SailGP Announces Germany as Newest Team in the League

During the 2023 Season Championship in San Francisco, SailGP hinted there would be a 10th team joining the league for the fourth season. Today they announced that two of Germany’s leading sports stars — four-time F1 World Champion Sebastian Vettel and two-time Olympic bronze medalist Erik Heil — have come together with team owner Thomas Riedel to announce the Germany SailGP Team. Germany is the latest nation to contest the global racing league that will be kicking off its fourth season on June 16–17, with the Rolex United States Sail Grand Prix at Navy Pier, Chicago.

Skipper Heil won bronze medals at both the Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games in the 49er class, and will be joined by female German-Brazilian double Olympic champion Kahena Kunze, who won gold medals in the 49er FX class in both Rio and Tokyo. Kahena has joined as the team’s strategist. The full lineup will be announced next month.

Following the first race of the season in Chicago in June, SailGP will hold its second event July 22–23 in the Port of Los Angeles.