America’s Cup: Alinghi Red Bull Racing announce challenge for 37th America’s Cup
by Richard Gladwell/Sail-World.com/nz 15 Dec 00:56 AEDT 14 December 2021
Christian Horner, Chief of Red Bull Racing F1 team beams in for the Alinghi Red Bull Racing challenge for the America’s Cup © Hans-Peter Steinacher 
Alinghi Red Bull Racing became the first team, outside the Challenger of Record, to formally declare their entry as a Challenger in the 37th America’s Cup.
The formal announcement took place at their club Societe Nautique de Geneve, on the shores of Lake Geneva, in front a group of media and invited guests, and online media.
It was a significant moment for the Swiss club, which will celebrate its 150th anniversary, next year.
Effectively it is a new team comprising the two top GC32 teams Alinghi and Red Bull Sailing Team, but with a third partner in the F1 team Red Bull Racing. The principals of Alinghi, Ernesto Bertarelli, Red Bull Sailing Team, Hans-Peter Steinacher, were on stage together at the Societe Nautique de Geneve. They were joined via a video hook-up by Christian Horner, Team Chief of Red Bull Racing, the now world champion F1 team.
The twice America’s Cup champions Alinghi return to the America’s Cup after an absence of 11 years, following their defeat in a Deed of Gift match off Valencia in February 2010. No mention was made of that event, with team backer, Swiss pharmaceutical multi-billionaire, Ernest Bertarelli instead referencing the team’s win with a “perfect challenge in New Zealand, and then winning again in Valencia by two seconds were memorable moments.”
“When we left, it was with a feeling that we did a good job. We were the first to win on the first attempt. We were the first one to bring the Cup back to Europe, and frankly I think we did a good job of organizing the regatta with 11 Challengers in the wonderful town of Valencia and the beautiful racing.
“When we stopped in the Cup, we didn’t stop competing. We always had in mind that Alinghi would come back one day. Over the years, we continued to race fast boats, which is our DNA. And we raced fast foiling boats with a new generation of sailor – Swiss born.”
“So now we are ready. Ready for something different, something very new, something very fresh and very exciting.”
The announcement was a carefully scripted affair which released little real detail about the challenge. The session was conducted part in French, part in English.
Two members of the Alingi GC32 team were part of the on-stage group, Arnaud Psarofaghis and Bryan Mettraux, there was no reference to speculation regarding signing of AC75 experienced sailors who don’t qualify as Swiss nationals to join the team.
Most of the questions were taken from the media physically present at the Swiss club, with only a couple taken from the international media.
There was no mention of the purchase of a first generation AC75, but the new team is widely tipped to have purchased Te Aihe from Emirates Team New Zealand. The AC75, reckoned to be a good match for the second generation AC75’s which competed in the 2021 America’s Cup. Te Aihe was spotted in mid-last week outside the Emirates Team New Zealand base, destination unknown.
As a “new” team Alinghi Red Bull Racing are permitted to start sailing earlier than September 17, 2022. They can start sailing their purchased AC75, for a period of 20 days between June 17, 2022 and September 17, 2022.
Hans-Peter Steinacher won two Olympic Gold medals for Austria in the Tornado class in the 2000 and 2004 Olympic regattas, sailing with Ramon Hagara. As leader of Red Bull Sailing team, he has competed against Bertarelli in the GC32 class for several seasons.
Introducing the sailing team Bertarelli noted that they were boys when Alinghi was competing in the 2003 and 2007 America’s Cups, “but now they are now grown up men. They were born with foiling, and we feel that we have a team capable to compete at the highest level in the next Cup.”
The two teams will, if they wish, be able to continue to compete on the GC32 circuit without infringing any of the AC37 Protocol, which prohibits sailing in boats longer than 12 metres. Joining the SailGP circuit will not be so easy unless they come to an accommodation with the newly announced Swiss SailGP team, which is one of the strictly limited group of ten teams competing on the Season 3 circuit. Several of the crew members from established America’s Cup teams compete on the SailGP circuit sailing wingsailed foiling catamarans – a one design modification of the AC50’s used in the 2017 America’s Cup in Bermuda.
Four times America’s Cup winner, Brad Butterworth, a long time Bertrelli lieutenant will be a senior member of the team – although along with others involved, no formal roles was were announced. No mention was made of key design team members Marcello Botin (ex American Magic), or Nick Holroyd (ex INEOS Team UK).
While Bertarelli was very polite to the Defenders in response to a prepared question on his preference of venue, he made it clear that the team was “ready to sail for the Americas Cup wherever the Defender decides to sail.” Given that the team have already paid their USD$1million first installment of the Entry Fee, it would appear that unlike other Challengers waiting in the wings Alinghi Red Bull Racing would be happy to sail in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Perhaps not surprising that the Red Bull F1 team competed in Jeddah just over two weeks ago.
Bertarelli described Alinghi Red Bull Racing as a “new team, completely different from what I have seen so far. We are fully integrated, we are one family, and we are going to benefit from each others strength in technology, in strategy and tactics.”
“I think last Sunday was a good example of risk taking which will be required to win next time, but at the same time, never give up” – a reference to Red Bull F1 team’s dramatic win in the final lap of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix – which decided the F1 World Championship.
“We are very excited to be partners with a fantastic group,” Bertarelli added.
“We’re going to take F1 DNA, and use it within the boat,” said Christian Horner via a video link. “There is so much synergy between what we do on the track and this kind of [America’s Cup] racing. We’re going up against Mercedes and INEOS on the water and maybe Ferrari, as well – so the competition spills over from the track, and that’s exciting. So many people within Red Bull Racing and Red Bull Advanced Technology who are passionate about this project. We are very excited and proud to be part of this announcement today.”
Reference was made to he fact that Adrian Newey, currently Chief Technical Officer within Red Bull Racing, was also a keen sailor – having been part of the Land Rover BAR team in the early stages of the 2017 America’s Cup in Bermuda.
“We will be applying all the same tools, equipment and approach to simulation that we use in F1 and applying that t this new challenge and this exciting project and opportunity,” Horner added.
However like the INEOS Britannia team, before they can go too far in their design program, they will have to test their tests – without the reference point of a sailing platform until September 2022. Making the transition from computer analysis to on the water performance, in the fine degrees required for AC75 design, is still surrounded by some uncertainty. It’s an issue that is not shared by the Defender and Challenger from the last America’s cup, both of whom have in-house developed technology that is accurately benchmarked with on the water performance data from their respective race boats – and against each other.
“We’re starting from scratch, I guess,” said Brad Butterworth. “But we have a great group and a great bunch of sailors. The strength in our team is in our people. The hard work is there, but that is the sport and that is what we are up against.”
“This Red Bull Alinghi team is something new, I really love it. It is a dream come true.”
“I’m there just to support the guys and bring maybe a bit of the Old School to the New World – or maybe they will teach me a thing or two!”
