Los Gallos stage stunning comeback to win the Great Britain Sail Grand Prix

The Spain SailGP Team fought its way into the Grand Prix Final before producing a remarkable comeback from last place to claim victory in British waters.

Epic, extraordinary, unforgettable… There are hardly enough superlatives to describe the Spain SailGP Team's performance at the Emirates Great Britain Sail Grand Prix. Spain claimed its second victory of the Rolex SailGP Championship season following its triumph in Halifax, delivering another memorable weekend of racing. After battling through a dramatic qualifying stage against Australia, New Zealand and Canada, Los Gallos secured a place in the Final before storming from last place to win their first-ever SailGP event in Great Britain and collect ten crucial championship points.

Sunday, 26 July, could hardly have started better for Spain. After making a strong start, both Canada and New Zealand, their main rivals in Group A, were penalised for crossing the start line ahead of Spain and were forced to drop to the back of the fleet. That left Tom Slingsby's Australia to lead the race almost from start to finish. The Spain SailGP Team briefly challenged for the lead during one of the upwind legs, but the Australians regained control and held on to first place through to the finish.

Spain collected four points and took full advantage of its rivals' results to top Group A with 13 points, just one ahead of Australia, Canada and New Zealand. Everything would come down to the final fleet race.

As they have done on several occasions this season, Los Gallos once again produced a masterclass in resilience. Australia effectively ruled itself out of contention after crossing the start line early and being forced to give way to the rest of the fleet, while New Zealand and Canada both started ahead of Spain. That was when Diego Botín and his crew switched into comeback mode, steadily overtaking their rivals to secure a place in the Grand Prix Final.

There was no shortage of drama. Spain rounded the penultimate mark ahead of the Kiwis, but a mistake during one of the manoeuvres caused the F50 Victoria to come off its foils. New Zealand rapidly closed the gap, only to sail outside the race boundaries under pressure and receive a penalty that ended any chance of overtaking Spain. The result secured the Spain SailGP Team's sixth consecutive Grand Prix Final appearance this season, six from six.

The Grand Prix Final itself did not begin according to plan. Spain approached the start line at speed in an attempt to gain an advantage but found itself in fourth place, once again needing to fight back through the fleet.

Once again, however, Los Gallos embraced the challenge. Leg by leg, metre by metre, the Spanish crew closed the gap to Sweden, Canada and Switzerland, with a superb manoeuvre at the second turning mark proving decisive. From that point onwards, Spain steadily reeled in its rivals before taking the lead. Once out in front, there was no looking back.

Thanks to this latest victory, Spain now sits second in the overall Rolex SailGP Championship standings with 54 points, trailing only Australia on 66. Sweden occupies third place with 47 points, while the United States is fourth on 46. Los Gallos have strengthened their position in the race to qualify for the 2026 Grand Final.

The championship resumes in Sassnitz on 22nd–23rd of August for the ninth event of the 2026 Rolex SailGP Championship.