Emirates GBR secures Auckland podium result to top 2025 SailGP leaderboard
by Emirates GBR SailGP Team 20 Jan 00:31 NZDT
18-19 January 2025
Emirates Great Britain SailGP Team helmed by Dylan Fletcher on Race Day 2 of The Rolex SailGP Championship ITM New Zealand Sail Grand Prix in Auckland © Felix Diemer for SailGP
The Emirates Great Britain SailGP Team secured its second consecutive podium finish in the 2025 Season with an exhilarating day of racing at the ITM New Zealand Sail Grand Prix in Auckland. The crew's performance puts them at the top of the season leaderboard.
The final day of the event brought full-on conditions, with teams facing waves, wind against tide, and gusts reaching up to 45 km/h. Emirates GBR entered the day in second place after a solid performance on Race Day 1, but the team knew that maintaining consistency would be key to securing a spot in the podium final.
The second day of racing in Auckland included a bumper schedule of three fleet races before the podium final. In the first race of the day and fifth of the event, the British team made an impressive start, hitting the line with perfect timing and rounding the first mark in second place, just behind Australia. At the third gate, Emirates GBR Driver Dylan Fletcher split from Tom Slingsby's Australian team, briefly leading the field. Slingsby then responded with a brilliant match racing move, retaking the lead and holding off Fletcher and his team.
With two more fleet races to follow, the Brits had their eye on the podium final but knew there was still work to do. After finishing sixth and then fourth, Emirates GBR secured its place in the three-boat podium race, and all eyes shifted to the final showdown between the Brits, Australia and Spain.
The final did not disappoint the sold-out Kiwi crowd, with 8,000 spectators filling the grandstands as the three teams lined up on the start. The three F50 race boats hit the line within seconds of each other. Emirates GBR's Fletcher went for an aggressive push to the first mark and it paid off briefly, until the team fell off the foils in the first manoeuvre - giving Australia and Spain a large advantage. Despite the British team's best efforts to gain some yards, their opponents were too far ahead. The final race ended with Australia taking the win, followed by Season 4 champions Spain in second and Emirates GBR in third.
Although Emirates GBR was unable to secure victory, it was the team's second podium finish in as many events, after finishing second at the Emirates Dubai Sail Grand Prix in November. The impressive start to the 2025 Season means Emirates GBR is now top of the overall season leaderboard.
Emirates GBR Driver Dylan Fletcher reflected on the team's performance: "Obviously, it's disappointing to make the final again and not be on the top of the podium, but we are also focused on the bigger picture here of the overall season standings. Hats off to the Aussies—they sailed really well. I'm really happy with the team's performance in these first two events of the season. Dubai was light winds and here was a different end of the spectrum with some big gusts so to come away with a podium in each is great. Obviously we want more but It's a long season ahead and we're looking forward to pushing all the way."
Emirates GBR will be back in action at the KPMG Australia Sail Grand Prix in Sydney on 8/9 February.