SailGP: Five things to watch in Valencia

The SailGP league moves to a new race course on September 5-6 in Valencia, Spain. Here are five things to watch as the F50 fleet competes in the Mediterranean Sea:

Can anyone stop Australia?
Tom Slingsby’s team arrive in Valencia having won five events this season, including the most recent Grand Prix in Sassnitz, with their grip on the Rolex SailGP Championship tightening. The big question now is whether anyone can actually live with the Aussies over the final four events. That said, despite a 20–point lead over fourth placed USA, they’re not mathematically guaranteed a spot in the season-deciding Grand Final just yet.

Vamos Los Gallos
If you’re a fan of the Spanish team, this weekend is huge. Diego Botín, Florian Trittel, and Co. get to race in front of a packed home crowd as Valencia takes over from Cadiz as the home of the Spain Sail Grand Prix. Los Gallos have proven they can win under pressure, taking victories in Halifax and Portsmouth, so a home triumph would be quite the story. However, their track record at home is relatively poor by their standards – they’ve never made a Final in Spain.

The championship fight is getting serious
With only three events remaining after Valencia, every point suddenly carries more weight. The teams chasing the Bonds Flying Roos can’t afford a mediocre weekend, while the Aussies have the luxury of protecting a lead rather than chasing one. The real battle right now is for third in the championship standings. The teams in fourth to seventh – Emirates GBR, USA, DS Team France, and NorthStar – are split by just six points.

Last call for Emirates GBR?
The reigning champions have had a disappointing run, struggling in Halifax, Portsmouth, and Sassnitz, and now face a rapidly closing championship window. Valencia is one of the last chances for Dylan Fletcher’s team to rediscover the consistency that made them champions last season.

Welcome to a brand-new racecourse
Nobody has raced an F50 in Valencia before. The city has a serious sailing pedigree, but SailGP’s tight, high-speed stadium racing will provide a completely new challenge. SailGP weather guru Chris Bedford predicts a lighter weekend compared to previous Grands Prix – and that could shake things up considerably among the fleet.

• Schedule: Race times both days are 13:30-15:00 CEST (07:30-09:00 EDT)
• Crew list: https://sailgp.com/news/26/revealed-full-crew-lists-spain-sail-grand-prix-valencia/

SailGP information – Valencia details – How to watch

Season 6 Results (after 9 of 13 events)
1. Australia, Tom Slingsby (AUS), 2-1-5-1-1-1-4-7-1, 76 points
2. Spain, Diego Botin (ESP), 12-3-3-2-2-12-1-1-3, 62
3. Sweden, Nathan Outteridge (AUS), 4-5-9-3-11-5-2-2-5, 53
4. Great Britain, Dylan Fletcher (GBR), 1-2-2-12-4-2-11-11-9, 46
5. United States, Taylor Canfield (USA), 5-7-1-4-7-6-6-6-11, 46
6. France, Quentin Delapierre (FRA), 3-4*-13-8-9-4-10-8-6, 41
7. Canada, Giles Scott (CAN/GBR), 6-10-11-10-6-3-8-3-2, 40
8. Germany, Erik Heil (GER), 9-6-8-6-3-11-7-10-7, 32
9. Switzerland, Sébastien Schneiter (SUI), 11-12-10-11-5-8-3-4-8, 28
10. Denmark, Nicolai Sehested (DEN), 8-9-6-5-7-12-9-10, 25
11. Italy, Phil Robertson (NZL), 7-13-4-7-8-9-9-12-12, 22
12. New Zealand, Peter Burling (NZL), 13-8-12-13-13-13-5-5-4, 21
13. Brazil, Martine Grael/Paul Goodison (BRA/GBR), 10-11-7-9-12-10-13-13-13, 8
* Received compensation points for Sydney due to boat damage in Event 2.

Season 6 – 2026 Schedule:
• Jan 17-18 – Perth, Australia
• Feb 14-15 – Auckland, New Zealand
• Feb 28-March 1 – Sydney, Australia
• Apr 11-12  – Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
• May 9-10 – Hamilton, Bermuda
• May 30-31 – New York, USA
• June 20-21 – Halifax, Canada
• July 25-26- Portsmouth, GBR
• August 22-23 – Sassnitz, Germany
• Sept 5-6 – Valencia, Spain
• Sept 19-20 – Geneva, Switzerland
• Nov 21-22 – Dubai, UAE
• Nov 28-29 – Abu Dhabi, UAE
Note: The 11th event was moved to Geneva from Saint-Tropez, France.

Season 6 format:
• Thirteen teams compete in identical F50 catamarans.
• Each event is two days.
• The league has shifted to a split fleet format for qualifying, using season standings to balance the two groups.
• The top two from each fleet advance to a 4-boat final race for the event title.
• The season ends with the Grand Final event which includes the Championship Final Race for the top three teams in the season standing.
• All league teams are privately owned, with New Zealand as the last to be acquired on June 19, 2026.

Season 6 prize money:
A total of USD $12.8 million is up for grabs in 2026. The winner of each of the 13 events takes home $400,000, with $260,000 for second and $140,000 for third. The team with the most points at the end of the season wins $400,000, while the team that wins the Championship Final Race wins USD $2 million.

F50 Configuration:
All teams use same configuration based on weather forecast. There are four wingsail sizes (18m, 24m, 27.5m, and 29m), six jib sizes, two T-foil daggerboards (high-speed and low-speed), and one set of rudders with high-speed and low-speed settings.

Established in 2018, SailGP seeks to be an annual, global sports league featuring fan-centric inshore racing among national teams in some of the iconic harbors around the globe.

Source: SailGP