The second and final day proved to be a challenging day for the Emirates Great Britain SailGP Team across all three fleet races.
Day two of the Enel Rio Sail Grand Prix delivered challenging and unpredictable conditions, putting the fleet to the test on Guanabara Bay.
Racing took place in a variable breeze, averaging around 16 km/h with gusts up to 30 km/h. Teams raced powered up on the large 27.5m wing sails, but the conditions were far from straightforward.
The breeze funnelling over Sugarloaf Mountain created an unstable racecourse, with a significant wind hole forming at the top mark beneath the mountain. This compressed the fleet and added another layer of complexity. Combined with an unsettled sea state, manoeuvres became high-risk moments, placing crews under constant pressure to execute cleanly.
Australia’s Bonds Flying Roos SailGP Team came into the day as overnight leaders and showed impressive consistency, winning all three fleet races before going on to secure the event victory. They triumphed over Los Gallos Spain SailGP Team and Artemis Sweden SailGP Team in the final.
For Emirates GBR SailGP Team, it proved to be a challenging day across all three fleet races.
In Race 1, a penalty in the start box halted early momentum for not giving Mubadala Brazil SailGP Team room. GBR worked hard to stay in contention. However, the unstable breeze and demanding sea state made gains difficult, and they ultimately finished 12th.
Race 2, brought some promise but that quickly turned to frustration for GBR as they showed strong pace, charging late on the foils through the fleet to take control of the start. However, Chief Umpire Craig Mitchell issued a penalty for not giving room to Red Bull Italy, dropping GBR from 1st to last in an instant. Despite the setback, GBR recovered several positions to finish 10th.
Conditions remained a major storyline throughout the day. On water commentator, Lisa Darmanin described them as “diabolical,” with wind speeds ranging from 30 km/h to almost nothing within metres, making consistency nearly impossible.
The final fleet race began with drama as France SailGP Team were black flagged and disqualified for failing to give room at the start. For GBR, it capped a difficult weekend, with a 10th-place finish in the race saw them end the event 12th overall.
Hannah Mills, Strategist, Emirates GBR SailGP Team commented: “It certainly wasn’t our best weekend of racing and today just wasn’t our day. We got ourselves into some nice positions off the start line, but rightly or wrongly we picked up penalties and made a few mistakes that dropped us to the back of the fleet. In these conditions, it’s almost impossible to make gains. It’s been a tough event, but we’ve made a strong start to the season overall and we’re still in a good position in the Championship. We’ll get our heads down, regroup, dive into the data, review and reassess and come back stronger for Bermuda.”
In the event final, Australia, Sweden, and Spain went head-to-head, with Australia delivering another clinical performance to seal the win. The result the Bonds Flying Roos leapfrog Emirates GBR SailGP Team in the 2026 Championship standings.
Emirates GBR drop to second overall but will have a quick opportunity to respond at the Bermuda Sail Grand Prix in four weeks’ time, a chance to reset and regain their strong early-season form.
