A threat of afternoon lightning pushed the start of Race 4 forward by ninety minutes, though the weather that arrived first was not the dramatic kind. Wind barely scraped 9km/h across the course, a long way short of the mid-20s required for the F50 fleet to foil with any consistency. Brazil were absent having been withdrawn following their pre-race incident, leaving just eleven boats on the startline.
In those conditions, the team that read the opening moments best was Germany. Erik Heil's crew picked up the faintest lift at precisely the right instant, becoming the first boat to rise onto foils and the only one to reach Mark 1 without interruption. Italy slotted in behind them, with Rockwool Racing Denmark claiming third. Elsewhere, the start brought trouble. New Zealand's Black Foils were penalised for crossing the boundary before the gun, while Australia's Tom Slingsby found himself boxed out by Spain at the top end of the line and was forced to begin from last place.
What followed was a race almost entirely determined by those opening moments. Germany maintained around 30km/h for a brief spell before dropping into the low teens alongside most of the fleet, and with boat speeds across the board sitting well under 20km/h, overtaking opportunities were scarce. Every tack and gybe carried a heavy cost in such marginal air, so positions hardened quickly. Italy held comfortably in second, Denmark kept their grip on third, and the race settled into something closer to a procession than a contest.
Australia's recovery from last place was one of the more notable stories of the race. Rather than hunting for foiling runs that the breeze could not reliably support, Tom Slingsby's crew chose the shortest path to each mark, a patient and pragmatic approach that slowly hauled them back through the fleet into mid-table. New Zealand had no such luck. After their start penalty, Peter Burling's crew struggled to find pressure and, despite briefly pushing up to fourth, faded again as the race wore on. A late downwind puff found the Americans instead, and they crossed the line in fourth, pushing the Black Foils back to fifth.
Organisers eventually shortened the course from six legs to four as time ran short. Germany crossed the finish line unchallenged, claiming the team's first SailGP race win. Italy held second, Denmark third, USA fourth. New Zealand's Black Foils came home fifth, the last team to finish within the time limit. Spain, France, and Switzerland were among several boats that never reached the line before racing was terminated. With speeds drifting through the high single digits and low teens, conditions had simply become unsuitable for racing. Geneva's fickle breeze had once again shown how completely it can reshape a regatta, where fortune depends less on flair and more on simply finding wind.
Germany's victory gave the event an unusual distinction. Across four races at the regatta, four different teams have taken the top step: New Zealand, Australia, France, and now Germany. The overall standings remain tightly bunched, with Australia still holding the lead but Denmark, New Zealand, and Great Britain all pressing hard for one of the three spots in the final.
Race 4 may have been short on spectacle, but the points it distributed were as consequential as any earned at full foiling pace.
Points
Fleet Race 4 Points
- Germany by Deutsche Bank - 10 pts - Red Bully Italy - 9 pts - ROCKWOOL Racing (Denmark) - 8 pts - United States - 7 pts - Black Foils - 6 pts - BONDS Flying Roos - 5 pts - Switzerland - 4 pts - Los Gallos (Spain) - 3 pts - France - 2 pts - Emirates GBR - 1 pt - NorthStar (Canada) - 0 pts - Mubadala Brazil - 0 pts
Fleet Race Total by end of Race 4
- BONDS Flying Roos - 30 pts - Emirates GBR - 24 pts - ROCKWOOL Racing (Denmark) - 23 pts - Germany by Deutsche Bank - 22 pts - Black Foils (New Zealand) - 22 pts - Switzerland - 22 pts - France - 17 pts - Northstar (Canada) - 17 pts - Las Gallos (Spain) - 15 pts - United States - 14 pts - Red Bull Italy - 12 pts - Mubadala Brazil - 2 pts
