5 Things You Missed at the Perth Sail Grand Prix
Everything you need to know from the opening round of the 2026 Rolex SailGP Championship
Published 01/20/2026
The 2026 Rolex SailGP Championship is underway, and the U.S. SailGP Team made a strong start by claiming a P5 in Perth.
Reigning Champions Emirates GBR carried their form into the new campaign by winning Sunday’s Final, overcoming the BONDS Flying Roos and DS Automobiles France to clinch the first win of the season.
Here’s everything you might have missed from Fremantle…
1. U.S. SailGP Team starts in style
After finishing in P5 at the Mubadala Abu Dhabi Sail Grand Prix Grand Final in November, the U.S. SailGP Team had reason to look forward to the new year.
Taylor Canfield and co. successfully built on a positive end to the previous season by going 3-4-3-3 on Saturday, contributing to an overall total of 38 points and already topping last season's single event tally.
The U.S. SailGP Team had the fastest start on Day 1 in Perth
Reflecting on the weekend, Canfield said: "It was an incredible day - probably one of the hardest in SailGP history. It wasn't our best day, execution-wise - we made some silly errors, but we made huge strides. We have a solid base in a big breeze that we're super pleased about."
2. Artemis makes a statement on debut
There was plenty of talk ahead of racing about how the newly assembled Artemis SailGP Team, representing Sweden, would fare on its debut.
The answer was soon clear for all to see - very well!
Led by former Japan driver and Olympic gold medallist Nathan Outteridge, the Swedes went 9-2-1-1-6-4-11 and were in with a chance of reaching Sunday’s Final until Race 7. An overall P4 at the event marks an impressive debut for the long-awaited 13th member of the fleet.
Speaking afterward, Outteridge said: "Fourth is an awesome result. It’s always hard to go from leading to missing the podium on day two but I'm proud of the team.
"What a result - if you would have said four months ago we would have been fighting for [a] podium and winning races I would have taken that."
3. Aussies’ super-sub steals the show
The off-season was dominated by a number of changes in the wing trimmer market. The BONDS Flying Roos had their own new signing ready to debut in Perth – but disaster struck in practice.
On Thursday, Iain Jensen was ruled out of racing after falling awkwardly while crossing the F50 during a maneuver and injuring his knee.
Step forward, Glenn Ashby. An America’s Cup-winning skipper and Olympic silver medallist, the 48-year-old had been farming his cows in Victoria before taking Jensen’s place with just a day’s practice, delivering a solid display as the Aussies went to the Final.
Speaking to The Athletic, Australia CEO and driver Tom Slingsby said: “Glenny and I have been talking about racing with each other ever since we were roommates before the Beijing Olympics. So we’ve been talking about it for the best part of 20 years and today was our first day (racing together).”
4. NBA legend drops by U.S. SailGP Team base
Three-time NBA Champion JaVale McGee might have a claim to be the tallest person to ever set foot on the U.S. SailGP Team F50 after this weekend!
The 18th pick of the 2008 NBA draft linked up with the Crew Down Under, where he is currently plying his trade with the Illawarra Hawks of the Australian NBL. He was joined on base by Hawks coach Justin Tatum.
A gold medallist at the 2020 Olympic games, the former Golden State Warriors center underwent a tour of the team’s base, met the Crew and later got on the F50. At 7ft, it’s unlikely we’ll see him in the cockpit any time soon, though!
5. France rewarded for starting tactics
It was a good weekend for the newly re-branded DS Automobiles France SailGP Team, who placed 3rd overall in Perth after delivering a series of impressive starts.
Quentin Delapierre’s team took a very deliberate strategy of positioning themselves at the back of the pack in the start box - and it paid off.
Les Bleus went 2-1-2-8-5-2-2, with Delapierre’s strategic call to slingshot through the fleet at the last minute after building speed further back working to perfection.
Claim your own U.S. SailGP Team Crew Card
Join the Crew
Support
Contact
Powered By
© FanCapital LLC