Slingsby roars back as Australia wins Race 4 at SailGP Portsmouth

Australia bounced back in spectacular fashion during the fourth and final race of Day 1 of the SailGP Portsmouth event, with Tom Slingsby executing a near-flawless performance to claim a critical win. Having recorded seventh and fifth in the previous races, the pressure was on for the Flying Roos — and they delivered.

Slingsby led the fleet from the first turn, using aggressive positioning to force Spain wide and disrupt their exit from Gate 2. From that moment, the Australian team looked sharp and composed. Their ability to stay fast in cleaner air gave them room to manage maneuvers with precision, while teams behind scrambled to find space.

Emirates GBR continued to impress in home waters. Despite being pinned in traffic early in the race and unable to sail their optimal line, Dylan Fletcher’s team once again proved they are one of the most disciplined and well-drilled teams in the fleet. Their second-place finish capped off a superb day — 1st, 2nd, 3rd — placing them firmly atop the provisional leaderboard.

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Red Bull Italy rounded out the podium with a strong tactical performance. Opting for fewer manoeuvres and choosing clean air over risky positioning, they played a smart race to secure third.

Brazil had their best race of the day, showing real grit after suffering a penalty for sailing outside the course boundary. They rallied to take fourth, narrowly beating Germany, who also posted their highest result of the weekend in fifth.

The final leg saw tight tactical battles between these mid-fleet teams, with many sailing within disturbed wind as they fought for clean air. The impact of losing boat speed in these zones was clear — particularly for the teams at the back of the pack.

New Zealand and Spain, who had each won races earlier in the day, found themselves buried at the start. A fall off the foils for New Zealand in their first manoeuvre and positional traffic for Spain sealed their fate early. Both finished well down the order, with little opportunity to recover.

Heading into the final three fleet races tomorrow, Emirates GBR hold the upper hand, with Switzerland and Australia in the hunt. The formbook has been rewritten several times already — and Sunday’s racing promises more drama.

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Race results

1. Bonds Flying Roos, 10 points
2. Emirates GBR, 9 points
3. Red Bull Italy, 8 points
4. GER Deutsche Bank, 7 points
5. Mubadala Brazil, 6 points
6. Switzerland, 5 points
7. ROCKWOOL DEN, 4 points
8. United States, 3 points
9. Canada, 2 points
10. Spain, 1 point
11. New Zealand, 0 points
12. France, 0 points

Fleet race results

1. Emirates GBR with 36 points
2. Switzerland with 30 points
3. BONDS Flying Roos with 26 points
4. New Zealand with 26 points
5. Red Bull Italy with 24 points
6. Spain with 20 points
7. ROCKWOOL DEN with 17 points
8. GER Deutsche Bank with 11 points
9. Mubadala Brazil with 10 points
10. United States with 10 points
11. Canada with 10 points
12. France with 0 points

Championship results

A reminder of the 2025 Championship results so far; these will change after the SailGP Portsmouth 2025 event.

1. BONDS Flying Roos with 45 points
2. Spain with 46 points
3. New Zealand with 44 points
4. Emirates GBR with 41 points
5. Canada with 38 points
6. France with 36 points
7. Switzerland with 20 points
8. ROCKWOOL DEN with 14 points
9. Red Bull Italy with 13 points
10. Mubadala Brazil with 9 points
11. GER Deutsche Bank with 0 points
12. United States with 0 points