For the first time in SailGP, the fleet of F50 foiling catamarans will be split on race day.
After a major collision between New Zealand’s Black Foils and France saw two sailors hospitalised, the global foiling league has made the decision to split the now 11-boat fleet in two for the second day of racing.
“The decision has been taken with stronger wind conditions forecast for Sunday – on the tight, stadium-style racetrack. Following Saturday’s on-water incident involving New Zealand and France, eleven F50s will compete on Sunday," a league statement said.
Great Britain, Germany, Brazil, Canada and Italy will race in group A, while Australia, Spain, Denmark, Sweden, Switzerland and USA are in group B. The Black Foils and France were drafted into group A, but neither will be sailing on Sunday.
Each group will contest two fleet races, with four fleet races in total. Points will be awarded within each group on a 5-4-3-2-1-0 scale.
Teams will carry over their points from day one, with the three top-ranked teams after Sunday’s fleet racing going on to contest the podium race.
“The format is designed to support competitive racing on a tight course, while maintaining SailGP’s high-performance standards and broadcast delivery. Splitting the fleet reduces congestion at certain places in the course, especially at the bottom mark.”
Racing was brought to an abrupt halt on the opening day of SailGP’s return to Auckland on Saturday after the Black Foils and the French team came together early in the third race.
It happened on the first leg - a high-speed reaching leg where teams jostle for position as they sprint to the first mark. The Black Foils were sailing at a high speed - with the broadcast graphics estimating above 80km/h - when they lost control of their boat and turned into the path of the French.
While France tried to minimise the damage, they did not have time to avoid a collision completely and their left hull ended up on top of the New Zealand boat close to the grinder pedestal.
Black Foils grinder Louis Sinclair was transported to hospital in a stable condition with compound fractures in both legs, while French strategist Manon Audinet was also hospitalised to be assessed for serious injury.
A statement from the French team indicated there was concern for her abdominal area after she was “violently thrown inside her cockpit”.
Both boats sustained major damage in the incident. The Black Foils’ platform collapsed, leaving their F50 in dire shape, while the French boat lost the front of its left hull.
The move to split the fleet was one the league weighed up for the Auckland event in 2025 but ultimately decided against.
The league did, however, begin splitting the fleet for practice racing in that event and has continued to do so at every event since.
This year saw an additional team join the starting line, with 13 teams now involved in the league and a 14th to join in 2027.
While the plan has always been to split the fleet for season seven when 14 boats are involved, Red Bull Italy driver Phil Robertson suggested it was a format that needed to be implemented in 2026 in venues like Auckland.
“When it’s conditions like this, I think [splitting the fleet] is probably the expectation. We know it’s going to be tricky, there will be crashes, but it just minimises that risk a bit when there’s a bit more space on the course,” Robertson said.
“Bigger courses for sure, 13 boats, no problem, but I think small courses and big breeze, when everyone’s on the limit of control already, it’s probably a smart idea to start having that conversation seriously.”
Racing resumes at 11.30am on Sunday, after being brought forward due to the threat of thunderstorms in the forecast.
Christopher Reive joined the Herald sports team in 2017, bringing the same versatility to his coverage as he does to his sports viewing habits.