Light air and tight traffic define the final race of Day One.
A tense start in drifting air
SailGP Abu Dhabi Race 4 began in light, sticky wind that punished anyone even slightly late to accelerate. Several teams jumped early or fouled at the line, including France, Canada and Spain, while a stream of protests lit up almost immediately. Boats eased over the start with barely enough pressure to keep foiling.
Denmark escaped cleanly and rounded Mark 1 first, with Germany, USA and Australia close behind. New Zealand crossed mid-pack but were caught in two rapid-fire calls that stalled them before they’d even settled. That delay hung over the rest of their race.
Penalties disrupt the rhythm
What unfolded between Marks 1 and 3 was more like rush-hour traffic than grand prix sailing. Penalties rolled through the fleet almost nonstop. Germany were judged not to have given room to Spain. Italy and France picked up repeated calls. The USA and Canada were dragged into several mark-rounding tangles. Every time a boat slowed to clear a penalty, the breeze filled somewhere else, and the order shifted again.
Brazil found themselves in front at Mark 3, threading the cleaner water down the middle. Denmark stayed in touch, but the left side sagged as the breeze softened. France, Italy and Germany all hovered within seconds of each other. Spain, who had looked in trouble off the line, read the pressure well and lifted out of the pack.
New Zealand steadied the boat after their early hit and worked back into the mid-fleet group, but their damaged timing at the start meant they were always chasing.
Switzerland breaks free and close it out
Switzerland’s win came from a simple advantage: they were the only top-five boat with a clear lane on the last upwind. They kept the boat flying on the smallest of lifts, rounded cleanly, and held their speed down the final run. Denmark crossed behind them after sailing a controlled, tidy race in fading wind.
Germany and France followed within seconds. Canada, Italy and New Zealand arrived as a bunch, with the Kiwis unable to find enough pressure to climb further. Australia slipped back late as the breeze thinned on their side of the course, while the USA endured another race shaped by penalties and poor lanes.
Four races down. Racing starts again tomorrow, here in Abu Dhabi.
For New Zealand, the ninth place stings, but they’re still in the hunt. With three fleet races tomorrow before the season-deciding final, the Black Foils, Emirates GBR and Australia all head into Day Two needing clean starts and fewer calls in order to protect their places at the top.
Points
Race points
1. Switzerland, 10pts
2. Denmar, 9pts
3. Brazil, 8pts
4. Great Britain, 7pts
5. Australia, 6pts
6. New Zealand, 5pts
7. Italy, 4pts
8. France, 3pts
9. Canada, 2pts
10. Germany, 1pt
11. Spain, 0pts
12. USA, 0pts
Event points
1. Denmark, 36pts
2. Switzerland, 29pts
3. Brazil, 23pts
4. USA, 20pts
5. Canada, 19pts
6. Germany, 19pts
7. Italy, 19pts
8. New Zealand, 13pts
9. France, 12pts
10. Great Britain, 11pts
11. Australia, 11pts
12. Spain, 8pts
Season points
(If event positions stay the same through Day 2; event point allocations.)
1. Great Britain, 85pts (86pts)
2. New Zealand, 82pts (85pts)
3. Australia, 80pts
4. Spain, 76pts
5. France, 61pts (63pts)
6. Canada, 48pts (54pts)
7. Denmark, 38pts (48pts)
8. Switzerland, 38pts (47pts)
9. Germany, 31pts (36pts)
10. Italy, 22pts (26pts)
11. Brazil, 16pts (24pts)
12. USA, -4pts (3pts)
