Explora Swiss SailGP Team driver Seb Schneiter says months of steady, incremental work are finally showing up in results, as the team prepares for the Emirates Great Britain Sail Grand Prix in Portsmouth.
Switzerland arrives on England's south coast in decent form, having taken a third-place finish in Halifax and carrying good memories of Portsmouth, where the team secured a breakthrough podium last season. But Schneiter is clear that the improvement hasn't come from any single fix.
"There's no magic bullet," he said. "It's really the addition of lots of little things.
"We've made a couple of changes within the team, but team culture and team dynamics are things I put a lot of value on. It's important for me to feel well surrounded and have complete confidence in the crew.
"It comes down to communicating better, working more efficiently and everyone going the extra mile because the level is so high."
The results back that up. After a tough opening stretch to the 2026 season, Switzerland finished fifth in Bermuda, followed by an encouraging performance in New York before the Halifax podium.
The team sits 11th on the overall leaderboard, still with significant ground to make up. Schneiter is not getting carried away.
"Even after Halifax we said the danger would be relaxing after one good result and thinking we'd found the formula," he said. "That's not how it works.
"We still have a lot of catching up to do, so it's about constantly trying to improve and find new ways to get better. That's how we'll find consistency."
One area where the Swiss believe they are gaining ground is in their off-water analysis. Alongside detailed race review, the team is making increasing use of artificial intelligence to work through the large volumes of performance data generated at each SailGP event.
"We spend a lot of time reviewing races and analysing data," Schneiter explained. "We're making good use of artificial intelligence to help filter through the huge amount of data available.
"I know all the other teams are doing that too, but I think we have some really strong expertise in that area. Hopefully it gives us a bit of an edge."
The team received a further boost earlier this season when luxury cruise line Explora came on board as new title partner. Schneiter says the backing brings both confidence and added expectation.
"Having a major sponsor gave us confidence, but it also gave us responsibility," he said.
"We already represent our country, which means a lot to all of us, but now we're also representing a brand that has high expectations. We don't want to disappoint them."
Portsmouth is a venue Switzerland approaches with genuine optimism, and Schneiter is not shy about saying so.
"Portsmouth is a bit of a happy place for us because last year went so well," he said. "Coming here after a good result in Halifax, and knowing we performed well here last year, gives us confidence. No excuses, just green lights."
