The introduction of the new high-speed T-Foils this season has ‘added another layer of complexity’ to SailGP’s racing and increased the competitiveness of the F50 fleet, New Zealand driver Peter Burling has said.
Reflecting on the equipment changes on SailGP’s latest One-on-One podcast, Burling said the addition of the T-Foils has added ‘another whole element to racing’.
The T-Foils were introduced for the first time at the season’s second event in Auckland following extensive testing. Constructed from machined titanium and carbon, the T-Foils have thinner sections than the previous L-Foils, reducing drag and increasing control. During testing last July, athletes on board the Canada F50 set a new speed record of 101.98 km/h in 32 km/h wind speed.
The introduction of the foils has effectively leveled the playing field as teams grapple to get to grips with the new foils, Burling said.
“Everyone is learning the whole time – we get such a little amount of time sailing these boats that even when nothing has changed you’re still going back over your notes, looking at all the data and getting back to the level where you were before.”
The introduction of the new foils has resulted in ‘all teams stepping back a little bit on their learning curve,” Burling said, predicting some teams to ‘jump to the front of the pack’ over the ‘next period’. “We’re working really hard on being the ones to do that.”
The leveling of the playing field is directly reflected in the results of the first five events of the season, which has seen five different winners. New Zealand took the first win at Dubai’s season opener. Since then, Australia, Emirates GBR, NorthStar Canada and Spain have all picked up a win each.
It marks a notable difference to last season, which saw the Kiwis win five events out of 13 as well as qualifying for seven Finals – a record which earned them the reputation as the dominant team of the season.
But being at the top ‘ultimately means you have to work harder’, according to New Zealand wing trimmer and co-CEO Blair Tuke.
“We’ve done a good job in the last few seasons of being one of the teams leading the way, but you never want to stand still – everyone is trying to get you so you just have to keep charging forward.”
The motivation, he said, is clear – ‘you know how sweet winning is”. He pointed to the team’s failure to win at home in Auckland – which was won by the Aussies instead – as a key motivating factor. “That wasn’t that nice, but everyone in our team is motivated to be better at their job.”
Another contributing factor to the leveling of the fleet was the relaxation of the nationality rule ahead of the season, Burling said. This directly led to the team’s loss of long-time flight controller Andy Maloney, who joined the fledgling Mubadala Brazil team in the same role.
“Making the rule more open is giving new teams the ability to effectively buy talent and get into the league at a more competitive level, which is really awesome for what we’re trying to build,” he said.
He admitted that the loss of Maloney ‘definitely hurts’ but the ‘silver lining’ is the recruitment of his replacement Leo Takahashi.
“He’s a fresh face with a lot of energy coming into the group and I think we all feel that excitement,” he said.
Looking ahead to the rest of the season, Burling highlighted the key factors to ensure success amid an increasingly competitive fleet. “Keeping the boats apart,” he said, “is a massive one.”
It comes after multiple teams have earned devastating penalties so far this season, with Germany Deutsche Bank losing 12 season points for three separate incidents, Mubadala Brazil losing 4 season points for a collision with Germany, ROCKWOOL DEN losing 8 season points for hitting a race mark, and the United States losing 8 season points for damaging its boat through a capsize.
“If you have a major crash, it costs you so many points, so just trying to take an extra bit of space, win races when you get the opportunity and keeping losses to a minimum,” Burling said. “Come the end of the season, the last spots in the Grand Final will be tight.”
