Red Bull Italy SailGP Team heads to Geneva for the final European challenge of Season 6

Following its debut in 2025, SailGP returns to Geneva for the second time, bringing the
F50 fleet back to one of the most distinctive racecourses on the calendar. Lake Geneva,
one of the largest lakes in Western Europe and located on the border between Switzerland
and France, will provide a very different setting from the open-water venues visited earlier
in the season.
Geneva also holds an important place in international sailing history. The city is home to
the Société Nautique de Genève, the yacht club represented by Alinghi in its America’s
Cup campaigns. The Swiss team won the trophy in Auckland in 2003 and successfully
defended it in Valencia in 2007, bringing the America’s Cup to Europe for the first time and
writing two of the defining chapters in the competition’s recent history.
The Rolex Switzerland Sail Grand Prix will therefore bring together Geneva’s sailing
heritage and the technology of the Rolex SailGP Championship. The racecourse will be
positioned directly in front of the city’s waterfront, giving spectators a privileged view of the
action. Following the sold-out debut event in 2025, the grandstands are once again
preparing to welcome a large crowd for the Swiss weekend.

Conditions on Lake Geneva are expected to be one of the event’s defining variables. In
2025, the fleet faced very light and unstable winds, with frequent changes in both direction
and intensity making it particularly difficult to keep the F50s foiling consistently throughout
the races.
Racing in fresh water also introduces an additional technical factor. Its lower density
compared with salt water generates slightly less hydrodynamic lift at the same speed and
settings. Teams will therefore need to adapt their flight control and foil management with precision, particularly during take-off and through the transitions between foiling, skimming
and displacement mode.
Red Bull Italy SailGP Team arrives in Switzerland following its strongest weekend of
Season 6. In Valencia, the Italian team won three of the four fleet races, qualified for an
event final for the first time and finished third. The result delivered the team’s first podium
of the season and valuable momentum heading into the closing stages of the
championship.
In Geneva, Red Bull Italy SailGP Team confirms the same line-up that raced in Valencia,
with Phil Robertson as driver 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 Will Ryan as grinder 2 and Matteo Celon as grinder 1. The final
racing combination will be adapted if a reduced number of athletes is required for the
expected light-air conditions.
For the Italian team, the event on Lake Geneva represents an opportunity to build on the
progress demonstrated in Valencia while facing a completely different racecourse. In
marginal conditions, the ability to read pressure across the course, find clear air and
manage the transitions between displacement sailing and foiling could prove decisive.

After Geneva, the Rolex SailGP Championship will leave Europe for the final two events of
Season 6 in Dubai and Abu Dhabi. With the leaderboard becoming increasingly
competitive and only a limited number of points still available, every race will carry even
greater importance in the battle to reach the Grand Final.
Jimmy Spithill, CEO of Red Bull Italy SailGP Team, commented: “The team has been
working hard since the great result in Valencia, everyone is look forward to building on the
momentum and finishing the back end of the season out strong”.
Racing will be broadcast in Italy on Sky Sport from 15:00 and on SailGP’s YouTube
channel. Racing is scheduled to begin at 15:30 on both Saturday 19 and Sunday 20
September, when the winner of the Rolex Switzerland Sail Grand Prix will be crowned.