Wild Opening Day in Rio

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL:| The Bonds Flying Roos lead the fleet with 28 points after the opening four fleet races of the Enel Rio Sail Grand Prix. A red-hot U.S. SailGP Team is close behind in second (27 points), while Artemis SailGP Team round out the podium group in third with 26 points on the event leaderboard.

Twelve international teams battled light, patchy conditions on Guanbara Bay – contending with significant ground swells and waves in front of the stunning backdrop of Sugarloaf Mountain and Christ the Redeemer. Home fans were on edge after Mubadala Brazil missed the first two fleet races, as the tech team worked to fix issues on the F50 and get them back on the water just in time for race three.

Heading into Championship Sunday in pole position, Bonds Flying Roos driver Tom Slingsby said, “I really enjoyed racing today. It was really tough and patchy, like a game of snakes and ladders, but we were a bit lucky, managed to work our way through the fleet, and came away with some decent results. For tomorrow, I think we’ll probably see something similar, maybe a bit more wind, but we’ll see.”

The Artemis SailGP Team dominated the opening race in Rio, converting a strong start into a commanding, wire-to-wire victory, as the Bonds Flying Roos surged late into second and the U.S. SailGP Team delivered a solid third.

Artemis driver Nathan Outteridge said, “We had two strong starts early which set us up well, then got caught in the pack later, but did a good job resetting after mistakes and staying in the mix. It was one of those really up-and-down days, super high scoring and hard to read. Overall, happy with the way we bounced back and kept moving forward.”

DS Team France marked their return with fourth in race one, while early penalties for Northstar SailGP Team and Red Bull Italy, as well as a technical withdrawal for Emirates GBR , disrupted the fleet and reshaped the race order. It was the start of a series of setbacks for the 2025 Season Rolex SailGP Champions, who found themselves last on the event leaderboard after day one with just five points tallied.

Los Gallos delivered a clinical, start-to-finish win in fleet race two, seizing control off the line and never relinquishing it. Artemis chased hard to secure second, holding off a strong push from Germany by Deutsche Bank in third, while the U.S. SailGP Team edged Emirates GBR for fourth – pipping the British crew on the final reach of the course.

In fleet race three, Red Bull Italy capitalized on a chaotic start and fading breeze to secure victory, holding off ROCKWOOL Racing in second as conditions dropped below foiling range. It marked Phil Robertson’s first SailGP race win since stepping into the driver’s seat with the Italian crew. The Bonds Flying Roos delivered a late, decisive move at the final mark to snatch third from DS Team France, while Mubadala Brazil rejoined racing and showed flashes of pace in front of a home crowd.

Celebrating her home debut, Mubadala Brazil driver Martine Grael said, “Overall, it was a tough and frustrating start to the day, but once we got going, it was actually really exciting to get into the starts and upwind legs again. It was challenging, though, because we only had about 5 minutes between races, so everything felt rushed. But today was also a special moment when we finally joined the racing.”

Germany by Deutsche Bank snatched the win in the fourth and final fleet race of the day, sweeping around the outside late as the Bonds Flying Roos were hit with a finish-line penalty that dropped them back to third.

Thousands of fans cheered from the shoreline, celebrating SailGP’s long-awaited South American debut. With just two points separating the top three teams, margins are razor thin – and Rio victory wide open – as 12 international teams prepare for a dramatic finale. New Zealand’s Black Foils will not compete in this weekend’s event, with repairs ongoing following the team’s Auckland crash.