Emirates GBR’s bid to retain their SailGP title suffered a significant setback during the Great Britain Grand Prix in Portsmouth over the weekend. After a disappointing performance, Dylan Fletcher’s team dropped from third to fifth place in the overall standings.

The key moment occurred during the fifth race in Group B, when Fletcher, who was leading at the first mark, lost control and fell off the foils. This mishap allowed the rest of the fleet to overtake, effectively ending their chances in that race. Team strategist Hannah Mills acknowledged the error, describing it as a boat-handling mistake that proved costly. “A boat-handling error from us meant the race was done,” Mills said, adding that the team faces significant challenges ahead to recover their position.

Spain’s Diego Botin captured victory in the final race, finishing ahead of Sweden. This result tightened the competition at the top of the leaderboard, with Spain closing the gap to series leaders Australia to 12 points. The current format advances the top three teams to the Grand Final scheduled for November in Abu Dhabi.

Emirates GBR will need to regroup and improve their performance in the remaining events to secure a spot among the top contenders going into the season finale.