5 Things you missed at the Switzerland Sail Grand Prix

How closely were you paying attention to racing in Geneva?

Published 09/22/2026

For the third time in the last five events, Los Gallos were crowned victorious at the Switzerland Sail Grand Prix in Geneva.

Suddenly, there are only two events to go and two chances to secure a place in November’s winner-takes-all Grand Final in Abu Dhabi.

With event No.11 in the books, here are five things you might have missed from a weekend racing on Lac Léman…

1. U.S. SailGP Team makes history

When injury ruled both Taylor Canfield and Harry Melges IV out of driving the U.S. SailGP Team’s F50, the team needed to move quickly.

With a SailGP Super License required to drive an F50 and few qualified drivers available, Team Principal Mike Buckley turned to two-time Olympic gold medalist Martine Grael to take the wheel in Geneva.

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By stepping into the driving seat in Geneva, with Anna Weis acting as strategist in the light-air conditions, the Crew made history as the first team to race with two female athletes aboard and another - Louisa Nordstrom - contributing from the chase boat.

2. Los Gallos locks Grand Final spot

Diego Botín’s crew will join the BONDS Flying Roos at the Grand Final in Abu Dhabi in November – assuming they do not suffer a catastrophic penalty points deduction before then.

Los Gallos celebrate winning the Rolex Switzerland Sail Grand Prix in Geneva

For the third time in five events, Los Gallos picked up the hardware to move into an otherwise unassailable position in the 2026 Rolex SailGP Championship standings.

The 2024 Season Champions agonizingly missed out on the 2025 Grand Final by just seven points. The first part of the redemption job is done.

3. The vikings are flying!

It might come too late to gatecrash the top of the standings but ROCKWOOL Racing’s form in the last couple of events needs to be studied.

Nicolai Sehested’s squad made their first Final of the season in Valencia - finishing P4 - and went one better in Geneva. This was the first time since 2022 that ROCKWOOL had been in successive finals.

After winning three of five fleet races in Group A, ROCKWOOL picked up P3 in the Final to clinch their highest finish of the season. Two of their wins came on Super Sunday despite taking 10 seconds to cross the start line - longer than anyone else - and only finding themselves an average of P4.5 at Mark 1.

4. Changing conditions wreak havoc

On the otherwise serene Lac Léman, the changing conditions caused havoc for the 13 F50s dueling for supremacy and a shot at the $800,000 prize pot.

Emirates GBR driver Dylan Fletcher was heard on team radio reacting to the decision to hold a fifth fleet race for Group B. That was because the Brits - at this stage - would have qualified for their first Final since finishing at runners-up in New York at the end of May.

So changeable were the conditions that the wind rose and dropped between races, with Group B the beneficiaries more often than not. It should provide good practice for the season’s two remaining events, though, with Dubai and Abu Dhabi notoriously light-air venues.

5. Aussies make history but miss ultimate prize

For the second event in succession, Tom Slingsby, driver and CEO of the BONDS Flying Roos, saw his crew pipped at the final mark.

In Valencia, it was the U.S. SailGP Team. In Geneva, it was Los Gallos. Despite that disappointment, the Roos are already headed to the Grand Final on November 30.

Furthermore, the Australians clinched their 21st fleet race win of the season – something no team has done before. With just six points required to hit a century on the season, the Roos have already beaten last season’s total of 80.

The record for the most season points was set last year by Emirates GBR who reached 100 en-route to winning the Grand Final…

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