A high-speed nosedive in Sassnitz ends the weekend for Mubadala Brazil, while France battles to repair their F50 in time for racing.
The Mubadala Brazil SailGP Team’s campaign in Germany has come to an abrupt halt after a dramatic crash in Friday’s practice racing at Sassnitz.
During the second practice race, Brazil’s F50 catamaran suffered a catastrophic failure when the front beam collapsed in a violent nosedive at high speed. The impact ended any hope of racing this weekend.
No crew were injured, but the structural damage is beyond repair in the time available. An investigation is now underway to determine the cause of the incident.
The crash came just minutes after Quentin Delapierre’s France SailGP Team also struck trouble in the same session. Their F50 sustained damage that caused the boat to drop off its foils. Delapierre was taken to hospital for precautionary checks and later cleared of injury.
While Brazil’s boat is beyond recovery, the SailGP shore team is working through the night in an all-out effort to get France back on the start line for Saturday’s opening race at 3.30pm CEST.
The setback robs Sassnitz of one of its nine competing teams before the event has even begun, while raising questions about the challenging conditions faced during practice.
