Britain claimed its first SailGP victory in two years by defeating defending champion Australia

Sir Ben Ainslie (second from left) and his team celebrate the victory. Photo: Ricardo Pinto/PA

Sir Ben Ainslie admitted that this was true. «a long time coming» but praised his team for a «brilliant job all weekend» as the Emirates GBR team took its first SailGP win in more than two years in St Tropez on Sunday.

The British team won . the French leg of the global racing series, beating defending champions Australia and in-form Spain in a dramatic finale in which the British boat overtook the Australians in the penultimate leg, forcing them to take a penalty on the water with a brilliant maneuver.< /p>

It was the first victory UK after the first round of the second season in Bermuda in April 2021.

«It's been a long time coming but it was great to be in one of those all-time classic finals with the Australians — a great team of champions,» Ainslie said. “To go out and get through them and overtake them, that's what we'll take on.”

“The team did a brilliant job throughout the weekend. I feel like we've made great strides as a team. It was a disappointing period for us when we were unable to achieve results, but now we have some momentum.»

In the three-boat final, Britain was successful only to lose ground to Australia in the second leg of the race. But a superb fightback by the British crew (with the team swimming the shortest distance and fighting longer than Spain and Australia while performing an extra maneuver) saw them regain the lead in the penultimate leg of the race, earning a penalty on their rivals to seal victory.

Emirates GBR regained the lead in the penultimate stage of the race. Photo: Ricardo Pinto/PA

Ainslie paid tribute to Hannah Mills — the most successful sailor in Olympic history — for her role in recognizing changes in what she called «challenging» conditions.

“At the last gate we have there was an opportunity to go our separate ways and it worked out very well for us. us,” he explained. “That got us back and then we had a big luff incident on the Aussies and you should take them when you can.”

“We have a huge asset in Hannah, who is doing a brilliant job with her work. I help read the wind, and on a day like today, the wind is very changeable, often changing direction up and down. So her influence means a lot to us and she is a huge asset not only to the team but to the entire team.”

Emirates GBR moves up to fourth place overall in the Season 4 Championship with 19 points . seven are behind leader Australia. The next round will take place in Taranto, Italy, later this month.