“We still have a few things in the bag” INEOS Britannia boss Dylan Fletcher on today's historic win and game against the Kiwis in the America's Cup

Dylan Fletcher, co-chief executive of INEOS Britannia, says the Louis Vuitton Cup finals series tested the British crew and boat more than they could ever have imagined – but they still have a few tricks up their sleeves before they can will face Defenders Emirates Team New Zealand in the America's Cup match, which begins on October 12.

In the final series of the Louis Vuitton Cup, the British and Italian teams raced in everything from icy lighting conditions that ultimately led to the cancellation of the race to strong Garbi winds that pushed the boats to the limits of their design on a crucial day in the middle of the year. changing wind speeds with intimidating seas.

Was the blow-by-blow series valuable to the British team in preparation for the big test – the race against Defenders Emirates Team New Zealand?

“Of course you always want a relaxed enema. We would have preferred to win seven races in a row. But I think that was probably a blessing in disguise considering the Italians are applying so much pressure,” says Fletcher.

“Just six weeks ago we (Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli) were racing in the training race before the prelims and they absolutely destroyed us at 15 to 18 knots. It's great to have turned Britannia's performance around and to be so close to them. And at the beginning they put an incredible amount of pressure on us.

Fully loaded: INEOS Britannia reached speeds of over 55 knots on day five of the Louis Vuitton Cup final. Photo: Ian Roman / America's Cup

“So I think it’s beneficial for the Kiwis. We've been watching them train on their own and they're pushing hard, but it definitely feels like we've been pushed harder than ever before.

“And we’ve seen that with things like we did 55.5 knots the other day – something we didn’t know was actually possible from Britannia!”

The British team had always been optimistic that while their muscular AC75 design wasn't the fastest, they were confident they would continue to exploit its potential as the competition progressed. So far this plan seems to be working.

“From a development perspective we had a good program and we still have a few things left in our pockets.

“In the America's Cup it's always a balancing act: how much do you bring for the final and how much do you wait and try to develop as late as possible for the Cup game?

“At this point I think we have chosen the right balance because we won against Luna Rossa and we know we have a few things to do even better before the cup next weekend.”

Confirmation that Fletcher (left) would co-skipper Britannia alongside Ainslie (right) came quite late in the day. Photo: Ian Roman / America's Cup

The burden of expectation

Fletcher, who was appointed co-head of INEOS Britannia on the eve of the preliminary regatta, says the team approached today's historic race like any other.

“Honestly it felt the same as the other races with Luna Rossa. They were incredibly close together, as I'm sure you saw, and the edges are super fine. You can see that both boats have a certain pattern and we are both good at what we are good at. So it was nice for us to get off to a good start and control the race from then on.

“They were definitely close. There was a good shift for them at the bottom marker as we chose the right turn, which was the biased marker. But they managed a good turn today in really difficult conditions – it was a bit colder and a lot more unstable compared to what you would expect with that wind direction. I guess we put ourselves in a good position to control it from there.

“But they are an incredibly good team. Last time we lost to them in the Louis Vuitton final. So it feels somewhat deserved to get a win over them this time and finally get into the America's Cup game.”

When did he relax? “As soon as we cross the finish line, only then.

“I think it's easy to see what the boats look like on rails. But in reality they are incredibly difficult to sail and it only takes one of the eight people to make a mistake and we can go off the foils. And that could be the end of the race for us.

“So we went full throttle and gave it full throttle. But yeah, it was an incredible feeling when we finally crossed the finish line.

Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli leads INEOS Britannia back to the start in the Louis Vuitton Cup race. Photo: Ricardo Pinto / America's Cup

“We were just very happy that we were able to deliver such good results as we did in the last few races. And I’m delighted that the team is in the cup final for Great Britain after a 60-year drought.”

Celebrations were in full swing at the INEOS Britannia base in Barcelona this afternoon, but the record challenger has just seven days to prepare for the biggest fight of his life.

“I think we'll probably have a day off, but in reality it probably won't be more than that.

“It's definitely at this stage of the game, we just have to put our foot down, keep pushing and make sure we're firing next weekend. I’m looking forward to the challenge ahead.”

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