The 2025 Rolex SailGP Championship comes down to one final weekend in Abu Dhabi - and the Black Foils have a good chance to lift the trophy for the first time
After a season built on consistency (10 wins and 24 top-three finishes), Peter Burling and his crew have positioned themselves exactly where they need to be: within striking distance of the Grand Final.
For us Kiwi fans, the story is simple. New Zealand has been one of the top teams in the league for several seasons, boasting this years fleet’s strongest foiling score and some of the sharpest race-day execution.
What they haven’t managed – not yet – is turning all that consistency into a championship title. This weekend could change that.
A three-way fight, plus last seasons winner still in the equation
The path to the 2025 season Grand Final wont be straightforward. Emirates GBR enter the Grand Final weekend as the team to beat, having delivered the most dominant season on paper. The BONDS Flying Roos, three-time champions, remain dangerous as always – especially with Tom Slingsby’s unmatched Grand Final experience.
Then there’s Spain. Los Gallos have been streaky, unpredictable, and explosive at key moments. If Diego Botin’s squad make the three-boat final, they’re capable of upsetting anyone. The dark horse of the weekend.
The Black Foils have one thing none of the others have
They have never been beaten in the UAE. Abu Dhabi has been good to them, and they know every shift and pattern on this racecourse.
In a single winner-takes-all race, the opening seconds often decide the outcome, this could be their winning advantage. Knowing the conditions, the confidence of winning, hopefully this is their winning combination.
New Zealand have been one of the most respected teams in SailGP since joining the league – innovative, consistent, and relentlessly competitive. A championship title would validate years of work, experimentation, and refinement. It would also cement Burling, Tuke, and the Black Foils crew as one of the most complete teams in the sport.
And for Kiwi fans, a SailGP title would be another chapter in a long history of excellence on the water.
And as always, we’ll be backing the Kiwis all the way!
