From the moment Peter Burling’s Black Foils rounded Mark 1 in the leading group, they looked untouchable. With every manoeuvre perfectly timed and executed, the Kiwis stretched their lead across the entire race — finishing more than eight seconds ahead of France and with 100% flight time, an exceptional stat in the day’s variable breeze.
“That was classic Burling,” said one commentator, as New Zealand minimised manoeuvres, found clean lanes, and never once came off the foils. The win also locks them into the event final, where they’ll face Emirates GBR and Switzerland.
France bounce back with dominant win in restarted Race 6 in Portsmouth SailGP 2025
Swiss hold their nerve
Their convincing win was distracted by the showdown between Switzerland and Australia — both fighting for the third and final spot in the event final. Sebastien Schneiter’s Swiss team started strong, positioning well at the start and making bold tactical calls early. One of the most crucial moments came at Gate 2, where the Swiss dived inside France, grabbing clean air and sailing clear of the congested traffic behind.
From there, the Swiss focused on staying close to Australia — covering every move and sailing a conservative, calculated race. Even when the Australians split and tried to force an overtake at the final gate, Switzerland stayed calm, avoiding incident and rounding clean.
Despite multiple protests from the Australians, umpires issued no penalties, confirming the Swiss had played it perfectly.
That fourth-place finish was enough. For the first time in SailGP history, Switzerland is through to a final.
Slingsby gives it everything
Tom Slingsby and the Bonds Flying Roos threw everything they had at this one. They started near the front, manoeuvred aggressively, and even rolled the dice with a late split. But a few early errors — including a poor turn and loss of flight on one leg — proved costly.
Australia finished fifth, just one spot behind the Swiss, when they needed to finish at least four places ahead. Slingsby, clearly frustrated, will take little comfort in seeing his closest rivals Emirates GBR also miss the podium in this race — though the British are already qualified.
That’s now two events in a row where small mistakes have cost the Aussies a spot in the final.
Chaos in the fleet
It wasn’t just Switzerland and Australia trading blows. Behind the leaders, the mid-fleet battles were fierce — and often messy. Germany, who had been sailing well, suffered a significant collision near a course marker. Their foil appeared to clip the anchor line of a mark, leading to a dramatic spin and loss of control. They dropped out of contention instantly.
Further back, Emirates GBR had a quiet race but did what they needed to do. Sitting safe in the overall event standings, they stayed out of trouble and cruised home in seventh.
Spain, Brazil, and the USA all struggled in the shifting breeze and turbulent conditions. While penalties and boundary violations were common, the umpires kept a tight rein on race fairness, letting the action play out cleanly where they could.
Final three confirmed
With the results from Race 7 now confirmed, the event final in Portsmouth will feature New Zealand (Black Foils), Emirates GBR, and Switzerland.
France, Canada, and Australia all miss out — despite flashes of brilliance. For the Swiss, this breakthrough marks a historic moment, while for the Kiwis, it’s a continuation of the strong form they’ve built throughout the weekend.
What’s next
All eyes now turn to the final. Emirates GBR will enjoy the home crowd’s backing, but New Zealand arrive in top form, and Switzerland — after years of chasing the pack — now have everything to gain.
If the Black Foils can carry today’s pace and composure into the final, they’ll be favourites. But on this course, with this pressure, anything can happen.
