“The Pressure’s Back On”: America’s Cup Rivals Line Up in Sardinia
- Romy Kraus
- May 21
- 5 min read
Napoli is the destination, but Cagliari already feels like a dress rehearsal for chaos, speed, national pride, and a fresh wave of America’s Cup rivalries.
The Louis Vuitton 38th America’s Cup Preliminary Regatta landed in Sardinia with every ingredient dialled up: returning legends, new challengers, youth squads chasing scalps, and the first real glimpse at how this cycle’s teams stack up against each other. Emirates Team New Zealand walked in as defenders, but the mood on stage made one thing obvious nobody’s interested in waiting until Napoli to start swinging.
Australia and the USA officially rejoined the fight. Luna Rossa leaned into hometown energy. Athena Pathway and the Emirates Team New Zealand youth and women’s teams made it clear they’re done being treated like development projects. And across the fleet, the AC40 became less of a test boat and more of a warning shot.
The Lowdown
Eight fleet races will decide the finalists before a winner-takes-all match race on Sunday.
Winning the Sardinia regatta means more than lifting a local trophy, teams see it as momentum heading into Napoli and the Louis Vuitton Cup campaign.
Emirates Team New Zealand arrived with fresh firepower after adding Seb Menzies to the campaign straight off a 49er world title.
Luna Rossa’s signing of Peter Burling instantly reshapes the rivalry landscape after years of him sitting at the centre of Team New Zealand’s dominance.
Athena Pathway and the women/youth squads aren’t framing themselves as side projects anymore, they’re racing directly against full Cup teams and openly targeting race wins.
Australia and the USA returning means all four nations to ever win the America’s Cup will now compete in the same cycle for the first time ever.
“Now You’re Against Each Other”
Peter Burling and Nathan Outteridge switch from teammates to rivals in the Cup’s most awkward reunion.
For years, Peter Burling and Nathan Outteridge sat side-by-side inside Team New Zealand meetings. Now Burling’s wearing Luna Rossa red while Outteridge defends the Cup for the Kiwis.
That shift instantly became the emotional centrepiece of the press conference.
Outteridge framed the regatta as the first real benchmark for everyone’s new sailing combinations. The AC75 may still decide the actual America’s Cup, but this week is about chemistry, speed, and finding weaknesses early.
Burling admitted he never expected to return to the Cup as a challenger after leaving Team New Zealand. Now he’s walking into one of the sport’s most emotionally loaded environments with Italian fans already treating him like family.
Luna Rossa also sounds fully aware this isn’t a finished product yet. Growth phase. Fast improvement. Pressure already boiling.
“Pete and I have had a great relationship over the last 15 years.”
— Nathan Outteridge
“When I left Team New Zealand, I honestly didn’t think I’d be sitting here.”
— Peter Burling
“Fleet Racing Changes Everything”
Eight AC40s on one start line turns the Cup into controlled disorder.
Dylan Fletcher called this the first real taste of what multi-boat America’s Cup racing can become.
For INEOS Britannia, Sardinia is less about trophies and more about stress-testing systems. Eight boats on one line creates different tactical problems compared to traditional match racing, especially with AC75 fleet racing arriving next year.
The speed chatter already started before racing even began. Fletcher downplayed claims Britannia looked quickest in training, pointing toward Team New Zealand, Luna Rossa, and the French as equally sharp.
Meanwhile, every newer team admitted they’re still learning under pressure in real time.
“It really feels like having eight boats on the start line is quite special.”
— Dylan Fletcher
“This is first time racing together.”
— Dylan Fletcher
“We’re Still Improving Very Quickly”
Luna Rossa’s atmosphere feels emotional, but nobody inside the team thinks the job is finished.
Luna Rossa walked into Sardinia carrying the loudest local support and probably the heaviest emotional expectation.
Burling described the team environment as instantly welcoming, with Italian fans making the project feel personal almost immediately.
Marco Gradoni hinted at the internal pressure too — but framed it as fuel rather than weight. The team has spent months training aggressively against itself, trying to sharpen performance before racing even started.
And yes, Burling’s Italian still needs work.
“It really feels like a family.”
— Peter Burling
“We push a lot each other.”
— Marco Gradoni
“Take A Few Scalps”
The youth and women’s squads aren’t here for symbolic participation.
The biggest shift in tone came from the youth and women’s programmes.
Nobody on stage spoke like this was a development exercise anymore.
Erica Dawson described racing against the senior Emirates Team New Zealand squad as an accelerated learning curve where every hour on the water matters. The goal? Steal races from established Cup teams.
Hannah Mills pushed the same mentality at Athena Pathway. What started as a pathway programme now feels like direct integration into the main event. The Youth and Women’s Cup remains the long-term target, but this week became an opportunity to measure themselves against elite Cup operations immediately.
Mills also revealed Athena suffered a nasty moment in training after hitting something downwind and temporarily losing steering before recovering safely.
“If we could take a couple of races off these teams, we’d be stoked.” — Erica Dawson
“It’s not really a pathway anymore.” — Hannah Mills
“1983 Was Our Biggest Sporting Moment”
Australia’s return drags one of sailing’s biggest national myths back into the spotlight.
Tom Slingsby barely hid how emotional Australia’s return feels.
For Australian sailing culture, 1983 still hangs over everything. Slingsby framed Australia II’s victory as one of the defining moments in the country’s sporting identity — not just sailing history.
Now Australia wants another shot at creating a national moment big enough to “stop a nation.”
Slingsby also admitted competing for Australia after previous Cup campaigns tied to the United States feels deeply personal.
And when asked who looked strongest this week? He leaned toward Luna Rossa.
“Where were you when Australia won the America’s Cup?”
— Tom Slingsby
“I think my money’s on them.”
— Tom Slingsby on Luna Rossa
“We’re Literally Just Starting”
The USA arrives late, inherits American Magic’s infrastructure, and immediately starts rebuilding.
Ken Read described the American Racing Challenge as fresh, rushed, and still forming in real time.
The team entered only 24 hours before the registration deadline.
They’ve inherited major parts of the former American Magic operation, including AC40s, facilities in Pensacola, and Giles Scott as sailing director.
Read framed the current mission less as instant Cup contention and more as long-term rebuilding for American sailing.
The energy right now feels more like reconnecting to the America’s Cup ecosystem than chasing immediate silverware.
“We’re literally just starting.”
— Ken Read
“It’s kind of feeling the vibe. All of a sudden, it’s real.”
— Ken Read
Quickfire
Who are the early favourites?
Team New Zealand and Luna Rossa kept coming up repeatedly among the teams.
What’s the biggest format shift?
Fleet racing in the AC40s is giving teams their first taste of large-scale multi-boat pressure before AC75 racing next year.
What’s changed most this cycle?
The field is bigger, younger, and more international — with Australia and the USA officially back in the Cup.
What are the youth and women’s teams targeting?
Not participation. Race wins.
What makes this cycle historic already?
For the first time ever, all four nations to have won the America’s Cup will compete in the same campaign.
