Super Sunday at the ITM New Zealand Sail Grand Prix opened with a striking absence. Two of the weekend's strongest contenders never made it to the start line: both the Black Foils and France were sidelined after Saturday's collision. The remaining fleet took shape around that gap, and SailGP responded by introducing a split fleet format, a first for the series. The boats on the water were fewer, but the stakes were anything but reduced.
Group A brought together Emirates GBR, NorthStar Canada, Germany, Mubadala Brazil and Red Bull Italy. Auckland delivered a gusty breeze that rewarded precision and punished hesitation in roughly equal measure, giving all five crews something to work with and something to worry about.
Germany made the sharpest impression early. They cleared the line cleanly, led into Mark 1, and built on that position with a controlled burst of pace through the first reach. For a spell, the race looked like theirs to lose.
The fleet compressed quickly behind them. Italy struggled in the opening exchanges and dropped ground they could not easily recover. Canada stayed disciplined, sailing clean lanes and resisting the temptation to force situations that weren't there. Emirates GBR tracked closely, Dylan Fletcher choosing to preserve boat speed and positioning rather than attempt a low-percentage pass in the shifting breeze.
The middle stages brought a change in the order. Giles Scott, reading the pressure building down the left side of the course, steered NorthStar Canada into a narrow lead as Germany felt the effect of a breeze shift and slipped back through the fleet. Brazil and Italy continued their own contest toward the rear, both working to limit the damage in the reduced scoring environment.
The race turned on the approach to the final gate. Canada and Emirates GBR converged tightly, and what happened in those final moments settled the result. Fletcher moved early, setting up his angle with care. Canada rounded slightly wide, and that small error was enough. Emirates GBR came out of the turn with a better line and more speed, and they held it to the finish. Canada crossed 1.6 seconds adrift. Germany took third.
| Position | Team | Points |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Emirates Great Britain | 5 |
| 2 | NorthStar Canada | 4 |
| 3 | Germany presented by Deutsche Bank | 3 |
| 4 | Red Bull Italy | 2 |
| 5 | Mubadala Brazil | 1 |
Under the revised split fleet scoring format, the victory delivered five points to Emirates GBR. In a weekend already turned on its head by Saturday's incident, those points carried genuine significance. With New Zealand and France both absent from the session, the picture around the final had shifted considerably, though in the unsettled conditions Auckland served up, no team could feel entirely comfortable with where they stood.
