Thirteen teams have confirmed their lineup for the ROCKWOOL Germany Sail Grand Prix in Sassnitz on August 22-23, the eighth stop of the 2026 Rolex SailGP Championship. It's a venue that's gaining a bit of a reputatoon, Sassnitz's 2025 debut drew 13,000 fans to the shoreline and produced a new SailGP speed record. The season's leaderboard is tight too. Although, Tom Slingsby's Bonds Flying Roos hold a healthy 12-point lead over Diego Botín's Los Gallos, who've won two events in a row heading into the European leg, the mid-leaderboard positions hold most interest with Artemis, the US SailGP team and Emirates GBR all close on points.
New Zealand names appear across several teams, obviously New Zealand's Black Foils, Artemis and Red Bull.
Peter Burling drives the Black Foils, with Blair Tuke on wing trim, Leo Takahashi as flight controller, and Liv Mackay on strategy. Kate Stewart joins as reserve strategist, a change from the previous event.
Ex-Kerikeri boys Brad Farrand on the grind and Andy Maloney, who slots in as flight controller for Artemis SailGP Team. Coach Sam Meech rounds out the Artemis Kiwis.
New Zealand's Phil Robertson takes the helm of Red Bull Italy again.
Our weather
Saturday, August 22: Partly cloudy with a moderate breeze and a chance of morning or early daytime showers. High near 18°C and low around 13°C.
Sunday, August 23: Mostly sunny to partly cloudy with gentle winds and a low chance of precipitation. High near 19°C and low around 14°C.
Across the field, changes to note
France makes two changes from the previous event. Leigh McMillan steps up to wing trimmer, replacing Enzo Balanger, who moves to reserve wing trimmer. Amelie Riou joins as reserve strategist in place of Margaux Billy, with Quentin Delapierre continuing as driver.
The host nation's team, Germany by Deutsche Bank, races in front of a home crowd with Erik Kosegarten-Heil at the helm. The Olympic medallist co-founded the German programme and has watched it grow from three people to a team of 28. Mubadala Brazil fields Martine Grael as driver, with Marco Grael and Mateus Isaac grinding and Paul Goodison on strategy. Taylor Canfield drives for the United States, Nicolai Sehested leads ROCKWOOL Racing with Kahena Kunze as strategist.
Full team list for this weekend
Black Foils: Driver Peter Burling, wing trimmer Blair Tuke, flight controller Leo Takahashi, grinders Marcus Hansen and Stuart Dodson, strategist Liv Mackay, reserve Finn Henry, reserve strategist Kate Stewart, head coach Matt Stevens, coach booth operator William McKenzie.
BONDS Flying Roos: Driver Tom Slingsby, wing trimmer Iain Jensen, flight controller Jason Waterhouse, grinders Sam Newton and Kinley Fowler, reserve Thomas Needham, strategist Tash Bryant, coaches Ben Durham and Hugo Stubler.
DS Automobiles SailGP Team France: Driver Quentin Delapierre, wing trimmer Leigh McMillan, flight controller Jason Saunders, grinders Timothé Lapauw, Bruno Mourniac and Olivier Herledant, strategist Manon Audinet, reserve wing trimmer Enzo Balanger, reserve strategist Amelie Riou, data analyst Lucas Delcourt, coach Philippe Mourniac.
Emirates GBR: Driver Dylan Fletcher, wing trimmer Stuart Bithell, flight controller Luke Parkinson, grinders Nick Hutton and Neil Hunter, strategist Hannah Mills, data analysts Nick Robins and Ben Cornish, coach Robbie Wilson.
Germany by Deutsche Bank: Driver Erik Kosegarten-Heil, wing trimmer Kevin Peponnet, flight controller James Wierzbowski, grinders Linov Scheel and William Tiller, strategist Anna Barth, reserves Victoria Schultheis and Felix van den Hoevel, coaches Lennart Briesenick and Jacopo Plazzi.
Los Gallos: Driver Diego Botin, wing trimmer Florian Trittel, flight controller Joel Rodríguez, grinders Joan Cardona and Bernardo Freitas, strategist Nicole van der Velden, reserve grinder Andreas Barrio, reserve strategist Victoria Travascio, coaches Simone Salvà and Hamish Willcox.
Mubadala Brazil: Driver Martine Grael, wing trimmer Pietro Sibello, flight controller Rasmus Køstner, grinders Marco Grael and Mateus Isaac, strategist Paul Goodison, reserve athlete Breno Kneipp, reserve flight controller/coach Richard Mason, reserve strategist Marina Arndt, coach Jeremy Wilmot.
NorthStar: Driver Giles Scott, wing trimmer Paul Campbell-James, flight controller Billy Gooderham, grinders Tim Hornsby and Alex Sinclair, strategist Annie Haeger, reserve athletes Nicholas Rolaz and Ali Ten Hove, coach Joe Glanfield.
Red Bull Italy: Driver Phil Robertson, wing trimmer Kyle Langford, flight controller Andrea Tersei, grinders Mattep Celon and Will Ryan, strategist Jana Germani, reserve athletes Maelle Frascari and Mattia Camboni, head coach Tom Burnham, coach Tom Burton, data analyst Ben Rosenberg.
ROCKWOOL Racing: Driver Nicolai Sehested, wing trimmer Tom Johnson, flight controller Ed Powys, grinders Hans Christian Rosendahl and Luke Payne, strategist Kahena Kunze, reserve athlete Pearl Lattanzi, reserve athlete/coach Magnus Overbeck, coach Victor Paya, data analyst Fabien Cockenpot.
Explora Swiss: Driver Sébastien Schneiter, wing trimmer Arnaud Psarofaghis, flight controller Bryan Mettraux, grinders Matt Gotrel and Arno de Planta, strategist Maud Jayet, reserve athlete Nils Theuninck, coaches Javi Torres and Bernie Cortes.
US SailGP Team: Driver Taylor Canfield, wing trimmer Michael Menninger, flight controller Hans Henken, grinders Anna Weis and Mac Agnese, strategist Andrew Campbell, reserves Peter Kinney, Harry Melges and Louisa Nordstrom, coach Marcus Lynch, data analyst Ivan Bulaja.
