If SailGP steers towards ultra-aspirational audience it will soar
Having spent two days consuming SailGP in Portsmouth, Matt Hardy looks at what’s next for the series dubbed F1 on water
Akin to a horde of middle aged parents at an Algarve all-inclusive, an eager line forms within eyesight of prime real estate with hundreds ready to grab the best spot.
But rather than being on the south coast of Portugal fighting for a sun bed, it’s Portsmouth and the rather pleasant quickened walk to secure a table on the seafront as 13 catamaran boats breeze past within 100m.
SailGP was back on the shores of Blighty at the weekend, in the shadow of the Spinnaker Tower in the port and in the eyeline of two Ukrainian warships on the horizon.
But there’s no danger here, except from the unlimited rose the Vela Beach Club provided.
It could have been because the first European leg of this year’s SailGP season was taking place in a naval stronghold steeped in maritime history that crowds went wild for the competing teams, or it could have been because these machines in the flesh – powered by the south coast gusts – are monumentally impressive.
The sport – co-founded by Larry Ellison – was launched five seasons ago and now, off the financial support of its billionaire backer, looks to be well into its next phase of growth.
SailGP an impressive spectacle
All 13 teams have private ownership, a 14th team – likely from the Middle East – is set for a 2027 berth and there are plans to expand the roster, eventually, up to 20 boats with new races in the likes of Mexico and South Korea.
Franchises are being shopped around for upwards of £50m and stars including Kylian Mbappe, Hugh Jackman and Anne Hathaway have coughed up to back the French, Australian and Italian teams respectively.
You can see the appeal. After the weekend in Portsmouth – where Spain’s Los Gallos flew around the course to win to raucous applause in an apparent show of gratitude from the crowd having been denied any sort of competitiveness from home team Emirates GBR – the paddock embarks on a European tour that sees it dock in Germany, Spain and Switzerland before a double header in the Middle East to close the season.
SailGP does cater to the masses – with tickets priced at £30 for grandstand access – but there is a Formula 1 flavour to it; the sheer number of fans create the spectacle but a hospitality offering is the aspirational ticket. The sport should lean into that more, especially across Europe, and create an event that non-sailing fans feel like they must attend.
In the UK there is a sense of this; SailGP has stuck to a weekend that does not clash with any major sport in London or beyond and a location within 90 minutes of the capital. It’s a mix of core local fans and day-trippers looking to see something spectacular.
As these F50 catamarans whizzed around the Solent there was a sense of grandeur all around. SailGP must continue to steer towards that, embracing the very thing most people assume about it.