SailGP's first-ever visit to South America saw the fleet arrive at the storied waters of Guanabara Bay for the Enel Rio Sail Grand Prix, and for DS Automobiles SailGP Team France the weekend proved testing on several fronts. With Sugarloaf Mountain and Christ the Redeemer forming the backdrop, the French crew finished eighth overall while the Australian team claimed the event victory. Despite that result, France retains sixth place in the 2026 Championship standings, a position carrying real weight given the extraordinary compression at the top of the leaderboard, where just five points separate second from sixth after close to two months between races.
Conditions across both days ranked among the most technically demanding anywhere on the SailGP circuit. Light, highly unstable winds, distorted by the dramatic terrain surrounding the bay, made reading the course a continuous exercise in adaptation. Every team faced the same puzzle, and the results reflected it. Four different race winners emerged on day one alone, signalling how wide open the competition had become. In an environment where staying on the foils and executing tidy manoeuvres carried enormous weight, any breakdown in crew coordination could prove expensive.
France arrived carrying the additional complication of a partially reshaped lineup. With Glenn Ashby and Liv McKay stepping into the crew after nearly two months away from competitive racing, and no supplementary training sessions in between, rebuilding collective rhythm against well-drilled rivals in conditions as unforgiving as these was always going to take time. Yet the mood inside the squad stayed positive throughout. The emphasis fell on recovering shared instincts and finding gains across each session rather than fixating on a scoreboard the circumstances made hard to influence. At the close of day one, with Australia dominant across the racing, France sat eighth after four races.
Sunday brought slightly more pressure in the breeze, though the instability that had defined Saturday showed no sign of easing, calling for fast, committed calls at every mark. With the fleet packed tight and margins thin, the team took calculated risks to remain in contention. In the final race, an aggressive late-start strategy in a heavily constrained area came unstuck. The timing closed against them, a black flag penalty was issued, and France was disqualified from that race.
Driver Quentin Delapierre was candid about what happened: "We received a black flag penalty at the start of the final race. We had set up a late engagement strategy in a very tight area, but we got caught out on timing and it cost us heavily. It's obviously disappointing, but we'll take the lessons and move forward for the rest of the season. It was our first time racing in Rio, with a great atmosphere and a lot of fans. The racecourse is very specific, with wind heavily affected by the surrounding terrain, strong local effects and very technical racing lines. It's an incredible setting and a unique stop on the calendar."
Team Manager Philippe Presti set the penalty in its wider context while reflecting honestly on a weekend that delivered both frustration and genuine encouragement. "The start of the final race was extremely unstable, with plenty of opportunities but also significant risks. We had the right timing to launch, but the situation closed in front of us and that led to a penalty. It's a strong safety rule at the start, and in those situations, the penalty is immediate. Beyond that moment, this weekend needs to be seen in context. We were coming back after nearly two months without racing, with a partially renewed crew and no time to rebuild our automatic responses. In these conditions, and on what is probably the most technical racecourse on the circuit, the objective was to progress. And on that front, the team delivered. We saw clear improvements every day, in coordination, in manoeuvres and in our ability to fight back in races. There is naturally frustration, because we are a team that aims high. But that frustration is healthy, it will drive us forward. We'll analyse everything in detail, continue to work on our processes and come back stronger in Bermuda."
Strategist Manon Audinet was absent from the racing, with Liv McKay filling the role following the Auckland incident at the ITM New Zealand Sail Grand Prix. Audinet gave an update on her situation during the Rio weekend: "It's great to see the boat back racing. It's not easy watching from the sidelines, but my recovery is going well. There's still a bit of time before I'm back at 100%, but I'm working hard to return as soon as possible with the team."
Off the water, the event served as a platform for partner activity, with ALL Accor and Fairmont Rio hosting a gathering on Copacabana Beach. Athletes and guests, among them renowned surfer Pedro Scooby, joined a beach tennis session in a setting that reflected the team's commitment to delivering premium experiences for partners at the centre of SailGP events.
The final Enel Rio Sail Grand Prix standings placed Bonds Flying Roos, skippered by Tom Slingsby, first overall. Los Gallos with Diego Botin finished second, and Artemis under Nathan Outteridge took third. Taylor Canfield's US SailGP Team came fourth, with Rockwool Racing under Nicolai Sehested fifth and Germany by Deutsche Bank under Erik Heil sixth. Phil Robertson's Red Bull Italy finished seventh, ahead of DS Automobiles SailGP Team France in eighth. Mubadala Brazil, skippered by Martine Grael, placed ninth, Northstar with Giles Scott tenth, Switzerland under Sébastien Schneiter eleventh, and Emirates GBR skippered by Dylan Fletcher twelfth. Black Foils did not start, the team absent after sustaining damage to their F50 in a collision during the ITM New Zealand Sail Grand Prix in Auckland.
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In the provisional Rolex SailGP Championship Season 2026 standings, Bonds Flying Roos lead on 35 points. Emirates GBR occupy second on 28, US SailGP Team third on 27, Los Gallos fourth on 25, and both Artemis and DS Team France sit on 23 points in fifth and sixth respectively. Rockwool Racing hold seventh on 17, Germany by Deutsche Bank and Red Bull Italy are both on 15 points in eighth and ninth, Mubadala Brazil and Northstar share 7 points each in tenth and eleventh, Black Foils hold 2 points in twelfth, and Switzerland sit thirteenth on a single point.
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The DS Automobiles SailGP Team France roster for the 2026 season lists Quentin Delapierre as pilot and Manon Audinet as strategist, with Liv McKay filling that role in Rio. Leigh McMillan is wing trimmer, replaced by Glenn Ashby in Rio, alongside Jason Saunders as wing trimmer, Olivier Herlédant, Bruno Mourniac, and Timothé Lapauw as grinders, and Enzo Balanger and Amélie Riou as space athletes. Philippe Presti is Team Manager, Philippe Mourniac Head of Coach, and Lucas Delcourt Data Analyst.
The full 2026 Rolex SailGP Championship schedule runs from the Oracle Perth Sail Grand Prix on 17–18 January through events in New Zealand (14–15 February), Sydney (28 February–1 March), Rio (11–12 April), Bermuda (9–10 May), New York (30–31 May), Halifax (20–21 June), Portsmouth (26–27 July), Sassnitz (22–23 August), Spain (date to be confirmed), Switzerland (19–20 September), Dubai (21–22 November), and Abu Dhabi (28–29 November).
The Apex Group Bermuda Sail Grand Prix on 9–10 May 2026 is next on the calendar for DS Automobiles SailGP Team France. With a championship that remains tightly bunched, lessons drawn from Rio to work through, and a crew focused on sharpening its collective edge, France will be targeting a stronger showing when the fleet reconvenes.
