Australia's Tom Slingsby delivered a near-flawless performance in the fourth and final fleet race of Day 1 at the SailGP Portsmouth event, turning around what had been a difficult afternoon for the Flying Roos with a critical victory. Results of seventh and fifth in the preceding races had heaped pressure on the Australian squad, and Slingsby answered emphatically.
Slingsby seized control at the first turn, using aggressive positioning to force Spain wide at Gate 2 and disrupt their exit. The Australians kept their composure from that moment on, staying in clean air and converting their pace into precise, controlled manoeuvres while the boats behind them scrambled for space.
Emirates GBR put together another polished effort in home waters. Caught in traffic early, Dylan Fletcher's team were unable to sail their preferred line, yet they absorbed the pressure and worked through to second place. Combined with their earlier results of first and third, the finish capped a superb day and placed them at the top of the provisional fleet race standings.
Red Bull Italy completed the podium through measured, intelligent sailing. They opted for fewer manoeuvres, stayed out of congested wind shadows, and picked their way to third with a clean, disciplined race.
Brazil showed genuine grit further back in the fleet. After collecting a penalty for sailing outside the course boundary, they rallied to finish fourth, edging out Germany, who recorded their best result of the day in fifth. The final stages of the race produced some tense mid-fleet battles, with several teams losing significant boat speed after straying into disturbed air. The cost of those losses was most apparent among the teams fighting to stay off the foot of the order.
New Zealand and Spain had each claimed race wins earlier in the day, but neither could reproduce that form when it counted. New Zealand fell off the foils during their opening manoeuvre and never recovered from the early setback. Spain found themselves boxed in by traffic around the start. Both teams finished well down the fleet with little opportunity to claw back ground.
Three more fleet races are scheduled for Sunday. Emirates GBR take a healthy lead into that second day, with Switzerland and Australia the most credible challengers. The standings have already shifted several times over, and further surprises look entirely plausible.
Race results
- Bonds Flying Roos, 10 points - Emirates GBR, 9 points - Red Bull Italy, 8 points - GER Deutsche Bank, 7 points - Mubadala Brazil, 6 points - Switzerland, 5 points - ROCKWOOL DEN, 4 points - United States, 3 points - Canada, 2 points - Spain, 1 point - New Zealand, 0 points - France, 0 points
Fleet race results
- Emirates GBR with 36 points - Switzerland with 30 points - BONDS Flying Roos with 26 points - New Zealand with 26 points - Red Bull Italy with 24 points - Spain with 20 points - ROCKWOOL DEN with 17 points - GER Deutsche Bank with 11 points - Mubadala Brazil with 10 points - United States with 10 points - Canada with 10 points - France with 0 points
Championship results
A reminder of the 2025 Championship results so far; these will change after the SailGP Portsmouth 2025 event.
- BONDS Flying Roos with 45 points - Spain with 46 points - New Zealand with 44 points - Emirates GBR with 41 points - Canada with 38 points - France with 36 points - Switzerland with 20 points - ROCKWOOL DEN with 14 points - Red Bull Italy with 13 points - Mubadala Brazil with 9 points - GER Deutsche Bank with 0 points - United States with 0 points
