First for Germany

The Germany SailGP Team presented by Deutsche Bank has entered the winners circle, claiming their first event victory at the Rolex Switzerland Sail Grand Prix in tricky, light conditions on the waters of Lake Geneva. Germany clinched the top spot ahead of Australia in second and Switzerland in third, in a high-stakes final that saw some of the best foiling conditions of the day.

BONDS Flying Roos have reclaimed the top spot on the overall season standings (76 points), while New Zealand have slipped to third (73 points) after a challenging weekend in which the usually dominant Black Foils crew suffered a string of poor results. Emirates GBR maintain second overall (75 points), while season champions Spain have work to do heading into their home event – fourth overall, but now three points off the podium group.

Celebrating on-shore, Germany driver Erik Kosegarten-Heil said, “Already yesterday was good, but the support from the people around the venue was pretty surprising – they were right there, cheering on the racetrack. And today again, you know – when you look at the weather, it’s not the most accommodating – but the people were happy to have us here. I think we put on a good show for the conditions we had.”

Germany has climbed a steep learning curve since entering the Rolex SailGP Championship in Season 3, often struggling despite the accomplished crew, including Heil, a double Olympic medalist. Earlier this season (in Sydney), Germany picked up the unfortunate record of largest-ever penalty handed down in a single event (32 points), setting the team back by 12 points on the overall season standings.

Their performances this season have improved, including three fleet race wins and narrowly missing out on a final at home. “It’s part of the journey,” said Heil. “We’ll keep getting better. Sometimes it works out for us, sometimes it works out for someone else. That keeps pushing us forward.”

The Germans were the on-form team in challenging conditions on Sunday, with wind speeds well below the 28 km/h needed for the F50 to foil and storm clouds brewing overhead. After claiming the win in fleet race four, Heil finished third in race five, picking up the points needed to earn a spot in his first event final. Spain were the winners in fleet race five, their strongest result of the weekend by far. Elsewhere, Mubadala Brazil were unable to compete due to pre-race damage caused by collision with a mark.

For the Switzerland SailGP Team, this weekend’s results mark their second time in an event final – in their first in Portsmouth, the team also finished third. Driver Sebastien Schneiter said: “It’s good to be doing another final, and doing it at home is extra special. It shows the good character of the team, being able to deliver under pressure. Those are good signs for the future.”

The Rolex Switzerland Sail Grand Prix marked SailGP’s long-awaited debut in the country, alongside event and championship title partner, Rolex. Around 8,500 ticketed fans attended the sold-out event, with thousands more watching from the spectator fleet and at vantages along the shoreline.

Schneiter said: “I think this home event will be remembered for the people that attended, the support we got, and the emotions we lived. It’s something we’ll remember forever, and we really hope we can come back. But honestly, I think everybody wants to come back here.”

SailGP CEO and co-founder Sir Russell Coutts said: “It’s been fantastic to stage SailGP’s first-ever event here in Geneva. Bringing our global championship to the heart of Switzerland – and a city with such rich sailing heritage and of significance to our title partner Rolex – has been incredibly special.”

The most exciting racing on water returns in just two weeks time, with SailGP’s fourth visit to Cádiz in the Andalucía region of Spain (October 4-5, 2025). The event will be the 11th of 12 stop on the 2025 Season calendar and with the points from this weekend tallied, all eyes will be on the top-four contenders – Australia, Emirates GBR, New Zealand and Spain – heading into the Grand Final.

While the chances of qualification are impossible or less feasible for others, the last events of the season remain a critical training ground heading into 2026. Results in Geneva are further evidence of the height of competition across the fleet – Germany is now the seventh team to win an event this season and every nation has picked up at least one race win.