5 THINGS TO WATCH OUT FOR WHEN RACING STARTS IN SAN FRANCISCO
From Spain vs France in fleet racing, to New Zealand gunning for the Championship title, we round up five things to watch out for when racing gets underway.
Spain vs France in fleet racing
It's a congested top half of the leaderboard, with just five points separating Spain in third place and France in fourth. This means there’s everything to play for when fleet racing begins, with France gunning to beat Spain and steal their spot in the Grand Final. Can Spain hold the French off? Or will Quentin Delapierre’s squad swoop in and claim fleet racing victory?
Will New Zealand convert stellar season into Championship title?
It’s been an incredible season for Peter Burling’s New Zealand, which is the only team so far qualified for the winner-takes-all, $2 million Grand Final. But the Kiwis came so close to winning the Season 3 title, losing out to fierce rivals Australia in the final seconds of the race. Will they choke again, or can they hold on to claim the ultimate victory?
Can the Australians battle back to claim a 4th Championship title
Triple champions Australia meanwhile have had an uncharacteristically lukewarm season, with only one event win despite being in eight Finals. But driver Tom Slingsby has reemphasized that the Aussies have ‘never been beaten in San Francisco’. Will this remain true in Season 4’s showdown?
Will other teams play spoiler?
According to the points, it’s mathematically probable that two teams out of Australia, France and Spain will join New Zealand in the Grand Final showdown. But points are tight - with Canada and Emirates GBR just four behind France. Could stellar performances from these teams, combined with poor performances from others, completely reshuffle the leaderboard when racing gets underway?
Who will come at the bottom of the fleet?
It’s been another tough season for Switzerland, and a steep learning curve for Germany in their debut season. With just two points separating Switzerland in 10th and Germany in 9th, there’s all to play for to avoid being the team at the bottom of the fleet.
SailGP’s Season 4 Grand Final in San Francisco takes place on July 13/14, with racing from 2.30pm PDT.