5 Things You Missed In Abu Dhabi
Here’s everything you need to know from the final Sail Grand Prix of the 2025 Season…
Published 12/2/2025
The 2025 SailGP Season concluded on Sunday in a fashion befitting a year of twists, turns and drama, with Emirates GBR crowned Rolex SailGP Champions.
The good news is the wait for the new season is a short one. Action resumes in Perth, Australia, on January 17, kicking off another 12 months of high-speed foiling action.
Before the 2025 campaign closes, here’s everything you might have missed from the Mubadala Abu Dhabi Sail Grand Prix Grand Final…
Brand-new Winners For 2025 Season
The Emirates GBR Team celebrates winning the Mubadala Abu Dhabi Sail Grand Prix
A nail-biting Grand Final saw Dylan Fletcher’s crew out-maneuver the BONDS Flying Roos and New Zealand Black Foils to become the third different Championship winners in five seasons of SailGP.
Reigning Champions Los Gallos agonizingly missed out on the final by just six points, unable to edge out Tom Slingsby’s Australia during seven fleet races across the weekend.
That meant a three-way shoot-out with three-time winners the Flying Roos, and Peter Burling’s Black Foils. The Brits were at the back of the pack early on but a perfectly timed and executed maneuver on Leg 4 saw them move into first and fortify that position to cross the finish line with a 200m lead.
Speaking afterwards, GBR driver Fletcher said: “It was an unbelievable final. All the three teams were amazing, any one of us could have won, but I’m just over the moon right now. What a team, what a year… I’m stoked.”
Flying Vikings Are First-Time Event Winners
ROCKWOOL Denmark F50 won the Mubadala Abu Dhabi Sail Grand Prix on points
ROCKWOOL Denmark has undoubtedly been one of the most entertaining teams to watch this season. Driven by Nicolai Sehested, the Danes have been box office throughout the campaign.
After going 3-1-1-2 on Saturday, Denmark started Sunday with a P10 that risked undoing all their good work. However, the dynamic Danes delivered a brilliant 2nd place in the final fleet race of the weekend, in doing so clinching the event win – the first in team history.
Winning driver Sehested said: “We’ve been in a lot of finals and we’ve been so close so many times, so it feels good to get this one off our back. It’s been hanging for a while – you could smell it in the team base for a long time.”
U.S. SailGP Team Concludes Season With A Positive Finish
The U.S. SailGP Team carried its late-season momentum into the final event, earning its best result since the season opener in Dubai.
Taylor Canfield and team secured a podium finish back in November 2024 to open the season in style – and finished with a P5 back in the United Arab Emirates after going 6-3-4-12-11-4.
Light air conditions once again played to the team's strengths, delivering once more with 27 points across the event – just three short of a podium finish.
Speaking in The Buckley Debrief, CEO, Co-Owner and strategist Mike Buckley said: “Historically, our team has done a lot of M32 sailing which are fast catamarans that don’t foil. So when we have those conditions, the group feels more comfortable. When you feel more comfortable and confident, it’s easier to make good decisions.”
Italy Secures First Podium
Red Bull Italy finished 2nd under new driver Phil Robertson at the Mubadala Abu Dhabi Sail Grand Prix
It’s been a season of progress for Red Bull Italy in its maiden season in SailGP. The Azzurri brought the curtain down on 2025 with their first podium finish in the Middle East, going 8-4-3-7-5-6.
That marked the perfect start to a new era, with former NorthStar Canada, Los Gallos and China driver Phil Robertson taking the wheel for the first time after signing earlier in the week. He replaced Ruggero Tita, who will remain on the Italy roster next season.
Big Prize Purse On The Line
There was more money than ever making up the prize purse in Abu Dhabi, as the fifth season of SailGP concluded in the desert.
Winners Emirates GBR walked away with a cool $2million for being crowned Rolex SailGP Champions. On top of that, they bagged an extra $800k for finishing top of the season standings with 90 points.
For Mubadala Abu Dhabi Sail Grand Prix winners ROCKWOOL Denmark, there was a hefty $400k check to cash, with Italy taking home $240k and France picking up $160k for finishing 3rd at the event.
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