SailGP 101: The History Of SailGP
Often described as the Formula 1 of sailing, SailGP has taken the sport by storm. But how did we get here?
Published 04/24/2025
We are in only the fifth season of SailGP but it continues to grow in popularity - and size - every year, reaching a fleet of 12 teams for the first time in 2024/25.
What started out as a disrupter to sailing’s established order has quickly become a highly competitive, respected and extremely exciting sport in its own right, drawing record-breaking audiences and speeds as it continues to thrive.
But where did it all begin?
SailGP was the brainchild of Oracle co-founder Larry Ellison and champion yachtsman Sir Russell Coutts in 2018. New Zealander Coutts, 63, has five victories in the America’s Cup and an Olympic gold medal to his name. But, speaking to The Athletic earlier this year, he discussed wanting to make SailGP his legacy.
He
said
: “I’m excited about SailGP because it has already changed the sport.“It has the potential to change the sport massively and take it mainstream. And it’s the sport I love, so obviously it’s a major goal. If, as a result of SailGP, the sport really grows to a different level, that would be way bigg\er than anything else I’ve done in the sport, by a huge margin.”
All 12 F50 catamarans are identical in build and technology
American billionaire Ellison - the world’s fourth-richest man, according to Forbes - and Coutts had been at the forefront of discussions around creating an America’s Cup style World Series in foiling catamarans. After the U.S. lost the 2017 America’s Cup in Bermuda, it was time.
SailGP was at least partially born from Coutts’ desire to develop a continuous grand prix race circuit. The boats were built upon the AC50s used in the America’s Cup but, unlike Formula 1 which SailGP is often likened to, each of the teams’ F50 catamarans are identical, which helps keep costs down and drive up competition as the skill of each crew is tested to the max.
On top of this, SailGP became the first truly climate-positive sport and entertainment business, with the aim of accelerating the transition to clean energy, and a focus on leading the development of sustainable initiatives.
Links between Formula 1 and SailGP can be seen throughout. Team members are referred to as ‘athletes’ rather than ‘sailors’. It’s the ‘Driver’, rather than the ‘Skipper’ who steers the boat and speeds are not measured in traditional nautical knots but kilometers per hour.
Read More: The Evolution Of The F50
The idea crystallized and a new racing circuit was announced, with five venues in its inaugural season - Sydney, San Francisco, New York, Cowes and Marseille - and a $1million prize purse to be contested by six teams. The nations that competed in Season One were Australia, China, France, Great Britain, Japan and the United States.
Australia, helmed by Tom Slingsby who is now the most decorated sailor in league history, won the inaugural season of SailGP.
Speaking after Season One, Coutts said: “This season, we’ve gone from being a small start-up with a big vision, to a maturing global sports property.
“We’ve proven what we’re capable of - which is running world-class events with the ability to significantly expand the audience for a redefined version of sailing.
“There is of course a lot more we can do to further develop SailGP, and we will continue building on what’s been established this year. We will add new spectacular venues, increase the number of teams and continue to make innovative improvements to the F50 catamarans that will not only make them faster, but sailable in a wider range of conditions.”
Season Five of SailGP has seen the fleet increase to 12 teams
As promised, the competition has gone from strength to strength. A new 12-team line-up was announced ahead of Season Five. This included first timers Brazil and Italy, who joined the fleet for 2024.
Teams were initially owned by SailGP itself to ensure they had sufficient financial backing but have gradually become privately owned. The U.S. SailGP Team is one of those, having been purchased by two-time world champion Mike Buckley, Uber engineer Ryan McKillen and his wife Margaret, and Marc Lasry's Avenue Capital Group in November 2023. Under the direction of Buckley - who also serves as the team’s Strategist and CEO – the U.S. SailGP Team has secured the most diverse investor group in sailing history, including Issa Rae, DeAndre Hopkins and Gary Vaynerchuk.
Other privately owned teams include NorthStar Canada, Emirates Great Britain, Mubadala Brazil, Switzerland, Germany, and Italy.
SailGP is committed to making an indelible mark on the history of sailing. Teams are allowed to recruit athletes from other nations when they enter the league and gradually this number is reduced as each season passes.
U.S. SailGP Team's Anna Weis is the only female Grinder in the fleet
However, one non-negotiable since Season Two is that each team must include at least one female athlete in its crew. The U.S. SailGP are pioneers in this, with Olympian Anna Weis serving as one of the team’s two Grinders, a physically demanding position that means she is the only full-time Grinder in the fleet. Furthermore, there is a Women’s Accelerator Programme that is designed to provide all participants with support and tools that enable progression within SailGP and beyond.
Innovation continues apace, on and off the water, with the 2024/25 season described as the most technologically advanced in sailing history. We looked in more detail at the
technology behind the F50 catamarans in this piece
, but the league has also introduced artificial intelligence (AI) powered race marks, cameras, anti-crash technology and diagnostics analysis, while its best-in-class augmented reality (AR) overlay tool brings viewers closer to the action during broadcasts.That’s an abridged version of the story so far – and we can’t wait to find out what the future holds for SailGP!
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