Sail GP: Northstar Goes Fast but Finishes 10th
February 26, 2026
The NorthStar SailGP Team finished in the ITM New Zealand Sail Grand Prix in 10th position overall, recording the top speed during the weekend and breaking their own in-race record at over 101.3 kph.
Over the weekend, in front of the largest waterfront grandstand of the year, Auckland delivered very challenging conditions on the Waitematā Harbour.
On Saturday, the NorthStar SailGP Team were out of the gate strong but struggled on when one of the wing trim control panels was damaged during a manoeuvre and the team had to retire early, before the shore crew battled onboard to repair the panel mount ahead of race 2. The jury-rigged solution was not optimal, but the team held on to take a 10th in that race.
After a solid start in race 3 for NorthStar, racing was cut short following a dramatic on-water collision between the New Zealand Black Foils and DS Automobiles SailGP France Team. Two athletes were transported to hospital following the incident and racing was abandoned for the day.
With a windy forecast and the tight Auckland racecourse, safety concerns for the full fleet, SailGP officials elected to split the fleet on Sunday. NorthStar lined up in Group A, racing against teams from Great Britain, Germany, Brazil and Italy. The team led the first race for two laps before a photo finish with Emirates GBR which resulted in a slip to 2nd place. A subsequent 3rd place finish in the final split-fleet race of the day was not sufficient to make the grand final which saw the Bonds Flying Roos claim the win in Auckland for the second year in a row.
From Auckland, the fleet travels to Sydney for the KPMG Sydney Sail Grand Prix on 28 February – 1 March. New Zealand and France will not compete at next weekend’s KPMG Sydney Sail Grand Prix, following the high-speed collision between the two F50s in Auckland.
Two athletes – New Zealand’s Louis Sinclair and France’s Manon Audinet – were evacuated from the race course by SailGP’s on-water safety team and taken to hospital for treatment.
Sinclair underwent surgery to a fracture to his right leg and is in stable condition, now home. Audinet, who sustained abdominal bruising, remains under medical observation as a precaution and is recovering well.
A full review of the incident is underway, including detailed analysis of performance data and onboard systems, to understand precisely what occurred and identify any learnings.
