event final is awarded ten points in the season leaderboard, with second and third place receiving nine and eight points, respectively. Teams that did not qualify for the event final are awarded points corresponding to their rankings on the event leaderboard, with fourth-place scoring seven points, fifth-place scoring six points and so on. As with the race scoring, teams that place outside the top ten in the event receive no season points for that event.
Similar to how ties are broken on the event leaderboard, ties are broken by ordering the teams according to their placement in the event leaderboard of the most recent event.
The top three teams on the season leaderboard qualify for the winner-takes-all season Grand Final, which determines the final placement for those teams, while the remaining teams retain their season leaderboard placements.
Penalty Points After the 2021 Bermuda Sail Grand Prix, additional penalty rules were put in place to discourage collisions on the race course. Boats that collide during an event accumulate contact and damage points, which may result in deductions from the season championship.
Penalty points can be awarded at an event (including before an event on training days), for any collision, depending on the severity of the collision. Penalty points are not awarded for other penalties such as on course side (OCS), overlapping, and not giving way.
+Type of CollisionBoat ResponsibleBoat Involved (where it was possible to avoid)Collision -4 points -2 points (minimum)Collision causing damage (Boat can continue racing) -8 points -4 points (minimum)Collision causing serious damage (Boat unable to continue racing) -12 points -6 points (minimum)
Depending on the number of event penalty points that have been awarded, additional season penalty points may be awarded.
+Penalty PointsSeason Points Deduction4 -2 points5–8 -4 points9–12 -8 points13+ -12 points
Teams +SailGP TeamsTeamCountrySeasonsDriverOwnershipChampionshipsBonds Flying Roos SailGP Team2019–present Tom Slingsby Tom Slingsby Hugh Jackman Ryan Reynolds201920222023NorthStar SailGP Team2022–present Giles Scott Dr Greg BaileyRockwool Racing SailGP Team2021–present Nicolai Sehested Doug DeVos / American MagicDS Automobiles SailGP Team France2019–present Quentin Delapierre Ares SME Opps Sportsology Capital Partners Kylian MbappéEmirates Great Britain SailGP Team2019–present Dylan Fletcher Athena Racing Chris Bake2025Black Foils SailGP Team2021–present Peter Burling MSP Sports CapitalLos Gallos SailGP Team2021–present Diego Botín Quantum Pacific Group2024Switzerland SailGP Team2022–present Sébastien Schneiter Team Tilt Firmenich FamilyUnited States SailGP Team2019–present Taylor Canfield Ryan McKillenGermany SailGP Team presented by Deutsche Bank 2023–present Erik Heil Sebastian Vettel Thomas Riedel Holger Hübner Ralf Reichert Bolt Ventures Blue Pool CapitalMubadala Brazil SailGP Team2024–present Martine Grael MubadalaRed Bull Italy SailGP Team2024–present Phil Robertson Jimmy Spithill Muse Capital+ International ConsortiumArtemis SailGP Team2026–present Nathan Outteridge Torbjörn Törnqvist
+Former SailGP TeamsTeamCountrySeasonsChina SailGP Team2019Japan SailGP Team2019–2022
Grands Prix +Sail Grands PrixGrand PrixLocationYearsEventsStatusCommitment EndsSan Francisco Sail Grand Prix San Francisco, United States2019–20255Cowes Sail Grand Prix Cowes, Great Britain20191Marseille Sail Grand Prix Marseille, France20191Mubadala New York Sail Grand Prix New York City, United States2019, 2023–present4Current2027KPMG Sydney Sail Grand Prix Sydney, Australia2019–present7CurrentApex Group Bermuda Sail Grand Prix Bermuda2021–2024, 2026–present3Current2028Italy Sail Grand Prix | Taranto Taranto, Italy2021, 20232Great Britain Sail Grand Prix | Plymouth Plymouth, Great Britain2021–20222Rockwool Denmark Sail Grand Prix | Aarhus Aarhus, Denmark20211France Sail Grand Prix | Saint-Tropez Saint-Tropez, France2021–present4CurrentDP World Spain Sail Grand Prix | Andalucía - Cádiz Cádiz, Spain2021–20254Rockwool Denmark Sail Grand Prix | Copenhagen Copenhagen, Denmark20221Emirates Dubai Sail Grand Prix presented by DP World Dubai, United Arab Emirates2022–present3Current2027Singapore Sail Grand Prix Singapore20221ITM New Zealand Sail Grand Prix | Christchurch Christchurch, New Zealand2022–20242T-Mobile United States Sail Grand Prix | Chicago at Navy Pier Chicago, United States2022–20232Oracle Los Angeles Sail Grand Prix Los Angeles, United States2023–20252Mubadala Abu Dhabi Sail Grand Prix presented by Abu Dhabi Sports Council Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates2023–present2CurrentRockwool Canada Sail Grand Prix | Halifax Halifax, Canada2023, 2026–present2CurrentITM New Zealand Sail Grand Prix | Auckland Auckland, New Zealand2025–present2CurrentRolex Switzerland Sail Grand Prix | Geneva Geneva, Switzerland20251Enel Rio Sail Grand Prix Rio de Janeiro, Brazil2026–present1Current2027Oracle Perth Sail Grand Prix presented by KPMG Perth, Australia2026–present1Current2028Emirates Great Britain Sail Grand Prix Portsmouth, Great Britain2025–present1Current2027Germany Sail Grand Prix Sassnitz, Germany2025–present1Current2027Spain Sail Grand Prix | Valencia Valencia, Spain2026–present0Current
Trophy
The SailGP trophy was unveiled in June 2019. The trophy, which stands at 65 cm in height and was crafted with 12.5 kg of sterling silver, was designed and made by Thomas Lyte, British silverware manufacturers. The trophy takes inspiration from the power of the wind and the speeds of the world's fastest sail racing boats.
Crew Roles
Driver The driver, or helm, is responsible for making decisions regarding the boat's course on the racecourse and communicating the plan to the crew. Additionally, many skippers, including the driver, are heavily involved in the logistics of the event.
Wing Trimmer The wing trimmer is tasked with understanding how to generate and distribute power effectively on the boat. They have control over the wing's shape, influencing the boat's performance. The wing trimmer collaborates closely with the driver to optimize sailing modes for speed.
Flight Controller The flight controller's primary responsibility is to maintain the boat's elevation, aiming to keep it airborne as much as possible. Any time the boat touches the water is considered a mistake by the flight controller. They work closely with the driver and wing trimmer to ensure the boat maintains its speed and stability.
Strategist The strategist or tactician, positioned behind the driver, plays a role in analyzing data and providing strategic input. They are responsible for monitoring changing wind conditions, assisting in manoeuvres, and keeping a close watch on the fleet. With the introduction of a control panel and information display screen, the role of the strategist has become even more integral to sailing.
Grinder