Mubadala Brazil closes the German Grand Prix in 13th and turns to SailGP's debut in Valencia

Mubadala Brazil SailGP Team wrapped up its run at the Rockwool Germany Sail Grand Prix on Sunday 23 August, sailed in Sassnitz, on the German island of Rügen. The Brazilian team finished the event in 13th place, and now heads to Spain for the Spain Sail Grand Prix, the circuit's ninth stop, set for 5 and 6 September at the Port of Valencia.

A split fleet changes the maths

The German event brought in a variable that changes how the racing reads. With 13 F50 catamarans on the water, the organisers divided the fleet into two groups for the qualifying phase, a format that reduces the number of boats racing at once and forces each crew to calibrate risk and positioning differently.

Brazil landed in Group A, alongside Australia's BONDS Flying Roos, who would go on to win the event, Canada's NorthStar and Spain's Los Gallos, precisely the three teams that made up the Sassnitz podium.

The Brazilian performance was consistent, in the literal sense: across five races, five finishes between sixth and seventh in the group. On day one, a sixth and two sevenths. On day two, sailed in heavy rain and unstable Baltic wind, another sixth and a seventh.

Data as raw material

The Brazilian technical staff treated the event as a collection exercise. Every F50 race generates a large volume of telemetry, and it is on that material that the boat's operation is adjusted between events, with the season running without breaks.

"The split into groups demands a very dynamic tactical reading of the course. We did not achieve the result we were looking for in the standings, but we approached every race with the seriousness of a team in a continuous process of technical development. SailGP is a league of minimal margins and our job now is to process this information and translate the learning into more speed and precision for the Valencia event," said Martine Grael.

The remark about minimal margins describes the nature of the competition well. In SailGP, the gap between fourth and eighth in a race is usually settled in seconds, and frequently in a single manoeuvre botched on the first leg.

The German podium

The Australian win reinforces the team's lead in the season. Spain's Los Gallos, who arrived in Germany on the back of two consecutive victories, in Halifax and Portsmouth, remain in pursuit of the top of the table. Brazil reached Sassnitz in 13th place in the championship, on 8 points.

Valencia is new ground for everyone

The next event carries a component that matters even to those not following the standings: it will be the first time SailGP races at the Port of Valencia.

That means no team arrives with a database on the course, a rare situation in a circuit where the history of each venue usually weighs on strategy. The city has a tradition in European sailing, having hosted the America's Cup in 2007 and 2010, and the Mediterranean imposes a wind regime distinct from what the fleet found in the Baltic.

The home team, Los Gallos, arrives with the advantage of knowing local conditions. The crew is led by Diego Botín and Florian Trittel, Olympic champions in the 49er class at Paris 2024.

The Brazilian crew

Mubadala Brazil SailGP Team is the first Brazilian team to compete in the league, and is led by Martine Grael, the first woman to captain a team in the competition.

The crew brings together Brazilians Marco Grael, Mateus Isaac and Breno Kneipp as grinders, Denmark's Rasmus Køstner as flight controller, Italy's Pietro Sibello as wing trimmer and Britain's Paul Goodison as strategist, plus Marina Arndt and Richard Mason as reserves. Ashore, more than 20 professionals work in engineering, performance, logistics, communications and operations.

The project has Mubadala as title sponsor, with Atvos, Oakberry, Mattos Filho and Enel Brasil as global partners and Ballena as official supplier.

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