Tenth in the standings, with a target of sixth now out of reach, Germany's SailGP team has torn up its line-up ahead of the 2027 season rather than wait for results to turn.
The changes are sweeping: fresh talent brought in alongside the established core, a restructured coaching set-up, and new investment in a development pathway designed to fast-track athletes through to the F50.
"We're currently tenth, whereas we wanted to be sixth. It's also unlikely that we'll finish the season where we had hoped to be," said team managing director Tim Kriegelstein.
Still, he pointed to how far the team has come across three seasons. The team gained 71 places in fleet racing this season alone. "Of course, that means we also started quite far back, but we can sail the boat, we're fast, and we're competitive towards the front, we've built a great team," he said.
Boat handling and raw speed are no longer the issue. Starts are.
The changes target that weakness directly, without unpicking what's already working. "We don't want to throw the baby out with the bathwater," Kriegelstein said.
The core of the sailing squad stays put. Driver Erik Kosegarten-Heil, wing trimmer Kevin Peponnet and flight controller James Wierzbowski remain in their roles, alongside grinders Will Tiller and Linov Schneel.
Strategist Anna Barth is prioritising an Olympic campaign for Los Angeles 2028, and will move into a remote support role as a result. Victoria Schultheis steps up to lead strategist.
With national development now a priority, the team has brought in German athletes Richard Schultheis and Julian Hoffmann, both of whom are currently training with the squad in Pensacola.
Hoffmann is being lined up as a reserve driver, with the door open to a future driving role further down the track, according to director of sport Lennart Briesenick. Schultheis, meanwhile, will concentrate on grinder and flight controller duties.
Tom Burton, formerly assistant coach with Red Bull Italy, has been promoted to head coach of the German team. He sees the arrival of Schultheis and Hoffmann as part of a broader push to build depth across the squad.
"We need reserves, we need alternatives and we'll need backups, that's simply part of every sport," he said.
Attention now turns to the final two events of the season, in Dubai and Abu Dhabi, where the team hopes to finish the year on better form. Sharpening the start is the clear priority, especially given the notoriously fickle winds of the UAE.
"The start is a combination of many different aspects and positions, and we're trying to get the very best out of that process so we can already see the benefits of this training at the next event," said driver Kosegarten-Heil.
Training in Pensacola has been set up to mirror conditions the team expects to face in Dubai and Abu Dhabi, giving them a useful proving ground for start-line work in the weeks before racing resumes.
"We'll spend a little more time together in the starting box to improve our coordination, so we can give ourselves the best possible preparation for the two events in the Emirates."
