Countdown to a showdown: Sir Ben Ainslie on why this America’s Cup will be the most competitive yet

As we enter the main competition, Sir Ben Ainslie examines the experience, resources and characters that may give each America’s Cup team a crucial edge.

How time has flown since the last Cup in Auckland in 2021. At INEOS Britannia we knew we had to keep going in our quest to bring the Auld Mug home, and I can break that decision down to four factors: securing Jim Ratcliffe and INEOS’s support; restructuring the team and personnel; creating a technical partnership with Mercedes GP; and learning from the Kiwis. 

The team has worked incredibly hard and we believe we have a yacht with the potential to be a race winner. But it’s on us to maximise performance from the yacht and the sailors operating it over these final few weeks as we build up to the competition.

Observing our own preparations and those of our competitors, I expect AC37 to be one of, if not the most, competitive Cup in recent times. The level of the teams in terms of their history, personnel and funding is exceptional. There are no lame ducks. Whoever ultimately wins in Barcelona this October will have truly earned their success.

The Kiwis are the firm favourites. As Defenders they’re already in the finals and are going for an unprecedented three in a row. Of course they are: they have outstanding talent in management, design and sailing and the confidence of knowing they can win.

Almost 30 years in the game means Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli has the experience and talent to go all the way. Jimmy Spithill and Francesco Bruni bring huge experience to a young and highly talented sailing squad. As you would expect given the team’s heritage, the boat is stunning – if it’s as fast as it looks the rest of us are in for a drubbing.

American Magic has operated a slick campaign, completing an impressive testing programme with both their legacy AC75 and AC40. Sailing operations are led by the highly experienced  Terry Hutchinson with the on-water team led by Tom Slingsby and Paul Goodison.

Alinghi Red Bull racing have won the Cup twice, in 2003 and 2007, albeit with a different generation of design and sailing teams. That said, they have strong leadership from Ernesto Bertarelli and Brad Butterworth, who skippered in 2007.

Finally, we have the French – a young and relatively inexperienced team but with the ace card of a Kiwi design package and strong leadership from experienced manager Bruno Dubois and sailing team lead Quentin Delapierre, who has impressed on the Sail GP circuit.

The preliminary regatta on the Barcelona race course will be the first time the teams officially line up without the uncertainties of being in “testing trim” and will be a true marker of each team’s relative performance. After the preliminary regatta it’s the Louis Vuitton Cup, the official Challenger series. 

First is a double round robin, where each team races each other twice. The Kiwis will also race in this round only but their points will not count to the Challenger series. One team will be eliminated and the final four will go on to a semi final and final, to decide the Louis Vuitton Cup winner and the team that will meet the Kiwis in the America’s Cup final.

Once competition begins there is little or no time to make serious modifications to the yachts, so if any team is struggling to perform in the preliminary event, it’s likely that their prospects will be limited. 

That said, history tells us the yacht that wins in October may not necessarily have been the fastest in August. There are still plenty of tweaks that can be made and Mother Nature will also have her say in how things play out. One thing is for certain: the Cup this summer in Barcelona is set to be one of the most exciting ever.

First published in the September 2024 issue of BOAT International. Get this magazine sent straight to your door, or subscribe and never miss an issue.