SailGP: Big breeze predicted for Saint-Tropez opener

France’s famous mistral wind has arrived just in time for the opening day of action at the ROCKWOOL France Sail Grand Prix.

The current forecast for Friday suggests Saint-Tropez could see gusts of more than 40 km/h – right on the limit for SailGP’s F50 fleet.

The promise of a wild and windy first day had the drivers buzzing at the pre-race press conference, and none more so than France’s Quentin Delapierre.

The Les Bleus frontman was at the wheel when France hit a massive 99.94 km/h on the opening day of the 2023 France Sail Grand Prix, a record that stood firm until ROCKWOOL Racing eclipsed it with 103.93 km/h in Sassnitz last month.

With a similar forecast but hugely upgraded boats – including an 18m wing and new high-speed rudders – Delapierre said he was relishing the chance to take on Saint-Tropez’s big breeze once again.

“Tomorrow could look a bit like two years ago here,” he said. “It was a good memory for each of us – it was an unbelievable racing day, right on the edge.

“If tomorrow can be the same we’ll be super happy. We never race for the speed record but when you break it it’s always really special”

Black Foils driver Pete Burling was in agreement, and cited Antipodean rival Tom Slingsby as the one to beat when the wind blows.

The Black Foils trail Slingsby’s Championship leaders BONDS Flying Roos by one place, but are tied on points, while Dylan Fletcher’s Emirates GBR are just three points back in third.

A big performance in Saint-Tropez could mean the difference between reclaiming the lead, or losing grip on the top spot.

“It’s looking like a mistral tomorrow, maybe not quite as windy as today, but towards the upper end of the wind range,” he said.

“It should be an awesome day’s racing. Tom’s been setting the benchmark pretty high in the strong breeze so everyone knows they’ve got to go out and put together a good day to get to the top of that leaderboard. It’s exactly what we’re trying to do – we love that rivalry with the Australians and looking forward to carrying it on.”

The ROCKWOOL France Sail Grand Prix takes place in Saint-Tropez on September 12 and 13, with racing held from 1.30pm to 3pm CEST on Friday and 12.30pm to 2pm on Saturday.

Find out how to watch wherever you are in the world HERE.

Text and images courtesy of SailGP.com.