Los Gallos, ready for the opening of the 2026 SailGP in Australia

The Rolex SailGP Championship 2026 raises the curtain this Saturday, 17th of January, with the Oracle Perth Sail Grand Prix presented by KPMG, the first event of a global calendar that will take the elite of high-speed sailing to some of the most spectacular venues on the planet.

The opening event will be held on the 17th and 18th of January in Fremantle, Australia, marking the debut of the new season of SailGP, the most exciting competition on the water.

The event will take place over two days. On Saturday, 17th of January, the race stadium will be open from 11:30 to 17:00 (AWDT), with races scheduled between 1 p.m. and 2:30 p.m. The same timetable will be repeated on Sunday, 18th of January, the second and final day of the event. 

Among the teams taking part will be the Spain SailGP Team, also known as Los Gallos, who begin the season aiming to consolidate their position among the leading contenders on the circuit after finishing fourth overall last season. In 2025, the final podium was topped by Emirates GBR, followed by Bonds Flying Roos, with the Black Foils in third place.

The Spanish team once again features a top-level crew, highlighted by the presence of Balearic sailor Joan Cardona, who serves as tactician and grinder. Cardona is part of a highly competitive unit led by helmsman Diego Botín and wing trimmer Florian Trittel, one of the strongest pairings on the circuit.

The line-up is completed by flight controller Joel Rodríguez, strategist Nicole van der Velden and grinder Bernardo Freitas, forming a team that combines youth, international experience and three Olympic medallists. In addition, Los Gallos retain the distinction of having been the youngest team ever to debut in SailGP, a milestone achieved in Season 2 of the championship.

SailGP is contested using identical F50 catamarans equipped with cutting-edge foils, capable of reaching speeds in excess of 100 km/h. This demands maximum technical precision, instant decision-making and perfect coordination on board.

With the season opener in Australia, the Spain SailGP Team embarks on a new campaign with ambition and the challenge of taking another step forward in the overall standings, in a championship that once again places Spain among the leading protagonists of elite international sailing.