23 August 2026, Group A, Race 5. Los Gallos Spain have won Group A's final fleet race at the ROCKWOOL Germany Sail Grand Prix, and with it the second spot in Sunday's four-boat final. DS Team France arrived three points ahead of Los Gallos Spain as favourites for that second spot and finished second-to-last instead.
The weather was already confusing the day with shifty, patchy, and at times gusty conditions, and rain and then sunlight. Explora Journeys Swiss, Red Bull Italy, and Mubadala Brazil were mathematically out of contention before the start, leaving Spain and France to fight it out for the one spot still open.
Diego Botin's Los Gallos Spain found a gap through the middle of the fleet at the start and was clear by Mark 1, doing close to 90km/h and pulling out a lead that only grew from there. DS Automobiles France came off the start line in the same pack as Black Foils (NZ). The two teams were stuck in the same phase and lane for most of the race. And so the match race began. DS Automobiles France were unable to match the Black Foil's boat speed or find an angle to pass. The Black Foils, already through to the finals regardless of this result, lodged an early protest against DS Automobiles France over a blocked manoeuvre near the boundary; it was dismissed.
Meanwhile, Explora Journeys Swiss picked up a penalty at the start and spent the rest of the race working back from the rear of the fleet.
Behind Los Gallos Spain, Rockwool Denmark and Red Bull Italy fought for the final race podium spots. Red Bull Italy were penalised for not giving Rockwool Denmark room at the boundary, conceding just enough distance to let Rockwool Denmark through while still holding third. Explora Journeys Swiss used a shift in the breeze to close back up on the fleet, catching DS Automobiles France by exploiting a gap between the two boats' tacking patterns, and had all but drawn level by the closing stages. DS Automobiles France, still boxed in behind the Black Foils, made a heavy dip late in the race that ended any hope of a top-two finish.
| Pos | Team | Time |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Los Gallos Spain | 7:55.9 |
| 2 | Rockwool Denmark | +23.6 |
| 3 | Red Bull Italy | +31.9 |
| 4 | Black Foils NZ | +37.2 |
| 5 | Switzerland SailGP Team | +53.6 |
| 6 | DS Team France | +58.8 |
| 7 | Mubadala Brazil | +1:43.7 |
*Explora Journeys Swiss were penalised for being over the start line early. Red Bull Italy were penalised for not giving Rockwool Denmark room at the boundary. A protest from Black Foils against DS Automobiles France was dismissed with no penalty.*
Group A: Spain through, France out
The Black Foils finish the day on top of Group A with 19 points, Spain through in second on 16 points. France came into this race three points clear of Spain and finish it two points behind them, missing the final by a single place. Rockwool Denmark ends the weekend on 10, Switzerland on 9, Red Bull Italy on 7, and Mubadala Brazil on 0.
France's only consolation is that Saturday's all-time SailGP speed record of 107.63km/h still belongs to them. Sunday's four-boat, winner-takes-all final is now confirmed: Black Foils NZ, Los Gallos Spain, NorthStar Canada and Bonds Flying Roos, who sealed their places in Group B's decider earlier in the day.
