Emirates GBR signalled their intentions to the rest of the SailGP fleet with a dominant performance in the Perth Event Final, controlling proceedings from start to finish to claim the first event trophy of the 2026 season. The victory arrived just six weeks after the British squad sealed the 2025 SailGP championship, leaving little doubt that the defending champions have carried their form into the new campaign.
The Bonds Flying Roos secured second place, with DS Team France rounding out the podium in third.
The final was reduced to three competitors following a bruising weekend of penalties, collisions, and attrition across the broader fleet. Dylan Fletcher's crew executed with calm precision, timing the start perfectly and arriving at Mark 1 ahead of the field, a position they would hold for the duration.
With the British boat out front, DS Team France and Bonds Flying Roos contested a tense secondary battle that never threatened to reshape the race at the front. The notoriously choppy Fremantle sea state continued to expose even minor errors, and while France applied pressure through the middle legs, Emirates GBR extended their advantage with each passing manoeuvre.
By the halfway point, the outcome was effectively settled. The British team had stretched hundreds of metres clear through clean gate roundings and uninterrupted foiling, producing error-free sailing that had eluded much of the fleet across the weekend.
France held second for the majority of the final before late instability and an additional manoeuvre opened the door for Australia to close the gap. The finishing sprint provided genuine drama in the closing minutes, though it came far too late to trouble Emirates GBR, who crossed the line unchallenged.
The result reflected the trajectory of the British team's weekend. Saturday offered little indication of what was to come, but Super Sunday told a different story. Emirates GBR claimed victories in Races 5 and 6, finished fourth in Race 7 to secure their final berth, then delivered a performance in the decider that left nothing to chance.
New Zealand Black Foils were absent from the final after Saturday's collision removed them from contention, while Switzerland returned to racing but could not make the final cut. Perth rewarded the teams that paired speed with discipline, and no team managed that combination more effectively than Emirates GBR.
The defending champions have sent a clear message to their rivals. Their 2025 form has not faded, and in Perth they looked every bit as formidable as the side that claimed the championship just weeks earlier.
Event result
| Pos | Team | Driver | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Emirates GBR | Dylan Fletcher | 61 pts |
| 2 | BONDS Flying Roos | Tom Slingsby | 57 pts |
| 3 | DS Team France | Quentin Delapierre | 63 pts |
