SailGP's Grand Final weekend is here!
by Laura Muma, US SailGP Team 6 May 2023 11:01 NZST
May 6-7, 2023
SailGP's 11th and final event of Season 3 takes place on iconic San Francisco Bay this weekend, May 6 - 7, at the Mubadala SailGP Season 3 Grand Final. After a competitive season full of thrills, near misses and exciting finishes, the sport's best athletes are ready to leave it all on the Bay.
SailGP returns to San Francisco for its season finale with Saturday and Sunday racing (2:30 - 4 p.m. PDT each day), promising to deliver high-tech, high-speed action right in front of the Marina Green Race Village (99 Yacht Road), competing in identical, hydro-foiling F50 catamarans, flying across the bay at speeds of up to 60 mph.
Nine national teams representing Australia, Canada, Denmark, France, Great Britain, New Zealand, Spain, Switzerland and the United States, will compete Grand Prix style in Saturday and Sunday's fleet races that will decide the San Francisco event winner.
Sunday afternoon culminates with the Grand Final, where the top three overall teams in the season leaderboard will race one final, winner-take-all, $1 million race to determine the SailGP Season 3 champion.
Two-time defending champion Australia has its Grand Final berth locked in, and Driver Tom Slingsby said his team is feeling confident heading into the weekend. New Zealand and France are currently in second and third place overall respectively, but Great Britain is just one point behind, making the Grand Final race a hotly contested one.
While the United States SailGP Team led by sailing legend Jimmy Spithill is mathematically unable to qualify for the Grand Final; they are focused on winning the weekend Grand Prix on home turf.
"We have to go out there and use this opportunity to build up for Season 4 and what better way to do that than a great result in San Francisco," said Spithill. "This is a great opportunity for the team; there are a lot of fans, friends and supporters here in the Bay Area, and we'd love nothing more than to put on a good performance."
The Mubadala SailGP Season 3 Grand Final weekend will also include onshore entertainment and activities for fans in the Marina Green Race Village, including live music, food and beverage vendors and interactive exhibits. Limited tickets remain and can be purchased at SailGP.com/San Francisco.