Francesco Bruni, known throughout the America's Cup fleet simply as "Checco", has been named skipper of Tudor Team Alinghi.
For a sailor so long woven into the fabric of Luna Rossa, the move to the Swiss team marks a significant shift. Bruni is one of Italy's most accomplished and versatile professional sailors, with a career spanning more than three decades at the highest levels of Olympic sailing, international match racing and the America's Cup.
Born in Palermo, Sicily, on 11 April 1973, he learned to sail on the waters around Mondello before emerging as one of the standout Italian sailors of his generation. His record includes seven world championship titles, five European titles and no fewer than 15 Italian national championships across classes ranging from the Laser and Starboat to the 49er, as well as offshore and grand prix racing.
He represented Italy at three Olympic Games in three different classes: the Laser at Atlanta 1996, the 49er at Sydney 2000 alongside his brother Gabriele, and the Star at Athens 2004, where he finished seventh.
His versatility stretched into foiling too. He finished runner-up to Tudor Team Alinghi helmsman Paul Goodison at the 2018 Moth World Championship, and back in 2011 he reached number one in the ISAF World Match Racing rankings.
Luna Rossa has been the constant thread through his America's Cup career. He raced with the Italian syndicate in Auckland in 2003, Valencia in 2007, San Francisco in 2013 (a campaign the team withdrew from), Auckland again in 2021 and Barcelona in 2024. There was also a stint with Sweden's Artemis Racing during the 2017 cycle.
Auckland 2021 produced one of his finest moments. Sharing the helm of what was then Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli with Jimmy Spithill, Bruni helped the team win the Prada Cup Challenger Selection Series before taking on Emirates Team New Zealand in the 36th America's Cup Match. The scoreline tightened to 3-3 before New Zealand pulled away to win 7-3.
He returned to co-helm duties in Barcelona in 2024, guiding the team to the Louis Vuitton Cup final before elimination at the hands of the British team, now racing as GB1. He then moved into a coaching role within Luna Rossa.
Few figures in the America's Cup paddock are as well liked. Bruni is as comfortable in front of a microphone as he is behind a wheel, a combination that has made him a popular figure within the Cup community.
"I'm truly excited to join Tudor Team Alinghi, one of the iconic names of the America's Cup," Bruni said. "I'm eager to return to the helm and contribute to the Team's performance, and I'd like to thank Luna Rossa for allowing me to make this move. Many of my new teammates are people I know well and greatly respect, and I'm keen to start working with them."
BoatOne is currently in refit in Genoa, with all eyes on Naples for its return in the coming weeks, when Bruni will get his first look from the helm in Alinghi colours.
