The Rolex SailGP Championship heads to Bermuda for the fifth event of Season 6, with the Apex Group Bermuda Sail Grand Prix taking place this weekend. The championship returns to one of modern sailing’s most iconic venues, racing on one of the most spectacular and historically significant racecourses in the sport.

A British Overseas Territory located in the heart of the Atlantic Ocean, Bermuda holds a special place in the evolution of high-performance sailing. It was here, in 2017, that the 35th America’s Cup was contested, an edition that marked a transformational moment in the
sport’s technological development thanks to the AC50 foiling catamarans, which headlined one of the most innovative and revolutionary America’s Cups in history.

In many ways, Bermuda represents the birthplace of SailGP itself: the championship’s F50 catamarans are the direct technological evolution of the AC50s raced during that historic America’s Cup. When Larry Ellison and Russell Coutts founded SailGP, the AC50 platform was redesigned into a one-design class focused on extreme performance, creating boats that are more powerful, more stable and capable of flying higher above the water. The introduction of advanced electronic control systems for foil and wing management, combined with cutting-edge composite materials and further-optimised appendages, has made the F50 the fastest race boat in the world, capable of exceeding 100 km/h.

The extraordinary speeds reached by the fleet remain one of the most spectacular elements of the championship, helping establish SailGP as one of the most adrenaline-fuelled sporting competitions in the world. Twelve teams will line up on the start line in Bermuda, while New Zealand’s Black Foils remain sidelined following the incident sustained during the Auckland event in February. The fleet continues to grow ever more competitive, with the technical and sporting level of the championship rising season after season.

Racing will take place in the waters of the Great Sound, Bermuda’s famous bay which previously hosted the 2017 America’s Cup. The racecourse will provide a spectacular setting for spectators, with racing visible from both Somerset Village and Spanish Point, near the island’s capital, Hamilton.

Bermuda’s unique backdrop, combined with the spectacle of SailGP racing, is set to deliver an unforgettable show for fans attending the event, with grandstands already sold out for the weekend. The Red Bull Italy SailGP Team arrives in Bermuda following a strong performance in
Brazil, the fourth event of the season, where the team continued to demonstrate its upward trajectory with a solid and competitive weekend of racing. In Rio, the team also secured its first race win of the season, a further sign of the crew’s progress and growing cohesion onboard.

For the Bermuda event, the Red Bull Italy SailGP Team will line up with Phil Robertson at the helm and Jana Germani as strategist, joined by SailGP and America’s Cup champion Kyle Langford as wing trimmer, Andrea Tesei as flight controller, two-time Olympic medallist and Season 6 newcomer Will Ryan as grinder 2, and Enrico Voltolini as grinder 1. A crew that continues to build cohesion and performance within a circuit featuring some of the world’s very best sailors.

For the occasion, the entire crew will compete wearing black armbands in memory of Alex Zanardi, an icon of Italian sport and a universal symbol of strength, determination, and resilience, who recently passed away. The event schedule will follow the traditional Rolex SailGP Championship format: Friday will be dedicated to practice racing, with the twelve teams split into two groups rotating
on the racecourse to test Bermuda’s characteristic conditions and complete preparations for the race weekend.

Racing begins in earnest on Saturday with four fleet races scheduled, before the now traditional Super Sunday, featuring three additional fleet races followed by the three-boat Final to determine the event winner. Jimmy Spithill, CEO of the team, said: “Bermuda may be the best natural racecourse in the world, surrounded by stunning reefs and crystal-clear flat water. Many of us have been fortunate enough to live there and experience the incredible atmosphere created by the locals. Can t wait to get back out on the Great Sound.”

All eyes now turn to a new race weekend set to deliver high-intensity action in one of sailing’s most iconic venues, where the past, present and future of the sport converge. Racing will be broadcast in Italy on Sky Sport and on the SailGP YouTube channel. The first race is scheduled for Saturday, 9 May at 14:00 local time, corresponding to 19:00 in Italy.