SailGP upgrades
SailGP CEO Sir Russell Coutts shares a mid-season update on the fleet’s wingsail upgrades.
19 May 2025
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SailGP is currently undertaking a series of upgrades to all 12 wingsails ahead of next month’s event in New York following a full inspection and review.
Each F50 will receive an upgraded ‘Main Element 1’ (ME1) before racing begins – the area of the wingsail closest to the F50 platform, which bears the most load in racing conditions. Further upgrades to the wingsails are also planned to take place throughout the season.
It comes after the league confirmed a bonding issues in some of the wingsails’ shear webs, which are being replaced alongside the upgrades. These repair and upgrades will ensure all 12 boats are in fit for racing in New York, as well as being perfectly matched – crucial in a one-design fleet.
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Speaking about the upgrades, SailGP CEO Russell Coutts said: “These new components for the wingsails feature an Aluminum Nomex core and increased laminate, which means the new shear webs will be approximately twice as strong.”
The upgrades are currently being undertaken by teams working across SailGP Technologies in Southampton, UK and the American Magic facility in Pensacola, Florida. The changes will bolster the strength of the wingsails by removing and upgrading the affected parts, reinstalling the electronics and completely rebranding all wings.
Coutts added that teams are ‘working around the clock on extraction, production, design, testing and reinstallation’.
“It’s a huge team effort, but our fans can expect all 12 teams back on the racecourse when racing kicks off in New York,” he said.
Ahead of racing in New York, every SailGP team will complete a full sea trial in its own F50, as well as extensive safety checks undertaken by the league’s designers and engineers both on land and on water.
It comes after the league made the decision to cancel last month’s Enel Rio Sail Grand Prix after identifying a potential defect in select wingsails across the F50 fleet – which has now been confirmed.
The issue was first discovered following testing and analysis of Australia’s wing following its collapse in San Francisco.
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