Geneva ‘a big missed opportunity’ for Artemis as race to third place heats up

Los Gallos may have walked away with the trophy, but one of the biggest battles of Geneva was waged in fleet racing as the lower ranked teams competed for the last spot in the Grand Final.

In fact, the Spanish team's biggest victory of the weekend was no doubt booking their place in the three-team shootout alongside three-time champions the Bonds Flying Roos. Their ten points picked up at the Rolex Switzerland Sail Grand Prix all but guarantees Los Gallos a place in the Grand Final - barring a complete disaster along the way.

It was a golden opportunity too for Nathan Outteridge's Swedish outfit Artemis who were drawn in the same group as their main Grand Final rival, the U.S. Heading into the event, Artemis were sitting fourth on the season leaderboard - just one point behind the Americans.

As Geneva dawned, Artemis were handed a big advantage. A double injury blow saw U.S. driver Taylor Canfield ruled out of racing after breaking his collarbone in a biking accident and reserve athlete Harry Melges also out due to injury. The U.S. driver's seat was empty days out from racing.

Luckily for the Americans, Martine Grael's departure from the Brazilian team just a week before the event meant she could be drafted in. But this last minute replacement meant it was 'always going to be a challenging weekend' for the Americans, SailGP commentator Stevie Morrison says.

The news opened the door for Outteridge and his Swedish team. A solid racing performance could see them definitively usurp the United States in third with just two events to go.

But, despite a promising start, Artemis posted lukewarm fleet racing results, finishing fourth in their group and 7th overall. This meant they picked up just four points, while the United States - with a brand new driver behind the helm - finished last, accruing no points at all.

Artemis may have moved into the third spot on the leaderboard after Geneva with 59 points, but it's not a done deal. They're just three points ahead of the United States in fourth, while 2025 champions Emirates GBR lurk six points behind. Geneva was, SailGP commentator Todd Harris says, 'a big missed opportunity' for the team.

Morrison agreed: "Artemis will be the ones kicking themselves because they came away from this event with four points. Having said that, you'd rather leave the event in the top three, so compared to the United States and Emirates GBR, they've got the box seat right now."

Reacting to the post-racing leaderboard reshuffle, Artemis driver Nathan Outteridge said: "It's nice to be in the top three" before reiterating "we're not getting ahead of ourselves".

"The points are still super close and there's still two events to go - the Middle East is light like it is here, so we still need to improve our sailing skills if we want to get into the Final," he said. He complimented the performance of season leader the Bonds Flying Roos and Geneva winners Los Gallos.

"You can see that the top two teams are the top two teams for a reason - we'd love to be racing them in Abu Dhabi but we've got a bit of work to do still."

Geneva was the last chance too for DS Automobiles France to fight for a spot, but with the team now 13 points behind Artemis, they're entry into the final race looks unlikely.

"It's all about Artemis and the United States and what they do at the next event," Harris said.

The pair will next do battle at the Emirates Dubai Sail Grand Prix on 21-22 November ahead of the Championship defining Mubadala Abu Dhabi Sail Grand Prix 2026 Season Grand Final on 28-29 November.

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