The 3 and 4 sleeves had to be suspended after the accident between the two F50, in which two regatists had to be treated for injuries; Spain SailGP Team, fourth at the end of the first day of racing, has to shoot its first end of this season 2026

The show and the tension were protagonists in the first day of the ITM New Zealand Sail Grand Prix. The Gallos, who ended the day in fourth place, will look for a square tomorrow at the end of the event. The Spain SailGP Team will have a free road to that last race after the New Zealand and France abandoned, which collided at the beginning of the second manga.

It was an unfortunate accident, about 60 knots away, which forced the day to end, with two athletes transferred to the hospital to be treated for their injuries. It all happened after the departure, when the teams faced the arrival of the first buoy. The kiwis had to go down so they wouldn't go into collision with the Italian F50, which had taken the lead in the struggle to enter the front into that brand of the race field. The consequence was disastrous: the Black Fails lost control of the F50 and the Galos had a full impact on them. Both ships were stranded over the water, severely damaged

The New Zealand ship destroyed after the collision. Photo: Simon Bruty

Until then, the day met all the requirements to offer a day of outstanding racing: high speed, heart attack maneuvers and thirteen teams competing for glory in the City of the Candles. The Spain SailGP Team offered a very solid performance on its return to the competition, with a fourth place in the first manga and a discussed sixth in the second (after receiving a penalty in the last buoy). Piloted by Diego Botín, he showed a good level of competition from the first exit, fighting from you to New Zealand, Australia and France, as in the previous two seasons. Emirates GBR, for its part, did not have its best day.