SailGP horror: Two hospitalised after ‘catastrophic’ Auckland crash

Two sailors remain in a stable condition in hospital following a major collision between New Zealand and France that forced the abandonment of racing at the New Zealand Sail Grand Prix.

The alarming incident occurred at the start of race three when the home favourites lost control and veered sharply across the path of their European rivals.

Both teams have been ruled out of Sunday’s remaining action due to the significant structural damage sustained by their F50 catamarans.

Kiwi team punished for ‘loss of control’

SailGP officials confirmed that one crew member from each boat was injured during the smash, described by organisers as “catastrophic”.

The Black Foils were immediately deducted eight event points for causing the collision, sending them plummeting down the leaderboard.

It marks a troubling pattern for the New Zealand outfit, who were involved in another collision with Switzerland during last month’s season opener in Perth.

France driver Quentin Delapierre admitted the sequence of events happened too fast to fully process.

“Everything happened so quickly – it’s still super cloudy in my head and I haven’t reviewed the footage or spoken to the umpires.”

“I think both teams are OK. I want to give my thoughts to the New Zealand team and also to my team-mates – this was tough for everyone on both teams.”

Delapierre added that he hopes to find solutions to ensure such a dangerous incident is never repeated on the water.

British champions struggle as schedule changes

Before the chaos ensued, the Kiwis had briefly moved into first place after securing victory in the second race of the day.

Elsewhere, defending champions Great Britain endured a mixed afternoon, recovering from a disappointing 11th-place finish to take second in race two.

Organisers have confirmed that Sunday’s racing will start earlier than planned to avoid adverse weather conditions predicted for the area.