SailGP Auckland: Jason Saunders on France’s team missing Dubai opener and growth ahead of Auckland debut

Auckland doubles as the land of opportunity for the French SailGP team.

After missing the opening regatta of season five in Dubai late last year due to a shortage of boats, the French will be back in action in New Zealand this weekend looking to make up for lost time.

It wasn’t an ideal situation, the team’s Kiwi flight controller Jason Saunders told the Herald, but the team were still able to get on the water during practice sessions prior to the event.

“It’s certainly the first time I’ve been watching SailGP for a while rather than being involved, and it made us hungry to be here in Auckland and get ready for the event because it looked like a lot of fun,” Saunders said.

“It is what it is. We’ve got a good team, we’ve got some great sponsors, the team’s coming along [and] setting up for the next three years now, so I think we’re in a good place.”

Season five will be Saunders’ first full campaign with the French, after joining them midway through season four, having started the season with the Swiss team.

It saw Saunders link up with teammates from the Orient Express Racing America’s Cup team, with the same core team working in both competitions, as is similar to several others including New Zealand’s Black Foils.

Saunders said the benefits of that were clear, and he was hopeful the team spending more time together would pay off as they look to start the season well.

“Even if you look at the communication alone, you need to speak a lot less now because everyone knows their role on the boat and everyone knows how we react in certain situations,” Saunders said.

“You can see that, you know, when you watch the Kiwis’ on-board footage, they don’t have to talk as much as some of the newer teams and so that’s a real advantage.

“I think we’ve just been growing as a unit. We haven’t been together as long as some of the other teams, and we’re still growing.

“We still haven’t reached our potential yet, so we feel like it’s going to be coming, but we just need that time to continue to work on our little goals and we’ll be in good shape.”

While Saunders has lived in France for the best part of the last decade, he was confident he would be able to bring some local knowledge to racing on the Waitematā Harbour. However, one key variable would make it an even playing field.

“I love coming home to New Zealand, and I love sailing here as well. We’re going to have some great conditions so I think it helps [having local knowledge] but for my role specifically, I’ve never sailed an F50 on these waters so it’s going to be the same for me as it is for everyone else,” he said.

“It’s going to be a fantastic weekend. Where the grandstands are put and all the people, you can see the buzz on the waterfront already and it’s going to be something to watch for sure.”

Christopher Reive joined the Herald sports team in 2017, bringing the same versatility to his coverage as he does to his sports viewing habits.