Light winds, a new race format and a freshly repaired boat made for a demanding Halifax weekend.
Halifax, Canada, 21 June 2026 – After a collision at the Mubadala New York Sail Grand Prix left their F50 badly bruised, the Red Bull Italy SailGP Team rolled back onto the start line in Halifax following a remarkable turnaround.
The damage from New York was serious enough that the team faced the possibility of missing the Canadian event entirely. What followed was a flat-out, round-the-clock effort by SailGP Technologies, the SailGP Tech Site and the team’s own shore crew. The Italian F50 was handed back on Friday’s practice day, and the early signs were everything the crew had hoped for: the boat felt sharp, quick and right back to its pre-New York form.
Halifax marked the season’s seventh stop, and Canada’s Atlantic coast served up the unpredictable weather it’s known for. Light, shifty winds made for a tense, tactical weekend, with a new split-fleet format and the championship’s first-ever four-boat final adding to the intrigue.
Drawn into Group B alongside teams including the USA, Great Britain and Sweden, the Red Bull Italy SailGP Team faced the same shifty, stop-start breeze that kept the whole fleet guessing. A fourth and a fifth on Saturday gave way to another fifth on Sunday, before the team found their rhythm to take third, a strong note to finish the weekend on. Out front, Diego Botín’s Los Gallos claimed victory in the league’s first-ever four-boat final.
“Firstly, a huge thank you to the SailGP Tech Team, SailGP Technologies, and our shore team for their absolute herculean effort in getting our boat on the water,” said team CEO Jimmy Spithill. “Unfortunately, we were unable to execute in some key moments, but we leave here with valuable points and look forward to working hard ahead of the next event in the UK.”
For driver Phil Robertson, Halifax was something of a homecoming: he once raced for Canada before taking the helm of the Italian F50. After finishing ninth in the 13-boat fleet, he was honest in his assessment. “All in all, we’re a little disappointed. We’re not where we want to be, and we need to sit down as a team and identify what needs to change in our performance. There’s a lot to review, plenty to learn from, and significant progress to make before we arrive in Portsmouth in a month’s time.”
The circuit now leaves North America for Europe, with the Red Bull Italy SailGP Team setting their sights on the season’s eighth event, the Emirates Great Britain Sail Grand Prix in Portsmouth on 25-26 July.
Red Bull Italy SailGP Team
Red Bull Italy SailGP Team represents a new generation of high-performance sailing: fast, fearless, and forward-looking. Making its debut in the 2024-25 SailGP season, the team aims to push boundaries, inspire, and redefine the sport by uniting Italy’s finest sailing talent with international expertise. At the helm is Phil Roberson, SailGP Champion and one of the sport’s most dynamic athletes. Alongside him, sailing legend Jimmy Spithill leads as CEO and co-owner, bringing unmatched experience and vision. The ownership group, led by Assia Grazioli Venier and Gian Luca Passi de Preposulo, combines entrepreneurial innovation and global perspective in a bold new chapter for Italian sailing.
SailGP
SailGP is widely regarded as the most thrilling racing on water, redefining the boundaries of modern sailing. The Rolex SailGP Championship is a global annual league that visits iconic cities around the world. Thirteen national teams – featuring some of the best athletes in the sport – compete on identical 50-foot foiling catamarans capable of exceeding 100 km/h and literally sailing faster than the wind.
SailGP combines sport and entertainment through its “stadium racing” format, with courses set close to shore to deliver a unique, high-adrenaline experience just meters from the action.
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Contact: Fabian Ress
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