Two sailors are in a stable condition in hospital after a catastrophic collision between New Zealand and France forced racing to be abandoned on the opening day of the Auckland Sail Grand Prix.
Racing Abandoned After Collision
The incident occurred at the start of race three of the SailGP New Zealand Grand Prix when the New Zealand boat reportedly lost control and veered sharply across the path of the French F50.
According to SailGP, one sailor from each crew was taken to hospital following the impact. Organisers later confirmed both were stable.
Races three and four were immediately called off, with both New Zealand and France ruled out of Sunday’s action due to the extent of the damage sustained.
Delapierre Reacts To Incident
France driver Quentin Delapierre described the moment as overwhelming, saying events unfolded rapidly and would require review alongside race officials.
He added that his thoughts were with the New Zealand crew and stressed the need to find solutions to prevent similar incidents in the future.
The New Zealand team, known as the Black Foils, had climbed into first place overall after winning race two earlier in the day. However, an eight-point penalty for the crash dropped them down the leaderboard.
Season Marked By Further Trouble
The Auckland collision follows another incident involving New Zealand at the season opener in Perth last month, when they were involved in a separate crash with Switzerland.
Defending champions Great Britain SailGP Team endured a mixed opening day, finishing 11th in the first race before recovering to take second in race two.
Organisers have since rescheduled Sunday’s racing to an earlier start time, with adverse weather forecast later in the day adding another layer of uncertainty to a dramatic weekend on the water.
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