The legal Rumble in the 38th America’s Cup jungle has surfaced again at the UK Admiralty Court, with new documents filed as part of Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s Ineos claim against Sir Ben Ainslie’s America’s Cup team Athena Racing.
Sir Jim and Ineos are claiming that Ainslie’s, Athena Racing must hand over the ‘£180m boat’ [Britannia] they built together for the 37th America’s Cup. If that were to happen, then Ainslie would be without a viable AC75 to compete in the next 38th America’s Cup in July/August 2027, and forced to withdraw from the event.
Ainslie has not commented publicly on the Ineos actions apart from claiming that Athena Racing had access to Britannia – renamed GB1 – and that they were continuing with work on modifying the AC75 to conform to the latest rule changes required for the 38th America’s Cup.
The latest submission of documents follow defence filings by Athena Racing claiming that Ineos’s conduct ‘has been, by any objective standard, reprehensible and improper.’
Sir Jim’s Ineos team lawyers latest filing claims that the person who locked doors of offices did not know anyone was inside, and that reference to a ‘scorched earth’ policy by Ineos during a meeting with Ainslie in October 2024, was intended to be taken in a figurative rather than a literal sense.
They also deny that senior executives of Ineos Sport, threatened Ainslie in his Barcelona office in October, 2024, just hours before Ainslie competed against New Zealand in the America’s Cup. Ineos denied the meeting took place when Athena claimed it did.
GB1 is the new identity of Athena Racing, and is the team of the Challenger of Record, the Royal Yacht Squadron Ltd, for the 2027 America’s Cup in Naples.
The latest press release from GB1 (10 July) ignores any mention of the ongoing legal row over the ownership of GB1 and vaguely refers to . . . ‘work taking place behind the scenes from design and engineering to testing, sailing and performance analysis is focused on one objective: earning the right to once again represent the Challenger in the America’s Cup Match’.
The case will now be heard at the High Court, but it is unlikely to be heard this year, or even before the 38th America’s Cup Match, scheduled for 2027 at Naples.
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