Andrea Tesei has become the latest sailor signing for GB1, joining the British Challenger for the 38th America’s Cup. The Italian sailor brings experience of high-speed, elite racing, not only from his previous two America’s Cup campaigns with Luna Rossa, but also from the 49er Olympic class, SailGP and alpine skiing. Fresh from signing for GB1, Tesei has joined the British team for its training camp in Cagliari, Italy, this week for its first two-boat testing session with the AC40s. The 34-year-old is the fourth sailor signing for GB1, joining Helm Dylan Fletcher MBE and Trimmers Bleddyn Mon and Ben Cornish.
Tesei said he was “honoured” to join GB1 for the 38th America’s Cup, which will be held in his home country in 2027.
“I am really honoured to be in this group,” the 34-year-old said.
“There’s so many Olympic champions, Olympic medals on the sailing team, the management side and on the shoreside, everyone is incredibly talented. We will be racing in my home country, and Naples is going to be a fantastic host city. The course will be very close to the shore and it’s a natural amphitheatre, so there will many places to watch from the shore as well as on water.”
GB1 CEO Ian Walker said: “Andrea Tesei is an excellent addition to the GB1 squad and we are excited for what’s to come. Not only is Andrea an exceptional sailor, he also has great technical experience, having been involved in the boat, mainsail and foil design in previous America’s Cups. Tesei and the team have been in action in Cagliari this week and it’s been brilliant to have both AC40’s on the water for our first two-boat testing.”
Tesei grew up in Trieste, on Italy’s east coast, his father a sailor and his mother a ski racer. He was a top ranked youth alpine skier until the age of 16, combining that with sailing in the junior Optimist class that has produced so many Olympic Champions. It was only after he completed his degree – in Economics and Innovation Management – that he chose to commit to sailing as a career, after discovering the Olympic 49er.
Many of Tesei’s peers in the world of foiling have also come from the 49er Olympic class, including his new teammate and GB1 helm, Dylan Fletcher. Tesei was Italian National Champion in 2015, winning bronze at the European Championship two years later, and holding a top 10 World Sailing ranking across that period. He then spent a brief period racing non-foiling high-performance yachts in the TP52 Super Series scoring two event wins. Foiling then drew him back and he joined the Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli America’s Cup team through their Next Generation program in 2018.
It quickly became clear that foiling was Tesei’s future. He was selected as flight controller & wing trimmer aboard Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli for both the 36th and 37th America’s Cups, reaching the America’s Cup match in the former and the Louis Vuitton Cup Final in the latter. Afterwards, he was recruited to join Jimmy Spithill’s new Italian SailGP team for its debut 2025 season as flight controller.
Tesei brings to GB1 wide experience of the AC75, having worked on both foil and sail design, simulation and optimisation, as well as cockpit and HMI development – all critical areas in the modern America’s Cup.
Tesei said the America’s Cup had “always been a dream since I was a kid”, and explained that he loved more than just the sailing.
“The America’s Cup is incredible sports-wise and very hard to win, but it’s also the chance to learn about technology and how to improve sailing and knowledge of the hydrodynamics and aerodynamics, that’s what really gets my passion going.”