DS Automobiles SailGP Team France closed out its European season on Lake Geneva with a sixth-place finish, missing the Final by a single point. It's a familiar sting for Quentin Delapierre's crew, but this time it comes with clear gains in conditions that have often troubled them.
Light air has been the team's weak spot all season. Not this weekend, or at least not entirely.
Saturday brought very light wind and a second-place group finish for the French. Sunday's stronger breeze let the F50s get up on the foils, and the team came out fast, delivering two strong opening races and running close to victory in the second.
Everything hinged on the final race. A fourth-place result there was enough to leave France exactly one point outside the Final cut.
Philippe Presti, Team Manager of DS Automobiles SailGP Team France, didn't hide his frustration but pointed to the bigger picture.
"I'm disappointed for the athletes, who sailed really well this weekend. We came very close, but we fought hard and showed some very positive things. We were really well aligned across all areas and made tactical and technical progress throughout the weekend. We are still missing that little something, but the result is the product of all the work we are doing and all the processes we are putting in place. We need to keep working and remain agile because, in SailGP, conditions are constantly changing."
Since Valencia, sharpening the starts and getting more out of the boat in light air had been the priority. Geneva showed it's working. Saturday's starts were still patchy, though the crew found ways to climb the fleet regardless. By Sunday, several sharp starts put them among the front-runners from the off.
Grinder Timothé Lapauw was encouraged by what he saw.
"I think we've rediscovered some of the keys to getting the boat moving in light conditions and, above all, to getting good starts. That was our strength today. We really aren't far away from making the Final. The level in this league is extremely high, so of course it's frustrating, but there is nothing to be ashamed of in this performance. We'll get there."
Driver Quentin Delapierre struck a similar note, already looking past Geneva.
"We had a good approach today, used the boat well and had some good starts. Unfortunately, the last race didn't go our way, but we're looking ahead. We're determined to attack this final part of the season and fight for some strong results in the last Grands Prix."
Spain took the win in Geneva, cementing its place among the championship's front-runners alongside Australia. For the French, sixth on the day was enough to lift them one spot in the overall standings, also to sixth, as the European leg wraps up.
There was a notable visitor in the paddock this weekend. Youri Djorkaeff, the 1998 FIFA World Cup winner, was on hand to watch his investment up close.
Djorkaeff joined the French team's investor consortium back in January alongside his son Sacha. A long-time sailing fan, he spoke in Geneva about what struck him most: the closeness between athletes, teams and fans that SailGP allows.
"I've always been passionate about sailing, and SailGP is a sport that really appeals to me. Today, I'm fortunate to be part of the French adventure and to be here with the team. At this level of sport, it's very rare to be able to get so close to the athletes, talk to them and really feel what they are experiencing. Behind all the technology and performance, there are people, and that's what makes it so powerful. We are very proud of what they are achieving."
Geneva marks the end of the 2026 European tour. The championship now heads to the United Arab Emirates for its final two events, Dubai on 21-22 November and Abu Dhabi on 28-29 November, closing out a season where the margins have stayed tight from start to finish.
