In a high-stakes America’s Cup semi-final, INEOS Britannia (UK) faced off against Luna Rossa (Italy), with the winner earning the right to select their opponent for the next stage of racing. With so much on the line, both teams came into the race determined to put their best foot forward. However, it was INEOS who ultimately took control, securing a commanding victory and a strategic advantage going forward.
The race began with both boats looking sharp and ready, though INEOS held a slight edge, coming off a huge win in an earlier race, while Luna Rossa had just recovered from a technical failure. Both boats would face additional challenges due to the light wind conditions, with staying on their foils proving difficult at times.
From the very start, INEOS Britannia established an early lead, gaining around 80 metres on the Italians within the first quarter of the opening leg. With both teams struggling to maintain balance in the light winds, the experience of the British crew, who had already raced in similar conditions earlier that day, proved to be an advantage. By the halfway point of the leg, INEOS had stretched their lead to 150 metres, a gap that continued to widen as the race progressed.
At 3:18, INEOS passed through Gate 1 with a comfortable 150-metre lead, leaving Luna Rossa trailing 18 seconds behind. The wind held steady at 9.5 knots, with both boats maintaining speeds of around 35 knots. However, despite these equal conditions, INEOS continued to build their lead, extending it to 250 metres by the middle of Leg 2. They passed through Gate 2 at 6:26, while the Italians followed 29 seconds later, having lost an additional 12 seconds since the first gate.
As the race reached Leg 3, Luna Rossa began to close the gap slightly, reducing the lead to 250 metres as both teams approached the halfway point. But INEOS quickly reasserted their dominance, passing through Gate 3 at 10:53, with the Italians a full 33 seconds behind.
The British team seemed to find another gear in Leg 4, extending their lead to a staggering 650 metres halfway through the leg. By the time INEOS passed through Gate 4 at 14:20, they had a commanding 600-metre lead over their Italian rivals. Despite Luna Rossa trying to fight back, passing through the gate 49 seconds later, the gap continued to prove insurmountable.
Entering the final leg, INEOS held a 500-metre advantage. As they passed through the last gate at 18:54, they remained 400 metres ahead of the Italians, who followed 37 seconds later. Though Luna Rossa managed to close the gap by 12 seconds, it wasn’t enough to threaten the British lead. INEOS Britannia crossed the finish line at 22:12, 500 metres ahead of Luna Rossa, who finished 42 seconds later.
The loss was a tough blow for the Italian team, as the silence on their communications channels reflected the disappointment of losing such a critical race. For INEOS, however, it was a day to celebrate. The British team had put on a masterful performance, dominating from start to finish and securing the all-important right to choose their opponent in the next stage of the competition.
This victory puts INEOS Britannia in a strong position as they look ahead to the semi-finals, where, if they choose their next opponents wisely, they could be on course for a showdown against Emirates Team New Zealand in what promises to be an exciting conclusion to this year’s America’s Cup.
To The Victor
Now is when the advantage of being the the leader coming out of the knock-out phase comes and play.
As the winner of the round-robin phase of the competition, INEOS gets the biggest prizes possible.
Firstly they get to pick who they will sail against in the Semi-Final stage. In essence, they now get to create the two racing groups that will race off in this phase of the competition.
In the semi-final round of the competition Luna Rossa, INEOS, American Magic, and Alinghi are the four teams mentioned above, they are split into two groups, and each of those two groups will race up to five races, the best of five races, which are raced from 14-19 September, then progresses to the Final round, that is a best of Seven races between those two final competitors, this is raced between September 26 and October 5.
The winner of this Final Round is then crowned the official Challenger, they are finally up against the Defender of the America’s Cup, Emirates Team New Zealand, to compete for the Auld Mug.
Choices For INEOS
Finally, there are two additional responsibilities for INEOS to decide on:
- Will their group take the First or Second race of each day?
- Will they race Port or Starboard?
The power really does lie with INEOS Britannia!
