It’s the news many suspected, but few wanted to hear confirmed: Alinghi Red Bull Racing has officially withdrawn from the 38th America’s Cup. After weeks of speculation and silence from the team’s usually polished communications machine, Boating New Zealand received an overnight statement from team spokesperson, confirming the syndicate’s exit and the beginning of a full disestablishment process.
“Despite all our efforts,” the spokesperson said, “we – Alinghi Red Bull Racing – have not been able to find agreement with the Defender of the America’s Cup for the future of the event. We would like to have seen more accountability, greater transparency and new opportunities to perform not only individually but as a group. That way, we might… all of us together could have delivered a commercially viable event capable of attracting global TV coverage, spectators, and sponsors.”
The statement concludes with a note of gratitude to the team’s backers and collaborators:
“So, it is with great disappointment that we have begun an orderly wind-down of the Alinghi Red Bull Racing team. The brands that have formed this team will always be part of the America’s Cup history and the last few years have been an incredible journey. We thank every team member, every sponsor and every supporter for their belief, trust, and commitment throughout.”
A cup legacy that helped rewrite the rules
Alinghi has long been more than just another name on the America’s Cup scoreboard. The Swiss syndicate burst onto the scene in 2003, hiring Kiwi sailing legend Russell Coutts and key members of Team New Zealand’s brain trust to mount a campaign that would ultimately snatch the Cup from Kiwi hands in Auckland.
That stunning upset not only shattered New Zealand’s grip on the Auld Mug but also redefined the landscape of professional sailing. Alinghi’s win led to sweeping changes in team loyalties, campaign structures and – eventually – Cup governance.
Their legacy continued in the 2007 defence in Valencia and again in 2010, when they lost the Cup to Larry Ellison’s BMW Oracle Racing in a Deed of Gift match dominated by massive multihulls and legal wrangling.
The return of Alinghi for AC37 in Barcelona, partnered with Red Bull, was seen as a new era for the syndicate, bringing youthful Swiss sailing talent into the AC75 generation and offering a commercially robust platform for one of sport’s most exclusive trophies.
Now, with their withdrawal, that renaissance ends not with a bang, but with a terse statement of discontent.
Pressure points behind the scenes
The team’s reference to a breakdown in negotiations with the Defender – understood to be Emirates Team New Zealand – is especially telling. While the specifics remain confidential, the language around transparency and accountability suggests ongoing tension over the commercial framework and structural setup of AC38.
Alinghi’s withdrawal also raises questions about the future shape of the Cup. Fewer challengers could diminish the global interest in the event – both in terms of media rights and sponsor appeal – especially when one of those challengers comes with Red Bull branding and the associated reach into youth, motorsport, and lifestyle markets.
Boating New Zealand has submitted follow-up questions to the Alinghi Red Bull Racing media team but has not yet received a response.
What happens now?
With Alinghi Red Bull Racing out, the countdown to the 38th America’s Cup loses a key player. For fans and commercial partners alike, the Swiss team’s departure is a blow to the event’s international footprint. For rival syndicates, however, it potentially reshapes the battlefield – reducing pressure in the challenger series, and reconfiguring the strategic landscape of the build-up period.
Whether Red Bull re-enters the Cup arena in future cycles, perhaps through another partnership or a youth programme like the Youth or Women’s America’s Cup, remains to be seen. But for now, Alinghi – a name that has loomed large in Cup history for more than two decades – is stepping away from the race.
And for many in the boating world, it feels like the end of a very significant chapter.
NOTE: Currently there are two teams entered into the 38th America’s Cup: Emirates Team New Zealand and Athena Racing (CEO is Sir Ben Ainslie). We have approached each of the other teams to ascertain their current thoughts on entering the competition.
