Los Gallos Spain has taken victory in Race 3 of Group A qualifying after officials were forced to shorten the course due to fickle, dying breeze.
The race began with the U.S. SailGP Team first across the line and leading around Mark 1, choosing the shortest route to Gate 1 rather than sailing extra distance in search of pressure. But with wind speeds hovering around 5 km/h, none of the fleet could get up on their foils, turning the contest into a slow-motion match race.
Group A after race 3
| Pos | Team | Driver | R1 | R2 | R3 | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Los Gallos | Diego Botin | 3rd | 4th | 1st | 10 |
| 2= | ROCKWOOL Racing | Nicolai Sehested | 5th | 1st | 5th | 7 |
| 2= | DS Automobiles France | Quentin Delapierre | 4th | 3rd | 4th | 7 |
| 4 | Artemis | Nathan Outteridge | 1st | 5th | 6th | 6 |
| 5 | Germany by Deutsche Bank | Erik Kosegarten-Heil | 2nd | 7th | 3rd | 5 (-2) |
| 6= | Mubadala Brazil | Paul Goodison | 7th | 2nd | 7th | 4 |
| 6= | U.S. SailGP Team | Martine Grael | 6th | 6th | 2nd | 4 |
Top two reach the final. Points per race: 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, 0, 0. Germany's total is after a two-point deduction.
Denmark picked up a penalty off the start line. By leg two of five, Los Gallos Spain had overtaken the Americans, though the U.S. team regained the lead by Gate 2, rounding just 0.07 seconds ahead of Denmark.
With conditions failing to improve, race officials cut the course from five legs to three. At the final gate, Los Gallos held the higher speed advantage and a tactical edge—they needed one fewer manoeuvre than the U.S. team to reach the finish line.
Germany mounted a late charge, closing on the Americans but unable to find the pace to pass. Los Gallos Spain crossed first, with the United States second and Germany third. France finished fourth, followed by Denmark, Sweden and Brazil. The latter two teams left empty-handed.
The result comes after Group B completed their third race the previous day while Group A sat ashore waiting for breeze that never arrived.
