SailGP has published the initial findings from its technical investigation into the dramatic high-speed collision between the Black Foils New Zealand SailGP Team and DS Automobiles SailGP Team France during the ITM New Zealand Sail Grand Prix in Auckland.
The crash took place at the beginning of Race 3 on day one of the event, when the New Zealand F50 lost control while approaching Mark 1 at high speed. The catamaran slid sharply into the path of the French F50, leaving both boats with substantial damage and two athletes with injuries.
In the aftermath, SailGP engineering teams carried out a thorough technical review, drawing on high-rate performance data, onboard telemetry, simulator reconstructions, and video footage to piece together exactly what happened.
According to the data, the New Zealand F50 was travelling at approximately 90 km/h toward the first mark when it hit a gust during the opening reach. The sudden spike in wind speed caused rapid acceleration, which in turn increased lift on the hydrofoils and pushed the boat’s ride height upward. As the hull rose, the leeward foil broke through the water’s surface, triggering a side slip and a sharp increase in leeway.
SailGP Director of Performance Engineering Alex Reid explained that the combination of velocity, gusty conditions, and foil ventilation produced an extremely dynamic chain of events that unfolded in mere seconds. “The data shows the boat accelerated quickly and rose high on its foils,” Reid said. “Once the leeward foil pierced the surface, the boat entered a side slip where the foil began generating unwanted lift through leeway rather than via rake.”
Reid continued: “At that point the dynamics of the boat changed very quickly. Control inputs from the flight controller were still being applied, but we believe the physics of the slide meant the boat could not be brought down in time.”
As the side slip progressed, the rudder angle grew significantly as the crew fought to regain control while steering clear of nearby boats. The rudder briefly lost effective water flow before re-engaging, and the windward bow simultaneously dug into the water, causing the F50 to round up violently into the wind and decelerate abruptly.
With the French F50 sailing closely behind at speed, there was simply not enough time or distance to avoid impact once the sequence was underway.
Critically, the review found no evidence of any mechanical or software malfunction. Analysis of high-rate performance data and onboard systems revealed no abnormal system behavior or structural failure leading up to the incident. Instead, investigators concluded the collision resulted from a rapid hydrodynamic loss-of-control sequence triggered by foil ventilation during high-speed foiling in gusty conditions.
“There is no evidence of a mechanical or software failure in the systems leading up to the incident,” Reid confirmed. “What we see in the data is a very fast chain of aerodynamic and hydrodynamic events that pushed the boat beyond its controllable envelope at that moment.”
As part of its continuing review, SailGP engineers are now evaluating potential mitigations that could help crews better handle similar scenarios in the future. These solutions are being developed in collaboration with SailGP athletes ahead of this weekend’s KPMG Australia Sail Grand Prix and beyond.
The collision unfolded just 15 seconds after the Race 3 start, with New Zealand travelling at roughly 90 km/h and France close behind at around 86 km/h. A subsequent penalty review hearing upheld the original ruling that New Zealand breached Rule 14 regarding the obligation to avoid contact, resulting in an eight-event point penalty. France was determined to have had no reasonable opportunity to avoid the crash.
SailGP has previously confirmed that both the New Zealand and France teams will sit out the upcoming KPMG Sydney Sail Grand Prix while repairs continue, with efforts underway to return both squads to competition as quickly as possible.
