The F50 Uncontrolled Victoria training in Perth waters (Photo courtesy RolexSailGP)

The Spanish SailGP team will not be at the Perth Grand Prix, which inaugurates the 2026 Rolex SailGP season after the F50 Victoria suffered serious damage during the training session on Thursday's Fremantle waters. The fleet was participating in harsh conditions in front of Bathers Beach, when the accident occurred. Although there were no injuries, the impact caused significant damage to the foils and the hull, forcing the Spanish team to withdraw from the navigation and to request urgent assistance. The Spanish team pattern, Diego Botín, recognized that the incident questioned the team's participation in the first of the 13 tests in the 2026 calendar.

SailGP's technical team managed to recover the boat and is conducting a complete investigation to determine the exact scope of the damage and repair options before the start of the competition (Photo gentleza RolexSailGP)

The accident occurred in the classic conditions of Perth, with rachas up to 40 km / h and strong waves. It is the second team affected by Fremantle's well-known marine breeze, 'Fremantle Doctor'. In a similar incident during training, the wing trimmer of the Artemis team, Chris Draper, was transferred to the hospital with facial injuries.

The races are scheduled from 05: 00 to 06: 30 GMT; both Saturday and Sunday.