Kahena Kunze is returning to the Mubadala Brazil SailGP Team, rejoining the outfit as strategist for the final three events of the 2026 Season, less than a year after she left for Denmark's ROCKWOOL Racing.
The two-time Olympic champion raced for the Brazilian team throughout 2025 before switching camps for the 2026 campaign. Her comeback begins this weekend at the Rolex Switzerland Sail Grand Prix in Geneva.
The South American team has reshuffled its entire lineup for the occasion. Paul Goodison moves from strategist into the driver's seat, with Kunze taking over his old role. Pietro Sibello continues as wing trimmer, Rasmus Køstner takes on flight controller, and Mateus Isaac, Marco Grael and Breno Kneipp round out the grinding roles.
The changes follow Martine Grael's announcement on social media that she would not see out the season with the team. Grael was the first woman to drive an F50 and had been part of the Mubadala Brazil project since its launch.
Geneva marks the debut for this new-look crew. The Rolex Switzerland Sail Grand Prix runs on Lake Geneva on September 19-20.
"It's very special to be racing with the Brazilian team again," said Kunze, who also raced for Germany in Season 4. "I know many of the people on the team, and since my first time with them, I've also gained new experience within SailGP."
"My focus now is on adapting quickly to the new line-up, contributing to the team and doing a strong job in these final three events of the season, starting in Geneva."
Goodison has been part of the Mubadala Brazil setup since the Auckland event in early 2025. He previously drove for Emirates GBR at two SailGP events back in 2021, and his sailing résumé includes an Olympic gold in the Laser class, three Moth World Championship titles and two America's Cup campaigns.
"It's a new challenge and an important responsibility," Goodison said. "I already know the boat and the team very well, and now my focus is on putting that experience into practice at the helm and working to get the best possible performance out of the team in Geneva."
Mubadala Brazil joined SailGP at the start of the 2025 Season as the league's first South American team. It currently sits 13th on the 2026 Season leaderboard with three events left to run.
After Geneva, the fleet heads to Dubai on November 21-22, before the season wraps up at the Abu Dhabi Sail Grand Prix 2026 Season Grand Final, presented by Abu Dhabi Sports Council, on November 28-29.
