Switzerland Steps up its Commitment to SailGP
Team Tilt arrived on the circuit in 2022 and is now here for the long haul.
Text: Grégoire Surdez
Team Tilt has always led the way. Innovation and speed are part of its identity. After honing their skills on Lake Geneva in the D35 class, Alex Schneiter’s team, founded in 2012, rose quickly earning a spot at the inaugural Youth America’s Cup in San Francisco just a year later. The first big breakthrough came in 2017, with a second Youth America’s Cup campaign that raised the bar.
In Bermuda, Tanguy Cariou’s Sébastien Schneiter-led team delivered a standout performance, sealing a podium finish in third. A year on from his first successful Olympic campaign in Rio, the young driver is proving that Switzerland can stand shoulder to shoulder with the sport’s traditional heavyweights. The point was driven home in 2018, when Team Tilt won the GC32 World Championship title.
At the time, it set the standard in foiling with the world’s elite skippers using the championship to forge the sport’s next generation. That win on Lake Garda undoubtedly laid the foundations for the Switzerland SailGP Team. Several of the key figures from that era are now team mainstays, competing in modern sailing’s premier world championship.
As if on cue, the Tilt generation joined SailGP in 2022. Alex Schneiter quickly realised that this championship would be a magnet for the world’s top sailors with: A fleet of F50s perfectly maintained and developed by SailGP. Seamless events staged in the world’s most iconic sailing locations. An easy-to-follow, spectator-friendly race format. Switzerland’s joining this championship, one that has shaken up traditionally conservative sailing circuits, coincides with SailGP emerging as the sport’s Formula 1.
With one key difference: in SailGP, technology is there to elevate the performance of the sailors taking part. These men and women are what set the teams apart given that every team competes with strictly identical equipment. “At this level, it’s the smallest details that make all the difference,” Alex Schneiter explains. “Experience is a key factor. With sustained effort and a focus on developing young talent, Switzerland can realistically set its sights on winning this championship. That’s our goal.”
Aiming for the top, Switzerland is playing the long game, steadily developing and drawing on an expanding base of skills and support. With the arrival of the new CEO Boet Brinkgreve last season came a new wave of professionalism, alongside the backing of new investors, including the Firmenich family. This year marks another big milestone with the signing of a new title sponsor, Explora Journeys, a subsidiary of the Aponte family’s MSC group. A strong commitment that further anchors a team on the rise, while maintaining its edge. As always.