Los Gallos climb to third place in the championship after narrowly missing victory in Bermuda

Only Tom Slingsby’s all-powerful Australia managed to beat the Spaniards, who once again delivered an excellent performance on the second day of racing.

Victory will have to wait, at least until New York. Spain came agonizingly close to winning in Bermuda, but Australia is still Australia. Even with that bittersweet feeling, the season the Spain SailGP Team is putting together this year has been outstanding: four Grand Prix finals out of four possible appearances. Only the Aussies can match that record… having also competed in the Perth event, where the Spanish team was unable to race.

Unlike in Rio, where Los Gallos also finished second, Diego Botín’s crew came much closer to defeating the Australian F50 this time around. And in SailGP, the closer you get, the more painful defeat can feel, although everyone knows the one that truly matters is the Grand Final. Winning there is what counts.

The Spanish team began the day with a fantastic start, pushing the limits of the starting line to overtake all their rivals on the outside and reach the first mark in the lead. From that point on, the F50 Victoria flew flawlessly, staying in control and keeping its opponents at bay all the way to the finish line. With two races still to go, Spain already had one eye on the Grand Prix final.

A mixed bag followed, however, as Los Gallos repeated the same strategy in the second race of the day. This time, Italy shut the door on the Spaniards, forcing them to loop all the way around to restart the race. Despite the setback, the Spain SailGP Team managed to recover positions and scrape together enough points to secure a place in the decisive race, reaching the final after a thrilling battle with Australia.

In the final, the Australians, Spaniards, and Germans all nailed the start, pushing the pre-start box to the final second. The Aussies reached the first mark first thanks to their inside position. Forced to switch tactics in an attempt to overtake their biggest rivals, Spain tried everything possible, maneuvering even in areas where no one expected them to. But Tom Slingsby, every bit the seasoned sea wolf, defended brilliantly to secure yet another victory for Australia. Los Gallos went down fighting, with Germany finishing third in the Grand Prix.

Diego Botín, driver of the Spain SailGP Team, said in the mixed zone after the Grand Prix: “We tried, but the Australians were perfect.” He added: “In any case, we’re sailing really well, working strongly as a team, and we need to stay focused on maintaining this momentum. We’re very close to making these finals count.”

Following yesterday’s second-place finish, Sunday May 10th, Spain climbs to third place in the Rolex SailGP Championship standings with 34 points. Australia leads comfortably with 45 points, ten ahead of Great Britain, the next target in Spain’s relentless rise. The United States drops off the podium into fourth place with 31 points. The next event on the calendar will be the Mubadala New York Sail Grand Prix in just three weeks’ time (May 30th–31st).