The race to the $2m Grand Final in Abu Dhabi is well and truly on, as SailGP arrives in Cadiz for the penultimate event of the 2025 Season, the DP World Spain Sail Grand Prix. Cadiz is a defining moment of the season, as teams look to give themselves the best chance of getting into the top three in Abu Dhabi in November, to enter the winner-takes-all Grand Final and claim the biggest prize pot in the sport of sailing.
Emirates GBR currently sits second on the season leaderboard with 75 points, one point away from Australia’s BONDS Flying Roos in first, while New Zealand’s Black Foils are just two points behind the Brits in third and home team Spain are fourth on 70 points. Despite their strong position, Emirates GBR Driver Dylan Fletcher said no-one was safe as things can change very quickly in SailGP.
“I don’t think any of the teams feel safe,” Fletcher said.
“There are four teams incredibly tight on points and as we saw at the last event in Geneva, things can change very quickly. There is a lot of jeopardy in SailGP and I think the fight for the top three will go right until the end, so we just need to keep chipping away. All the teams in the top four are much for muchness so it’s all going to come down to these last two events to see how well we perform. So far, we’ve handled the pressure reasonably well and we are preparing for a big weekend here in Cadiz to hopefully set us up well for that Grand Final in Abu Dhabi next month.”
Cadiz has been an iconic SailGP venue since Season 2, attracting fans from across Spain and Europe to watch the heart-pumping action from the walls of the city’s stunning Baluarte de la Candelaria fortress. The last time SailGP came to Cadiz was in 2023, when Sir Ben Ainslie was at the wheel of the Emirates GBR F50. Just over 3,000 fans will pack the Race Stadium this year, with tens of thousands more expected to line the sea walls.
Conditions are due to be lighter than usual this weekend in Cadiz, with a light breeze on Saturday coming from the NW, which could lead to a difficult sea state for the 12 SailGP teams to manage. Sunday currently looks similar conditions, but there could be more wind arriving later in the afternoon, just in time for day two’s racing.
Emirates GBR Strategist Hannah Mills said: “We’re super excited to get racing in Cadiz, it’s a real highlight on the calendar and it’s great to come back to a familiar race course. We’re coming into this event the same as always, just focusing on performing well here and hopefully getting another podium. We’re just taking each event as it comes and aiming for consistency which will hopefully stand us in good stead for the Grand Final.”
The DP World Spain Sail Grand Prix kicks off on Saturday from 14:30 BST and UK viewers can follow all the adrenaline-fuelled action live on TNT Sports and Discovery+.
