Red Bull Italy SailGP Team closes an intense Sassnitz stop

The ROCKWOOL Germany Sail Grand Prix delivered an intense and spectacular weekend for the Red Bull Italy SailGP Team. The eighth event of Season 6 of the Rolex SailGP Championship brought the F50 fleet back to the waters of Sassnitz, on the island of Rügen, where strong winds and highly variable conditions put every crew to the test.

Following its debut last year, Sassnitz once again proved to be one of the most challenging and exciting venues on the calendar. Racing just metres from the shoreline and in front of sold-out grandstands at the SailGP Race Stadium, the F50s treated fans to a thrilling display of high-speed action.

For the Red Bull Italy SailGP Team, preparations began several days before racing, with two intensive training sessions focused on boat development and testing different configurations. For the first time, Jana Germani took the helm of the Italian F50, with Maelle Frascari in the strategist role. It was an important opportunity to explore new dynamics and gather valuable insights to support the team’s continued development. On Saturday, offshore winds ranging from 16 to 22 knots, combined with constant shifts in pressure and direction, created particularly demanding conditions. The Italian crew opened the weekend with a third-place finish, followed by sixth and fifth places in the remaining two races.

On Sunday, the wind strengthened further and conditions became even more unstable. After finishing seventh in the opening race, the Red Bull Italy SailGP Team responded with a strong third place in the final race, bringing the German weekend to a positive close. Jimmy Spithill, CEO of the Red Bull Italy SailGP Team, commented:”We struggled to get off the start line this event. I thought our speed and boat handling made a good stephowever we need to take a step in our starting if we want to be on the podium at the end of the weekend.”

Phil Robertson, driver of the Red Bull Italy SailGP Team, added: “We made some positive steps forward this weekend, and now we’re looking ahead to Valencia. We still have a lot
to work on, particularly our starts, and we need to put a lot of focus into that to make sure we get off the line in good shape. We’re confident that we can put everything together and take another step forward in Valencia.”

The Sassnitz event provided the team with valuable new insights as it continues its development journey throughout Season 6. The Rolex SailGP Championship will return in less than two weeks in Valencia, where the 13 F50s will compete on 5–6 September in the ninth event of the season and the first-ever SailGP event hosted by the Spanish city