SailGP returns for Season 3 as Sir Ben Ainslie and the British team focus on consistency

SailGP returns for Season 3 with new teams, new venues and for Great Britain's SailGP team, a renewed focus on consistency in a bid to secure the title.

In Season 2, Sir Ben Ainslie and his team were in contention to reach the winner-takes-all final in San Francisco before a dramatic crash in Sydney.

The incident effectively ended their chances of securing the $1 million prize fund and on the final day of the season, the Australian SailGP team prevailed over Japan and the United States in the Grand Final.

During Season 3, the penalties which teams can receive for contact and collisions are increasing significantly. It's something all teams will be taking into consideration, as Ainslie highlighted.

"For us, on the back of last season we had lots of ups and downs," Ainslie said to Sky Sports prior to Season 3. "Our performance was generally very good, but we made some pretty critical errors.

"It's been about evaluating the type of racing, size of the course, the risk-rewards involved and getting a handle on that.

"We've spent a lot of time looking at that, with the aim of being more consistent. That's really our goal for this season."

Ainslie has a couple of new members on his team, in the form of trimmer/grinder Nick Hutton and strategist Nikki Boniface.

Hutton was part of Australia's victorious team last season while Boniface, who won the NACRA 17 European Championship in 2019, joined the team through SailGP's Women's Pathway Program.

Both have 'fitted in really well' according to their helmsman and team principal, and Bermuda is a stunning setting for the team's first outing of a new season.

"It's an amazing venue for these boats," Ainslie said. "We sail in what's called the Great Sound, which is effectively a lagoon. It means that even if we get quite strong winds, which we so often do, the water is quite flat and that's really what you need for these foiling boats.

"It's the perfect venue and it's just so beautiful with the crystal-clear blue water and the island itself. It's a bit of a paradise really.

"We've had some good training," he continued. "The changes that we've made to how we're sailing the boat seem to be going okay. As always, it's down to executing on the day and getting it right when it counts."

This season, Ainslie and the British team will be joined on the water by familiar rivals and two new teams - Canada and Switzerland.

Canada's F50 will be helmed by former Spain driver Phil Robertson, while Switzerland have Sebastien Schneiter in charge.

"They're two really strong teams," Ainslie noted. "Phil is obviously hugely experienced in SailGP, so we're expecting them to be competitive quite quickly.

"The Swiss team have been really successful in other types of high-performance sailing. They've got knowledgeable and experienced sailors on board, so they should get up to speed pretty quickly [too].

"At every event, teams get more confident with the boats, the racing will get tougher and that's exactly what we want to see.

"We want to be tested by the best teams. You know then that if you're successful in this league, it's really worth something."

As has been the case since SailGP's launch, every team's F50 catamaran is identical to the next, meaning that the skills of the crews and helmsmen are put to the ultimate test.

The F50s are able to deliver speeds of 50 knots (around 60mph) and rival teams all have access to each others' data too, which adds another level of detail and interest.

"SailGP takes sailing to a whole new level of high performance and hopefully brings the sport to a new audience" Ainslie noted.

"When people watch SailGP they realise that it's seriously exciting and high impact. Also, the graphics that are imposed on the water really help non-sailors understand what's going on during the race.

"The ability to go on board the boats and hear the audio of the sailors talking and communicating is amazing. It provides an insight that you very rarely get in sport.

"It's not quite unique, but it's almost unique at this level. It's really special and being able to hear the communication of the teams under intense pressure - it makes for super viewing."

A nine-strong fleet is taking to the racecourse in Bermuda, a Japanese boat is scheduled to return to the competition after the early rounds, and Season 3's calendar is larger than ever.

After Bermuda, the teams will head back to the United States for the second event of the season in Chicago. The British team's home Sail Grand Prix in Plymouth arrives shortly after that at the end of July.

Copenhagen, Dubai, Singapore and New Zealand are all stops on the event schedule for the first time in Season 3 and every event will be shown live on Sky Sports.

Watch coverage of the SailGP event in Bermuda live on Sky Sports on Saturday and Sunday at 6pm.