INEOS Britannia continued their unbeaten run in the semi-finals of the Louis Vuitton Challenger Series with a commanding victory over Alinghi Red Bull Racing. In their third encounter, the British team secured a 3-0 lead in the series, putting themselves on the verge of progressing to the final, while Alinghi struggled to gain traction after a critical pre-start mistake.
The race began with an aggressive move by Alinghi, as the Swiss team attempted to block INEOS in the final 20 seconds before the start. However, their gamble backfired, leading to both teams taking evasive action. While Ben Ainslie, the seasoned INEOS helmsman, expertly executed an emergency jibe, Alinghi fell off their foils, leaving them dead in the water. This early mistake would define the rest of the race.
As the starting gun sounded, INEOS Britannia shot across the start line at speed, while Alinghi struggled to regain their foiling position. The British team rounded the first gate at 3 minutes 55 seconds, with the Swiss trailing by over a minute, 1500 metres behind. This gap only widened as the race progressed.
By the second gate, INEOS had extended their lead to 1600 metres, rounding at 7 minutes with Alinghi following a minute and a half later. At this point, the result seemed all but decided, with INEOS looking professional and dominant, while the Swiss appeared outmatched.
Heading into the third leg, INEOS reached speeds of 44 knots, rounding gate 3 at 11 minutes and 19 seconds. From a helicopter view, the scale of their lead was evident as the British team approached the next leg while Alinghi had only just begun theirs. The race was turning into a showcase of INEOS’ skill, with their crew showing no signs of errors or hesitation.
By the fourth gate, INEOS Britannia was 2km ahead, turning at 14 minutes and 36 seconds with Alinghi Red Bull Racing crossing 1 minute 47 seconds later. At this stage, the Swiss team was still over 1500 metres behind, and the race had effectively turned into a practice run for the British crew.
As INEOS entered the final leg, their performance remained flawless. They crossed the finish line at 22 minutes and 31 seconds, with Alinghi trailing over 2300 metres and finishing 2 minutes 20 seconds later. While Alinghi’s pre-start de-foiling issue cost them heavily, their inability to close the gap as the race wore on demonstrated the gulf between the two teams.
This race was a clear demonstration of top-of-the-table versus bottom-of-the-table. INEOS Britannia looked well-oiled, methodical, and in full control from start to finish, while Alinghi struggled to recover from their early misstep and never really posed a threat.
With the score now at 3-0, INEOS Britannia are just two wins away from securing their place in the final of the Louis Vuitton Challenger Series, while Alinghi will need to regroup quickly if they hope to mount any kind of comeback in the next race.
Rule Britannia – Britannia really did rule this race!
