Emirates Great Britain made the ideal start to the 2026 SailGP season with a controlled and well-earned victory in Perth, prevailing on the second day of racing at the Oracle Perth Sail Grand Prix presented by KPMG and underlining that their 2025 title was no one-off. After an inconsistent opening day, the British team proved sharper than the rest of the fleet on Sunday, in conditions that punished hesitation and rewarded clarity of decision-making.
Racing again took place off Bathers Beach, with the Fremantle Doctor building steadily through the morning. Strong gusts and a short, steep sea state raised the technical and physical demands across the fleet, turning day two into one of the most challenging SailGP race days in recent memory. In that context, Emirates GBR stepped forward.
Following a Saturday in which they struggled to convert performance into results, the British came out decisively on Sunday. They won two of the three fleet races sailed that day, a return that allowed them to overturn a seven-point deficit and secure a place in the three-boat Final. It was a measured comeback rather than a single standout race, built on consistency, pace and disciplined boat handling in extreme conditions.
Skipper Dylan Fletcher acknowledged the shift in momentum after racing concluded. “We had a disappointing start yesterday and didn’t get the results we wanted, but we came out firing today. There’s still plenty to work on, but I’m really proud of how the team has been chipping away,” he said.
The contest for the remaining Final spots was less clear cut. DS Automobiles SailGP Team France continued their strong form and booked their place with another consistent display. The final berth went to the home team, the BONDS Flying Roos, who capitalised on costly errors from overnight leaders Artemis SailGP and a US SailGP Team that was unable to repeat its opening-day performance.
For Artemis, competing in their first event of the season, Sunday proved unforgiving. An 11th-place finish in the seventh fleet race dropped the Swedish team out of the top three. Driver Nathan Outteridge was pragmatic in his assessment. “It’s always tough to go from leading to missing the podium, but fourth is a really solid result for us. A few months ago, we would have taken that without hesitation,” he said.
The Final itself was effectively shaped before the first mark. Australia were penalised for a pre-start boundary infringement and forced to start behind their rivals. France and Great Britain launched cleanly, but the British afterguard of Fletcher, Hannah Mills and newly appointed wing trimmer Stuart Bithell soon established control. Once in clean air, Emirates GBR were able to dictate the race and avoid unnecessary risk.
Bithell, who joined the team this season after sailing with Germany, was a focal point throughout the weekend. His integration was evident in a flawless Final, with the British boat recording full flight time despite metre-high waves. Mills highlighted the impact of that cohesion. “Our ability to adapt quickly and communicate clearly made a big difference today,” she said.
Behind them, Australia and France were left to fight for second. Tom Slingsby and Quentin Delapierre crossed the line almost together, with the officials ultimately awarding second place to the Flying Roos. Slingsby was candid in his reaction. “It hurts losing to the British on home waters, especially twice in a row, but given what we dealt with this week, finishing second is something we can be happy with,” he said.
The US SailGP Team, tied at the top of the leaderboard after Saturday, slipped out of contention following a series of execution errors. Driver Taylor Canfield struck a balanced tone afterwards. “It wasn’t our best day and we made some mistakes, but we learned a lot. We now know we have a solid base in the big breeze, which is encouraging going forward,” he explained.
With victory in Perth, Emirates Great Britain have sent an early message to the fleet. This was not a win built on spectacle, but on judgement, experience and collective discipline under pressure. The SailGP circuit now moves to Auckland on 14 and 15 February, where it will become clearer whether this opening statement marks the start of sustained dominance or simply the first chapter of a long and competitive season.
