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Ineos Britannia skipper Sir Ben Ainslie believes they have nothing to lose as his crew attempt to end a 173-year wait to win the America’s Cup.
A British boat has never won the world’s oldest international sporting trophy and this is the first time in 60 years a UK team has secured a place in the America’s Cup.
They take on Emirates New Zealand, who are seeking a third win in a row, in a best-of-13 shootout starting in Barcelona on Saturday.
Britain overcame Italy’s Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli in the first-to-seven Louis Vuitton Cup series to earn their shot at history.
Ainslie, who won the event as part of Team USA in 2013, knows the size of the task ahead.
“We’ve got a very proud sporting and maritime heritage and the America’s Cup is the one thing that has always been missing from our trophy cabinet,” said Ainslie, a gold medal winner at four consecutive Olympics.
“So, this is an incredible opportunity for our team but at the same time we are coming up against incredible defenders – who are going for a third win in a row – and we know that’s the ultimate challenge.
“It is going to be a seriously hard battle, they’re the All Blacks of sailing. We are the underdogs and New Zealand are the favourites but I definitely think they are beatable.
We’ve got a very proud sporting and maritime heritage, and the America’s Cup is the one thing that has always been missing from our trophy cabinet— Sir Ben Ainslie
“In a way, for us, we have nothing to lose and everything to gain – so we are fully up for that and excited for what’s ahead.”
Ineos Britannia have partnered with Mercedes-AMG F1 Applied Science to bring Formula One technology to sailing but, with the two teams boasting similar boats, the experience of the people on board may prove the difference.
New Zealand’s skipper and helmsman Peter Burling has won the event in 2017 and 2021, which is more recent than Ainslie’s solitary victory with the United States.
But winning for his home nation would be something special for Isle of Wight resident Ainslie.
“I’ve been really fortunate to have won the Cup before, but not with Britain,” he added.
“But it’s not about me, it’s about the team. We’ve been going for 10 years now on this mission to get ourselves into the final and what a great opportunity – we’re going to give it everything we’ve got.”
Light wind is forecast in Barcelona for Saturday’s two opening races, providing a test of the lower end performance of both teams.
