America's Cup: Teams not expected to launch first race boat until mid-year; first World Series date pushed back

America's Cup teams will have to wait a bit longer to race the AC75s. Image / Supplied

America's Cup teams will have to wait a little longer to get their 75-foot monohulls in some racing action, with the first World Series event delayed.

Initially scheduled to be held in Sardinia in October this year, Luna Rossa's technical director Matteo Plazzi confirmed at the Italian Sailor of the Year awards that the event wouldn't be held until early 2020.

The World Series event, to be held where the Luna Rossa team is based, will see teams racing 75-foot foiling monohulls which will be sailed in the America's Cup regatta.

To this point in preparations, teams have been able to sail smaller versions of the concept, with full scale vessels able to be launched at the end of the month.

Design issues with the foil arms has set back production by about three months, with every team using a one-design model for the component.

Late entries have seen an increase in pressure on producing the system, adding to the delays.

While teams can launch their first boat on March 31, Team New Zealand aren't expecting to launch theirs until midway through the year, and believe other syndicates will be in the same position.

Team New Zealand's Ray Davies predicted the setbacks late last year and said it was just part of trying to push the boundaries of the sport.

"We are working hard to make sure we make the right decisions so that the teams and the boats can be ready to race safely," Davies said.

"It's important that all the teams get time to get to grips with this new concept of boat. Eleven crew is a lot of crew and certainly we are going to be pushing these boats blooming hard."

The importance of using their time wisely was highlighted by all teams this week, as they sit just two years out from the America's Cup in Auckland, with the launch of their first race boat being a key moment of the campaign.

"Time is fundamental as if you take the wrong decisions then you won't be able to recover from the time you lost," Luna Rossa skipper Max Sirena said.

"It's important as you can't buy it, but that's what we are used to saying when it comes to the America's Cup."