The 2026 Rolex SailGP Championship gets underway this weekend in Perth, Australia, marking the start of a season that reflects the growing maturity and global ambition of one of the world’s fastest-expanding sports leagues. Extreme speed, iconic venues and an increasingly competitive fleet define a championship that will span five continents before reaching its season finale in Abu Dhabi in November.
Perth makes its debut on the SailGP calendar with a strong response from local fans. The Oracle Perth Sail Grand Prix presented by KPMG has sold out, with more than 13,000 spectators expected to fill the grandstands lining Bathers Beach in Fremantle. It will be the first time SailGP races in the Indian Ocean and also the first full Grandstand Stadium experience for the championship in Australia, underlining the rapid growth and appeal of the format.
The racecourse promises demanding conditions from the outset. Perth is renowned for the Fremantle Doctor, a powerful afternoon sea breeze typical of the Australian summer, often accompanied by challenging swell. This combination pushes the F50 catamarans to their technical and physical limits, requiring precise boat handling and sharp decision-making. It is not a forgiving venue, but rather a rigorous test to open the season.
The 2026 season will feature a record fleet of thirteen teams, the largest since SailGP was founded in 2018. The line-up includes the newly formed Artemis SailGP Team representing Sweden, led by experienced driver Nathan Outteridge. The expansion of the championship is not only geographical but also competitive, with tighter margins and a higher overall performance level across the fleet.
Emirates GBR enter the season as defending champions after a landmark 2025 campaign, becoming the first team to secure both the overall championship and the Impact League title. Australia’s BONDS Flying Roos and New Zealand’s Black Foils also begin the year as leading contenders following their appearance in last season’s Grand Final. However, the prevailing view within the fleet is clear, the 2026 season offers no easy races and no guaranteed results.
The Perth event also coincides with a symbolic milestone for the league, the 50th Grand Prix since SailGP’s inception. In just six years, the championship has grown from six teams and five events into a global competition with major international venues, growing audiences and a well-defined sporting narrative. Perth represents not a culmination, but the next phase in SailGP’s evolution.
Against this backdrop of growth and anticipation comes one of the most significant developments of the season’s opening weekend. The Spain SailGP Team will not take part in the Perth event after sustaining serious damage to their F50 during a training session off Fremantle, sailed in strong wind and challenging sea conditions. All crew members are safe and there were no injuries, but the boat suffered substantial structural damage.
The incident occurred during a gybe in the second training race. As explained by driver Diego Botín, a failure in one of the foils during the manoeuvre led to a heavy impact. “During the gybe, both foil cases were damaged. One of them failed and we suffered a fairly strong impact. The foil case, the foil itself and the hull were all affected,” Botín said following the incident.
SailGP’s technical team recovered the boat and carried out a full assessment of the damage. Following inspection, the league confirmed that it would not be possible to complete the necessary repairs in time for competition, ruling Spain out of the Oracle Perth Sail Grand Prix.
The absence represents a difficult start to the season for the Spanish team, which entered 2026 with high expectations. Champions in 2024 and fourth overall in 2025, Spain had been aiming for a strong opening result to set the tone for the new campaign. Perth was expected to provide an early benchmark against an expanded and highly competitive fleet.
Despite being unable to race, the team’s work continues. The Spanish squad will analyse all available data, including telemetry and onboard footage, to determine the precise cause of the failure and prevent a recurrence. “Our focus now is to understand exactly what happened and concentrate on getting the boat ready as soon as possible,” Botín added.
The priority is to have the F50 Victoria fully repaired and ready for the second event of the season, scheduled for 14–15 February in Auckland. SailGP begins its 2026 campaign in Perth with a sold-out venue, a larger fleet and an increasingly demanding competitive landscape. For Spain, the opening chapter is disappointing, but the season is long and opportunities for recovery remain. In SailGP, fortunes can change quickly, and the 2026 calendar has only just begun.
