The countdown starts. On August 22nd, with the prologue of the third Preliminary Regatta leading up to the Round Robins of the Louis Vuitton Cup (which begins on the 29th), we officially enter the heart of the 37th Louis Vuitton America’s Cup. This will allow us to gauge the true competitors on the field, as all teams and six new AC75s, including the Defender Emirates Team New Zealand, will be racing. It’s a chance for the Defender to assess its opponents and potentially spot the challenger that will face them on October 12th for The Match. The organizers have arranged global coverage (aiming for one billion viewers) for this high-adrenaline spectacle. And it couldn’t be any other way. The new AC75s are expected to be faster than those from the 36th edition, where American Magic reached 53.51 knots, or 97.73 km/h! Buckle up, let’s get started! (Check out all our posts on the America’s Cup, here)
The America’s Cup takes place in Barcelona’s famous Park Güell, designed by Spanish architect Antoni Gaudí.
An Automotive Cup
Among the many themes in the 37th America’s Cup, the second edition featuring AC75s, one notable aspect is the on-water rivalry between two teams closely associated with the world of motorsport: INEOS Britannia and Alinghi Red Bull Racing. It will be fascinating to observe the contributions from Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1, led by Toto Wolff, to the development of Sir Ben Ainslie’s AC75, as well as Red Bull Racing’s support for Alinghi, showcasing input from the F1 team led (until the end of 2024) by Adrian Newey. For both teams, this brings a research capability and wealth of information previously unseen in the America’s Cup environment. However, Sir Jim Ratcliffe, the founder and owner of INEOS, noted that the design and engineering team for the Cup comprises 200 people, while the design team for the Ineos Mercedes Formula 1 team has up to 1,000 members.
Sir Jim Ratcliffe, chairman of INEOS, prepared to board the AC40 of the British team.
America’s Cup: A Record Cup for Patrizio Bertelli
His portrait is already displayed in the America’s Cup Hall of Fame at the Herreshoff Marine Museum in Bristol, Rhode Island, USA; however, with the 37th edition, Patrizio Bertelli solidifies his place in America’s Cup history. This marks his sixth participation, surpassing the Englishman Sir Thomas Lipton (the tea magnate) who attempted to win the Auld Mug five times between 1899 and 1930 with his Shamrocks. Patrizio Bertelli, Chairman of the Board and Executive Director of the Prada Group and Chairman of Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli, founded the “Luna Rossa” team in 1997 and launched his first America’s Cup challenge in 2000. He repeated the challenge in 2003, 2007, 2013, and 2021. He has faced off against the Defender twice: in 2000, at the conclusion of the Louis Vuitton Cup, and in 2021, after winning the Prada Cup selection. A true enthusiast, he possesses an impressive fleet of classic boats, including treasures like Linnet, a gaff cutter designed in 1905 by American designer Nat Herreshoff, and Kookaburra III, the unfortunate Australian Defender that lost the 1987 duel to the American Challenger Stars & Stripes 87, helmed by Dennis Conner, who reclaimed the Auld Mug for the States after its loss in 1983. Patrizio Bertelli has stated that if victorious, the next edition of the America’s Cup will take place in Cagliari, Sardinia, where Luna Rossa has its base.
Patrizio Bertelli, Chairman of Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli.