In mid-March, a rebranded French America’s Cup Challenger for the 38th America’s was revealed, with a new identity and a new title partner from within the L’Oréal Group. With La Roche-Posay as the challenger’s new title partner, the team, supported by K-Challenge, becomes La Roche-Posay Racing Team.
The team announcement also noted the appointments of two-time America’s Cup winner Philippe Presti as Sporting Director and Quentin Delapierre. With their rebranded AC40, the team, which includes a few international stars (including Spain’s Diego Botin) will race the first of the AC38 preliminary regattas in Cagliari this May.
What does La Roche-Posay, a 50-year-old cosmetics brand, have to do with high-performance sailing? It’s a natural fit, the team outlined in its announcement. “Intense sunlight, wind, salt air, humidity, and prolonged physical exertion combine to put the skin, the body’s first line of defense, to the test. For, this constant exposure to the elements transforms competition into a full-scale scientific laboratory.” They can now “innovate in a new way, developing a sports-focused repair range based on highly informative feedback from sailors.”
“We are very proud and grateful to welcome La Roche-Posay as the title partner of our team” explains Stéphan Kandler, founder and co-CEO of K-Challenge. “It is an iconic brand, driven by scientific rigor and a performance culture that naturally resonates with the spirit of K-Challenge. This commitment follows on from the support of the L’Oréal Group, which has been supporting our projects since 2023. We are delighted to take another step together in building our Challenge for the 38th America’s Cup, a new version of the competition, in which we are doubly involved as founding members of the new governance.”
Skin-care product development aside, the tapping of Presti—the most highly regarded coach and counsel inside this pinnacle of the sport—is a logical one to get the French challenger up to speed against defenders Emirates Team New Zealand and would-be challengers from Ben Ainslie’s GB1 and the Italians of Luna Rossa where Presti once held court.
“I have been fortunate to have many experiences within international teams,” Presti said in a team announcement. “Today, I am particularly happy to share this adventure with a French team, and especially with this team with whom I have long maintained strong ties. The America’s Cup is the ultimate expression of team sport, bringing together all the talent and expertise of our organization. Today, we are presenting the sailors. The challenge will be to coordinate and unlock the potential of each individual in order to push our limits and aim for the highest level in Naples in 2027.”
Quentin Delapierre is listed as both skipper and driver, a natural hire given his experience and success in all things foiling: from the Nacra 17 to SailGPs F50 catamarans and the AC75 of Barcelona. According to the team announcement, Franco-New Zealander Jason Saunders, winner of the Youth America’s Cup in 2013 and competing in the 37th edition with the French team as well as on the SailGP circuit, brings his expertise as a skilled trimmer. He’s joined by Briton Leigh McMillan, another veteran of the Cup, who has shifted over from the 37th America’s Cup squad with INEOS.
But the most eye-opening hires are that of the Spaniards Diego Botín and Florian Trittel, Olympic champions in the 49er class at the Paris 2024 Games. Botin is a strong candidate to offside Delapierre on the AC75, but there’s youngster Enzo Balanger, Moth World Champion and skipper for L’Oreal’s AC40 Youth America’s Cup team in Barcelona. The roster includes Bruno Mourniac, a pro sailor, Amélie Grassi, “whose multi-platform experience provides the flexibility and pragmatism necessary for sailing the AC75.”
The AC75, for Naples in 2027, has been modified to eliminate grinders and cyclors of the past. Onboard batteries to power sail-control systems opens up opportunities for all teams to integrate female sailors like Grassi and others with experience from the Puig Women’s America’s Cup in Barcelona.
“In France, we have a pool of female talent,” said Presti. “We have just completed the final phase of recruitment for the 2026-2027 K-Challenge Academy class. The nine selected women will train on simulators and AC40s in preparation for the 2027 Women’s America’s Cup. Over the coming months and training sessions, we will determine which one will join the existing team on the AC75, based on each woman’s performance.”
Skipper Delapierre said, “When you look at this crew, you immediately see the richness and diversity of their backgrounds. It’s quite rare to have so many different sailing cultures within the same group. Each member brings their own expertise: the tactical precision of Olympic classes, mastery of foiling boats, management of extreme situations, or long-distance sailing.
“When you put all that together, it creates a very stimulating environment where everyone raises the bar. For me, the real strength of this team is its combination of experience, youth, and complementary skills. We’ve brought together sailors capable of performing at very high speeds while maintaining a collective vision of the race. Our team will have to work incredibly hard to always be at our peak and keep pace with the fierce competition.”
The La Roche-Posay Racing Team Sailing Crew
- Quentin Delapierre (FRA) — Skipper / Driver
- Diego Botín (ESP/FRA) — Driver
- Enzo Balanger (FRA) — Driver
- Jason Saunders (NZL) — Trimmer
- Florian Trittel (ESP) — Trimmer
- Leigh McMillan (GBR) — Trimmer
- Bruno Mourniac (FRA) — Trimmer
- Tim Lapauw (FRA) — Trimmer
- Amélie Grassi (FRA) — Trimmer
