SAILGP
RED BULL ITALY IN VALENCIA
Red Bull Italy enjoyed the best day in its short SailGP history as Phil Robertson guided the team to two race wins on a breakthrough day in Valencia.
Robertson’s team dominated the first and third races in Valencia, nailing both starts and converting front-running positions into emphatic victories. A difficult second race, where a timing change left Red Bull Italy badly out of position and forced them to start late, was the only blemish on an otherwise landmark performance.
“It’s a real positive to bounce back from that with another win,” Robertson said. “Race one was a win, race three was a win, so yeah, really cool just to nail two starts and get a couple of bullets on the board.”
For Robertson, the key was getting to Mark 1 in clean air. With the F50s racing with their larger wings, he explained that teams caught in the disturbed air at the back of the fleet can struggle to recover.
“The execution of maneuvers is so much easier when you’re in the front. Makes you look good!” he said. “Getting to mark one in P1 is crucial and then you’re in clear air the whole race.”
The double victory was particularly significant given the work invested by the fledgling team over recent months. Robertson said Red Bull Italy – currently 11th on the season leaderboard – had been “grafting” behind the scenes, with the results finally beginning to reflect their progress.
“This team’s been grafting for a long time now,” he said. “The last three months we’ve just put in a huge effort to try and get better. It’s no secret in life that the harder you work the better you’re going to get.”
After a run of performances that had not quite matched their ambitions, Valencia provided the validation Robertson and his team had been waiting for.
“It was nice to validate today that a lot of the hard work is starting to pay off,” he said.