Black Foils driver Peter Burling has thrown New Zealand’s SailGP Grand Final build-up into uncertainty after suffering a hand injury during training
NOVEMBER 27, 2025 – ABU DHABI, UAE The injury occurred while Burling was addressing an issue with a daggerboard (foil) – after which he was rushed to a local medical center for assessment and treatment. Speaking at this morning’s press conference, Burling said, “We had an incident in training yesterday where I ended up with a reasonably decent cut of my finger.”
Peter Burling said the timing was far from ideal but remained optimistic. He told media:
“So, yeah, no sailing for me today, and we’ll just kind of monitor the situation as it goes. It’s not the ideal way to build up to the Grand Final, but we feel like the team’s in great shape and it’s now about doing everything I can to recover and make sure I’m ready to go.”
With Burling out of the boat for the day, strategist Liv Mackay will take the helm for scheduled practice. Burling will be reassessed on Friday ahead of official Grand Final preparations.
READ: Can the Black Foils claim their first SailGP title in 2025?
