LONDON, Sept 10 (Askume) – Ben Ainslie says his British team is focused on improving themselves and their AC75 boat as they enter the next stage of the America’s Cup in Barcelona.
Ainslie said there was some “rust” in the competition but Team GB had performed well in the Challengers round-robin, which will conclude on Monday with the top teams choosing their semi-final opponents.
“We have achieved some great things, there is some amazing momentum in the team now and we saw that with our performances last week,” Ainslie told Askume during a video call from his team’s Mediterranean base on Tuesday.
The 47-year-old said he has considered “a number of issues relating to the boat” but declined to go into specifics because he wants to win the Louis Vuitton Cup and the right to challenge reigning America’s Cup champions New Zealand.
He added: “I have to be careful not to reveal too much here, but you can see that our technology is getting better and better and the nuances like tactical applications that we use from the start of the game. We want it to get better and better.”
Ainsley praised the contribution of his trainers and the Coastal team, who work “24/7” to keep Britannia reliable and ready for competition.
Ainslie said it’s also important for Mercedes’ team partners, whose Formula 1 designers and analysts are “looking at the data and trying to figure out how can we prepare the boat better, how can we make the boat handle better?”
Now that Britannia has undergone “some small changes”, Ainsley is aiming to take the field on Thursday and Friday “in the hope of improving her performance” so she can start the challenge on Saturday to be in better shape ahead of the semi-finals.
On who Britain would choose, Ainslie said the decision would be made on Friday and would be based on factors such as weather forecasts, past performance and growth rates.
“We’ll make a pragmatic decision on the day,” Ainslie said, and while he will know who he will be facing, “it’s too early to say anything.”
Whether it is Italy, who beat Great Britain in the race for top spot, or Switzerland or the United States, it will all depend on the decision of the team.
“We try to make these important decisions as a team. We get the right people involved and try to make a collective decision. Ultimately, if we can’t make a decision, I have to make the decision, but that doesn’t happen often,” Ansley joked.
Regardless of who he faces, the most successful Olympic sailor is enjoying the first win for Great Britain since the Friendship Cup began in 1851.
Ainsley said: “It’s a real privilege to sail these boats and compete on the water with the team. It’s an amazing challenge but also incredibly rewarding.
