Phil Robertson and crew deliver a race victory and seventh overall as SailGP touches down in South America for the first time
Rio de Janeiro, 12 April 2026 – Red Bull Italy SailGP Team claimed their first race win of Season 6 and finished seventh overall at the Enel Rio Sail Grand Prix, as SailGP touched down in South America for the first time. Twelve international teams raced foiling F50 catamarans on Guanabara Bay, in front of one of the most iconic backdrops in the world, with thousands of Brazilian fans packing the shoreline.
Punchy, shifting winds turned the racecourse into a tactical challenge across both days – with gusts descending from Sugarloaf making the breeze unstable and uneven, creating a complex scenario that tested every crew on the water. Four races on Saturday produced four different winners.
Driver Phil Robertson and his crew rose to the challenge. The team posted a consistent 7–7–7 across Races 1, 2 and 4 on Saturday, handling close battles with Brazil and Sweden at the final marks with composure. The highlight came in Fleet Race 3 – a dominant, start-to-finish victory, crossing the line 15 seconds clear of the field. It was the team’s first race win of the 2026 season and a statement performance on one of the toughest racecourses of the year.
Sunday brought overcast skies and lighter winds, with the fleet switching to the 27.5-metre wing configuration and high-speed rudders – a highly technical setup with five crew members on board. The Italian team opened Championship Sunday with a strong second-place finish in Race 5, executed cleanly from start to finish with key overtakes on Sweden and Australia. Two tougher results followed in the remaining races, leaving the team seventh overall for the event.
“It was a very challenging day – Rio is not an easy racecourse. Today we had gusts coming from all directions and very shifty, patchy wind. To use a non-sailing comparison, it felt like playing Mario Kart. We showed great progress in some areas, but we know we still need to improve ahead of the next event in Bermuda,” said driver Phil Robertson.
“Awesome first event here in South America for SailGP – absolutely incredible racing in Guanabara Bay under Sugarloaf Mountain. Another great result for us: we secured our first race win of Season 6, which is a huge confidence boost for the team. We still need to work on our consistency. We came into Sunday with a chance to make the podium final, which is always our goal. We’ll take the lessons and the valuable points from Rio, and we can’t wait to get to Bermuda and try to take another step forward toward the podium final,” said team CEO Jimmy Spithill.
Bonds Flying Roos won the Enel Rio Sail Grand Prix, and now lead the 2026 Rolex SailGP Championship standings.
With the Southern Hemisphere leg now complete, attention turns to two back-to-back Western Atlantic events: the Apex Group Bermuda Sail Grand Prix (9–10 May) and the Mubadala New York Sail Grand Prix (30–31 May).
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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