SailGP’s fifth season is racing toward its finale in Abu Dhabi, but there was little racing to be had at the ROCKWOOL France Sail Grand Prix in Saint-Tropez as storms forced the cancellation of racing and leaving organizers to dole out the points based on one day’s racing. The SailGP media team provides the following update. The US SailGP team, which showed signs of improvement in several races, did not pick any points in Saint Tropez and remains in the negative on the season scorecard. SailGP’s media team provides the weekend report:
Thunderstorms Toss A Wrench
The second day of racing at the ROCKWOOL France Sail Grand Prix in Saint-Tropez was cancelled due to forecast thunderstorms expected to impact the area during scheduled racing. Leading the fleet after day one, Dylan Fletcher’s Emirates Great Britain SailGP Team were awarded the event win, picking up a full 10 season points, followed by Peter Burling’s Black Foils in second (9 points), and Diego Botin’s Spain SailGP Team in third (8 points). The shortened French SailGP event mark Emirates GBR’s second consecutive victory in Saint-Tropez—the last was in Season 4 back in September 2023.
Emirates GBR driver Dylan Fletcher said, “We’re absolutely stoked to have finished top after the first day, it was a great day of racing on the 18-meter wings. We’re just looking forward to Geneva now. It’s disappointing not to be out there today, but Geneva is going to be fantastic.”
With only two events remaining until the winner-takes-all Grand Final in Abu Dhabi, team strategist Hannah Mills said, “Anything can happen in the last three events, and to be in the mix of the top three is all we could have hoped for at the start of the season.” Mills continued, “We’re excited for the rest of it. Obviously, we’re gutted for the fans that we can’t race today, but what a day it was yesterday.”
Next Stop Geneva
With the weekend results tallied, Emirates GBR moves into second on the overall Rolex SailGP Championship standings, while New Zealand takes the top spot with 70 season points. The BONDS Flying Roos drop to third (67 points) after a disappointing fifth place finish. Spain, who finished third on the event leaderboard, have now closed in on the podium group (fourth overall with 64 points), while the gap widens for France and Northstar Canada, fifth and sixth respectively.
The weekend’s abrupt end was frustrating for Quentin Delapierre, who finished sixth after a challenging first day on home waters. Delapierre said: “It’s obviously disappointing and frustrating not to be able to race today. We were hoping to put on a show with results that reflected the energy and passion of the SailGP fans here in Saint-Tropez.”
He continued, “Congratulations to Emirates Great Britain on their win, and to all the teams for the high level of competition delivered in such tricky conditions yesterday. And a big thank you to our partners, the city of Saint-Tropez, and all the fans who came out this weekend.”
The most exciting racing on water returns in one week’s time, with SailGP’s long-awaited debut in Switzerland. The Rolex Switzerland Sail Grand Prix begins next Saturday September 20, 2025, unfolding over two action-packed days on the waters of Lake Geneva. The Switzerland SailGP Team will compete for the first time on home waters, supported by sold-out crowds cheering from the waterside Race Stadium.
