Rockwool Racing leads the Mubadala Abu Dhabi Sail Grand Prix 2025 Grand Final after a strong showing on Day 1.
The Danish crew delivered a consistent performance, with two wins, a second and a third across the first four fleet races. They sit atop the event leaderboard with 37 points.
Mubadala Brazil and Red Bull Italy are tied for second on 22 points, after a challenging day of racing in light winds and tight conditions.
Championship favourites Emirates GBR, Australia and Spain finished 10th, 11th and 12th respectively. New Zealand’s Black Foils placed eighth, slightly ahead of their rivals.
The fleet raced with the newly introduced 27.5-metre wingsails and light-air foils, making the most of the 7–10 km/h breeze.
Race conditions proved difficult. Crowded courses led to 27 penalties across the fleet. Australia and Spain were hit with two early-start infractions each. Switzerland was docked eight points for causing damage to the New Zealand boat in race four.
“We received two early start penalties today – it’s frustrating but I saw a lot of teams getting penalties,” said Australia’s Tom Slingsby.
Despite the setbacks, Australia stayed ahead of Spain in the overall standings. “It doesn't look like that when you're in 10th, but as long as Spain is behind us – we are happy,” he added.
Spain’s Diego Botín said, “It was a very light and tough day. We pushed for it and made a few mistakes. We'll keep going tomorrow.”
Emirates GBR driver Dylan Fletcher described the course as “condensed” and “busy fast,” noting that the Grand Final’s three-boat format will offer a very different dynamic.
Rockwool Racing’s Nicolai Sehested said, “It came a lot easier than normal… you have to sail fast to not deal with the other boats.”
Phil Robertson returned to lead Red Bull Italy and helped secure third place on the leaderboard. “A good day and a lot of fun to be out there again,” he said.
The 12 teams return to the water tomorrow for two more fleet races. The top three teams will then face off in the winner-takes-all Grand Final to decide the 2025 Rolex SailGP Champion.
A total prize fund of $3.2 million is on offer. $800,000 will be shared among event podium finishers. $400,000 goes to the top team on season points. The overall winner claims $2 million.
Racing resumes at 2:00 pm Gulf time on Sunday, November 30.
