«Well done, congratulations to everyone». These are the first words of Patrizio Bertelli from Milan, where the Prada fashion show was about to start, to the Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli team after the victory that brought the Italian boat into the final of the Challenger Selection Series.

«It was a very tight semi-final, but in the America's Cup it is always like this. We started well with four beautiful wins,» said Bertelli, «then one wrong regatta and one bad day, with an unexpected breakage and we found ourselves four to three. A tough moment, to which the team reacted with determination, strength and great unity. A full night of intense work by the shore team allowed the sailors to return to the water with a boat that was perfect and able to close the series. We met American Magic, a strong team, and I'm sure that this series against them was very useful to us. We have improved in boat driving and race tactics, we made risky decisions, we showed character. Now in one week we will meet the British of Ineos, the same final as in the last Auckland Cup. They will also have improved since the beginning of the regattas, maybe they're the ones who have grown the most. In the coming days we will optimize the boat with some small changes, we will train to improve even more on the water and we will analyze our opponent in great detail. We'll be ready».

«It was a very tight semi-final, but in the America's Cup it is always like this. We started well with four beautiful wins,» said Bertelli, «then one wrong regatta and one bad day, with an unexpected breakage and we found ourselves four to three. A tough moment, to which the team reacted with determination, strength and great unity. A full night of intense work by the shore team allowed the sailors to return to the water with a boat that was perfect and able to close the series. We met American Magic, a strong team, and I'm sure that this series against them was very useful to us. We have improved in boat driving and race tactics, we made risky decisions, we showed character. Now in one week we will meet the British of Ineos, the same final as in the last Auckland Cup. They will also have improved since the beginning of the regattas, maybe they're the ones who have grown the most. In the coming days we will optimize the boat with some small changes, we will train to improve even more on the water and we will analyze our opponent in great detail. We'll be ready».