Spain Sail Grand Prix | Valencia: an unpredictable weekend shakes up the standings as DS Automobiles SailGP Team France turns its focus to Geneva

VALENCIA – SUNDAY 6 SEPTEMBER 2026 – DS Automobiles SailGP Team France struggled to find its rhythm this weekend in Valencia. In particularly light wind conditions, four of the five scheduled races were ultimately completed, producing an unpredictable Grand Prix that shook up the usual order. While the conditions made for an unusual weekend across the fleet, there was no hiding the disappointment for the French team: Quentin Delapierre and his crew were unable to show their full potential and slipped to seventh overall, level on points with sixth-placed NorthStar. In less than two weeks, Geneva will provide an immediate opportunity to bounce back.

Light winds shake up the order

SailGP’s first visit to Valencia delivered an unusual scenario. Very light and unstable winds made the racing particularly difficult to read and reshuffled the order across the fleet. Four of the five scheduled races were ultimately completed, in conditions where the slightest gain or loss of speed could quickly change the course of a race.

The conditions also disrupted the hierarchy seen since the start of the season. Australia, for example, had won all three Finals it had previously contested this season, but was unable to take victory this time around.

For DS Automobiles SailGP Team France, the weekend did not unfold as hoped. The French crew was unable to reproduce the consistency shown at recent events and too often found itself on the back foot to challenge at the front of the fleet.

Quentin Delapierre, driver of DS Automobiles SailGP Team France:

“We’re obviously disappointed. We tried to change our approach and our mindset to get better starts, but it wasn’t enough. With group racing and these very light conditions, you have to adapt the way you sail quite a lot. We were prepared for that, but the execution simply wasn’t at the level it needed to be. It was a difficult weekend for us. We have to accept it, keep moving forward and stay focused.”

The American victory in Valencia further underlined the shake-up in the standings this weekend: with the win, the United States moved up two places overall. For DS Automobiles SailGP Team France, the outcome was less favourable, with the French team dropping one position to seventh, level on points with sixth-placed NorthStar.

A significant weekend for the Impact League

While the sporting result was not what the team had hoped for, Valencia also provided DS Automobiles SailGP Team France with the opportunity to bring one of the flagship projects of its Impact League commitment to life.

Alongside the sporting championship, SailGP invites all teams to take part in the Impact League, a competition that rewards their actions around environmental and social impact. One of this season’s key challenges focuses on inclusion, with the ambition of using the SailGP platform to open up the sport and its wider ecosystem to new audiences.

In response to this challenge, DS Automobiles SailGP Team France developed its own project centred around young people, mentoring and opening up new possibilities. In Valencia, this ambition came to life through an activation bringing together nine young people from Inspired by Kylian Mbappé (IBKM) and eight athletes from the K-Challenge Akademy, with the support of Accor, a partner of both the team and IBKM.

Paired through a mentoring programme, the young participants spent several days immersed in the world of SailGP: trying sailing, discovering the Tech Base, meeting members of the team, exploring the different careers surrounding high-performance sport and watching the racing. For the Akademy athletes, who are usually themselves supported on their journey towards the highest level, the experience gave them the opportunity to step into a different role, becoming mentors themselves and sharing their own experience.

Through this project, designed and led by DS Automobiles SailGP Team France, the team aims to make its Impact League commitment a genuine extension of its sporting project: developing talent, sharing knowledge and creating bridges that enable new generations to discover worlds and opportunities they might not otherwise have access to.

Geneva up next in two weeks

The calendar now gives the French team an opportunity to quickly turn the page. On 19 and 20 September, the Rolex Switzerland Sail Grand Prix | Geneva will be the next stop of the season.

Having shown in Sassnitz that it has the ability to compete at the front of the fleet — including a race win and a new outright F50 speed record of 107.63 km/h — DS Automobiles SailGP Team France knows the potential is there. Valencia was also a reminder of just how important consistency and execution are in a championship where the margins between teams are becoming increasingly fine.

The next two weeks will be dedicated to analysis and preparation for Geneva, with one clear ambition: to learn from Valencia and quickly return to the level of performance the team knows it is capable of.