France win Race 2 in Perth as Artemis recover from ninth to second

Two races in, Perth already had stories worth telling.

Race 2 of the SailGP Perth opener arrived with a noticeably different atmosphere to the one that had come before it. Spain was already out of the weekend entirely, and both New Zealand and Switzerland were nursing the consequences of their Race 1 collision, which thinned the start line and gave the remaining teams room they hadn't enjoyed in the opener. That extra space didn't soften the competition, but it redirected it, placing greater weight on acceleration off the line, intelligent positioning, and sharp decision-making in those critical opening seconds.

Several teams also came to the line carrying specific motivation. Artemis Racing wanted to put a ninth-place finish behind them as quickly as possible. Emirates GBR, who had salvaged a fifth in the first race, were focused on building something more substantial. The start would tell a great deal about who was ready.

It was DS Team France who answered that question most convincingly.

Quentin Delapierre read the line with precision, threading through a gap that others hadn't fully committed to, and converted that launch directly into control at Mark 1. Germany were close on entry, but France held the mark, found their angle, and carried momentum out of the top gate that would prove difficult for anyone to overcome. Behind them, Artemis, Germany, Emirates GBR, and the USA were locked in a tight, restless group, while Australia, who had dominated Race 1, found themselves buried in the pack and forced to think about recovery rather than attack.

Once France established clean air, the race became a study in controlled aggression. The Fremantle Doctor was still up, bringing the short, steep chop that makes heavy-air SailGP sailing so technically demanding. Rushed manoeuvres were punished. Teams that reduced board drops, managed their foils through the roughest sections, and kept the boat level through transitions were rewarded. France favoured the left-hand turns that had proven effective earlier, sailed conservatively through the trickiest patches of water, and steered clear of the compression zones that were causing problems further back in the fleet.

Nathan Outteridge drove with authority, reacting sharply when situations with Germany and Britain tightened at the gates, and giving away small margins at the tops of legs to collect more meaningful gains downwind, where the course opened up and spacing allowed for better angles. Artemis' recovery was helped by composed communication across the boat and a clear tactical plan that didn't require gambling.

The most compelling racing was happening between second and fifth, where the outcome of the non-French positions remained genuinely uncertain through much of the middle stages.

Emirates GBR were methodical and careful, trimming corners when shifts permitted and gradually moving themselves into podium range without exposing themselves to the kind of risk that had undone others in Race 1. Artemis kept pushing, using sharper gate work and quicker reads in traffic to consolidate their gains. Germany and the USA traded places repeatedly as small timing differences at the marks translated into unexpectedly large gaps by the time the next gate arrived. The foiling dynamics of SailGP mean margins that look small on the water are rarely small for long.

Australia's race was effectively shaped by their difficult start and never found a way to recover the ground lost in those early minutes. Tom Slingsby's crew worked through the field with their usual diligence, collecting positions where openings appeared, but the fleet had spread too early and clean air was never consistent enough to string together the kind of gains needed to threaten the front group. Perth was again demonstrating what SailGP regulars already know: once the fleet pulls apart in these conditions, even the strongest teams are largely managing damage rather than hunting victories.

France were never seriously threatened after the first mark. Delapierre's crew sailed the final run with the same measured restraint that had defined their race from the opening moments, and crossed the line to claim their first win of the 2026 season. No nerves, no unnecessary risk, just clean execution of a race plan that had worked from start to finish.

Behind them, Artemis completed a turnaround that immediately changed the shape of the points table. From ninth in Race 1 to second in Race 2 was one of the more striking reversals of the day, and it put Outteridge's team firmly back into the weekend conversation. Emirates GBR took third, pairing it with their fifth from Race 1 to quietly build the kind of scorecard that matters when a full season is at stake.

Two races into the Perth event, the narrative was already taking shape. France had turned speed into a composed, controlled victory. Artemis had reintroduced themselves after a rough start to the day. Emirates GBR were doing what any defending champion should do, staying close to the front, avoiding catastrophe, and accumulating points without unnecessary drama. Australia, for all their Race 1 dominance, had been reminded that SailGP offers almost no latitude when the start doesn't go your way.

With more fleet racing still to come on the day, Race 2 had reinforced the central lesson of Fremantle sailing: get the start right, find clear air before the fleet compresses, and let the conditions work in your favour. Once those early moments are lost, second chances are rare and expensive.

Race results