Ben Ainslie’s Emirates Team GBR will be going ‘all out’ to secure a place in the three-boat, winner-takes-all showdown.
Speaking at a pre-event press conference, Ainslie revealed the team will be changing its racing strategy and ‘battling hard’ to get into the Grand Final. “We’ll be ready for a full-on race and give everything we can to win it,” he said.
Two-time defending champions Australia sit at the top of the leaderboard with an 11-point lead heading into San Francisco, and is the only team to have qualified for the Grand Final.
New Zealand sits comfortably in second place and looks set to join the Aussies barring a disaster.
But with just one-point separating France in third and Emirates Great Britain SailGP Team in fourth, the stage is set for a dramatic, last-minute showdown between the two teams.
Ainslie said that the San Francisco event is ‘all about getting into the Grand Final’. “In a way, we’ve got zero to lose and everything to gain.”
The British team will shift from its more ‘conservative’ racing strategy and ‘stepping it up’ when racing begins on Saturday.
France driver Quentin Delapierre meanwhile gave little away when asked about his strategy for the weekend, but insisted he was ‘excited, not intimidated’ by the challenge ahead.
“It was our ambition at the start of the season to get a spot in the Grand Final in San Francisco, and I think we deserve our position today,” he said.
Racing takes place on San Francisco Bay from 22:30 on Saturday and Sunday and will be live here on YouTube in the UK:
Race Day 1 – Saturday 6 May 22:30 BST
Race Day 2 – Sunday 7 May 22:30 BST
Series 3 SailGP Positions as they head into the Mubadala SailGP $1,000,000 Season 3 Grand Final. The top 3 after the San Francisco five-race series will take part in the winner-takes-all final to claim the Season 3 Title and $1,000,000 prizemoney.
