Artemis back to back wins as 2026 SailGP Perth throws the fleet into penalty trouble

A closer, a judgement test

Race 4 in Perth did not reward the team with the flashiest moves, it rewarded the team that made fewer bad calls when the course became crowded and the breeze began to rotate.

The fleet, already reduced with Spain, New Zealand and Switzerland all out of play, felt bustling and busy as bottom gates funnelled boats into tight, awkward situations. The Fremantle Doctor remained in charge, clean and firm, and by the late afternoon the water looked darker in patches, signalling the shift that would soon define the race.

Italy finally nail the start

Red Bull Italy, with Kiwi Phil Robertson driving, produced their sharpest launch of the day and converted it into a proper first mark lead.

Italy hit the line with speed and space and then attacked Mark 1 as if they had been waiting all afternoon for that moment. DS Team France again found a way into the front group, despite starting in traffic, while Artemis chose to create separation by sailing away from the worst of the pack rather than fighting for inches at the first gate.

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Behind them, Brazil looked competitive early and Denmark were moving well, while Canada drifted into trouble, first with positioning and then with discipline.

Artemis find the shift and the race breaks open

Wind change delivered the first key moment on the initial long upwind leg.

A right hand shift rolled across the course and Artemis commit early, building leverage while others continued to chase pressure rather than direction. The gain was immediate and brutal, with Artemis climbing past the early leaders, opening a gap large enough to change how they could sail the remainder of the race.

Once Outteridge had clean air, the race became a different problem. Artemis chose manoeuvres, protected their lane, and avoided the congestion at the gates, whilst the rest of the fleet continued to trip over one another at the bottom of the course.

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Penalties start to stack up

As the middle pack tightened, the umpires got busier.

Canada picked up multiple penalties for boundary infringements, and Brazil were hit repeatedly as well, including a boundary penalty and then a port tack foul on Australia late in the race sequence. The point gaps between boats were small enough that a single penalty drop was the difference between a podium fight and drifting into the bottom half.

Australia benefitted from the shake-up, but they also earned their way back. After sitting as low as eighth earlier in the race, Tom Slingsby’s crew found the right lanes on the upwind, stayed on the foils, and climbed steadily into second.

The USA applied examples provided from last year’s team Emirates GBR, gaining places with sharp cornering and accurate laylines rather than headline grabbing speed.

France lose the thread at the worst time

For the first time in Perth, DS Team France looked vulnerable.

They had been the most reliable front runner across the earlier races, but in Race 4 they lost flight during a critical sequence and were unable to regain clean air. France slipped out of the lead group and ended the race deep in the order, a costly result on a day where they had been banking points consistently.

A yellow flag and a clear winner

As the race entered its final minutes, it ended under a yellow flag. Congested and high risk made their mark.

Artemis crossed the line first after the start, completing a clean sweep of the final two races of the day and stamping their authority on the event. Australia followed in second, 26 seconds behind, while the USA secured third, another steady points haul in a weekend that is already shaping around consistency as much as race wins.

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Behind them, Brazil crossed fourth but their penalties dragged them back in the order, with Britain, Italy, Denmark, and France all shuffled by the calls.

What it means heading into Sunday

Four fleet races into the Perth opener, the story is no longer about who arrived favourite, it is about who can manage Perth’s particular mix of breeze, chop, boundary pressure, and traffic.

Artemis have shown they can read the shifts and keep their boat moving when others get caught defending. Australia have salvaged a strong second to stay in the hunt. The USA have been the quiet achievers, building a points base that can put them into a Sunday final if they keep it up. France, after looking like the team to beat, have taken their first real hit.

This is performance sailing 101. Events won’t be won with one heroic race, it will be won by teams that do the basics right, stay out of the penalty box, and keeps finding clean air when the course gets ugly.

Race results

Standings at end of Race Day 1