The BONDS Flying Roos arrived in Auckland needing a result. They leave with a Grand Prix victory, the 2026 season lead, and their sights fixed on what their driver considers the biggest prize in the sport.
For Tom Slingsby, the destination is already clear. "Perth was amazing, but Sydney is really important to us," he said. "If you could choose any event in the world to win, it would be Sydney for us. That's our focus now."
That focus carries genuine historical weight. Sydney has slipped through the Roos' fingers twice at the wrong moment. Season 3 brought a home-water defeat to the French team, and last year Emirates GBR claimed the win there. A loss in Perth last month meant the team arrived in New Zealand with something to prove.
They proved it. Auckland snapped a year-long victory drought and lifted Australia to the top of the 2026 SailGP standings. After two events, the BONDS Flying Roos and Emirates GBR sit level on 19 points apiece. France, who showed genuine pace before a Race 1 collision with the Black Foils cost them, sit third, four points behind.
| Pos | Team | Driver | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | BONDS Flying Roos | Tom Slingsby | 19 |
| 2 | Emirates GBR | Dylan Fletcher | 19 |
| 3 | DS Team France | Quentin Delapierre | 15 |
| 4 | Artemis | Nathan Outteridge | 13 |
| 5 | U.S. SailGP Team | Taylor Canfield | 10 |
| 6 | Los Gallos | Diego Botin | 8 |
| 7 | Germany by Deutsche Bank | Erik Heil | 7 |
| 8 | ROCKWOOL Racing | Nicolai Sehested | 6 |
| 9 | NorthStar | Giles Scott | 6 |
| 10 | Red Bull Italy | Phil Robertson | 4 |
| 11 | Black Foils | Peter Burling | 2 |
| 12 | Mubadala Brazil | Martine Grael | 1 |
| 13 | Switzerland | Sébastien Schneiter | 0 |
The Waitematā Harbour served up a weekend of real drama. Sunday's gusts pushed beyond 50 km/h, putting boat control at the front of every crew's mind. Australia navigated those conditions with a composure that owed much to stand-in wing trimmer Glenn Ashby, whose contribution has been immediate and significant.
Slingsby was direct in his assessment. "We wouldn't be sitting here with a second and a first in the opening two events with anyone else in the world other than Glenn," he said.
The final gathered the sport's three championship-winning teams on the start line: BONDS Flying Roos, Emirates GBR, and Los Gallos. Conditions made the opening exchange treacherous. "You basically couldn't bear away the boat," Slingsby said. "The start was about staying on our feet and out of trouble."
The race turned at the top mark. A decisive move to the inside handed Australia control, and from that point their crew read the shifts and managed the pressure all the way to the finish.
Slingsby's words afterwards left little doubt about what the result meant. "It's huge. It's been a year since we last won an event," he said. "In those three boat Finals anything can happen."
Emirates GBR recovered from an early battle with Los Gallos, passing the Spanish team late to claim second overall. For Spain it was their first points of 2026, having missed Perth entirely after sustaining boat damage.
With the fleet now heading to Sydney, the competitive picture remains genuinely open. Two events in, the Roos hold the slimmest of advantages and carry momentum that eluded them for much of the past two seasons. Holding that form on the water they most want to win will define their 2026 campaign.
