The 2025 SailGP season drew to a close beneath Abu Dhabi sunshine, with a Grand Final that finally produced enough wind to race properly after two sluggish days. Three teams remained: Great Britain, Australia and New Zealand. The prize was two million dollars and a championship title. When the final crossing gun fired, Great Britain had claimed both.
From the gun, Australia looked the sharpest. Tom Slingsby's crew nailed their start, rolled onto the foils almost immediately, and led through Mark One with New Zealand and Great Britain close behind. All three were up and flying within the opening minutes, and for a time it genuinely felt like any one of the boats could take it.
The first reach settled into a tense, tight affair, with Australia looking composed at the front. The margins in racing like this are measured in metres and moments, and a thin band of lighter air was enough to close the gaps and reorder the picture entirely.
Working upwind, New Zealand found the better pressure and executed a tidy tack to slide past Australia. The Black Foils briefly held the cleanest breeze on the course and opened a small lead. It didn't hold, and it was never commanding, but it showed again how threatening they become when the boat locks into its rhythm. While New Zealand and Australia exchanged blows for track position, Great Britain kept a careful distance from the battle, choosing patience over aggression.
The decisive moment came at the top gate. A shift rolled in from the left side of the course, and Peter Fletcher's rivals had not positioned for it. Fletcher's crew had. Great Britain rounded with speed, sat high in the freshest air, and built a gap of a length or two that arrived far too quickly for either opponent to absorb.
New Zealand and Australia both came off the foils at the turn, scrambling to rebuild their pace. By the time they did, Great Britain had moved to a margin that felt final.
Australia made a determined charge down the last downwind leg, pressing Fletcher to split and concede ground. The British team refused to play. They protected their line, stayed in the pressure, and gave Slingsby's crew nothing to work with.
New Zealand were trying to hold second place, but Australia found a better lane late in the leg and edged through before the final reach. That move settled the podium order. Great Britain crossed the finish line first, Australia second, and New Zealand third. It was not the result the Black Foils had come to Abu Dhabi to collect, but across a weekend of patchy and unreliable breeze, they had remained a factor from start to finish.
Emirates GBR's victory was thoroughly earned. No gambles, no overreactions to short-term pressure, just clean boat handling and the composure to wait for the right shift rather than force an opportunity that wasn't there. When the breeze finally offered the opening they needed, they were the only team in exactly the right place to take it. After several seasons pushing at the door, the British crew leave Abu Dhabi as champions, with a considerably heavier bank account to show for it.
Congratulations to Emirates GBR for winning the Season 5 SailGP Championship, and well done to Australia and New Zealand for earning their places in the final. That brings Season 5 of SailGP to a close.
