Well The Rolex SailGP Championship 2026 season certainly got off to a dramatic start in SailGP Perth
January 17 brought a challenging opening day at Perth SailGP, reshaping the leaderboard, with Artemis emerging as the surprise package and New Zealand’s weekend ending early after a catastrophic turn-two collision with the Swiss team.
Artemis, the U.S. SailGP Team and DS Automobiles Team France are locked together on 31 points apiece heading into Championship Sunday after four turbulent fleet races in testing conditions. The Freemantle Doctor certainly lived up to is reputation.
Artemis sit top after two wins, underlining there is no settling-in period for their 2026 debut, while the U.S. impressed with consistent podium finishes and France showed composure and speed to stay firmly in contention. The day saw 12 national teams take to the water in Perth’s strong, shifty breeze, though only 11 are expected to race on Sunday after Spain was ruled out following damage sustained in practice.
For the Blackfoils, sadly, the event was effectively over as soon as it began
A heavy collision with Switzerland on the way to the second mark, in the opening race left the Black Foils taking on water, with significant damage to the stern.
Skipper Peter Burling said, “Yeah, super tough day for us – we did everything we could to keep clear and didn’t expect to be in this situation. Their [the Swiss] bow went through the back of our boat. Everyone is pretty shaken up and frustrated, but we’re interested in the outcome of the [penalty] hearing and understanding the way forward.”
Switzerland’s driver Sébastien Schneiter described the moment as a setback but remained focused on bouncing back.
Elsewhere, home favourites Australia celebrated a race-one win, with skipper Tom Slingsby calling it “awesome,” while Artemis helmsman Nathan Outteridge claimed his first victories for the team and the U.S.’s Taylor Canfield praised his crew’s composure amid the chaos.