Great Britain’s America’s Cup hopes take another hit as New Zealand go 3-0 up
Ineos Britannia were handed a 75-metre penalty in race three as New Zealand extended their lead.
Great Britain fell 3-0 behind New Zealand in the America’s Cup on Sunday before racing was abandoned because of low winds – as Sir Ben Ainslie took a swipe at a TV commentator.
Ainslie’s Ineos Britannia boat had lost Saturday’s opening two races against holders Emirates Team New Zealand in Barcelona in the best-of-13 showdown.
And hopes of making up ground on Sunday suffered a setback as Ineos Britannia were landed with a 75-metre penalty for not keeping a clear distance as the boats jockeyed for position ahead of the start, with the foils nearly touching.
Peter Burling’s crew were able to make the most of their advantage to hold off the British challenge early on before pulling clear to cross some 52 seconds ahead.
In the live on-boat post-race TV interviews, Ainslie was asked by New Zealand commentator Stephen McIvor if he still believed the British boat was as close to New Zealand when it comes to performance.
Visibly annoyed by the question, Ainslie replied: “Maybe that’s the Kiwi commentator in you, mate.” As the cameras cut away, with the live feed still being broadcast, the British skipper could be heard to swear “f****** w*****” into his microphone.
When pressed on the incident later in the team’s press conference, Ainslie: “It was a stupid comment from the Kiwi commentator. I think it’s good for our team. I think it’s good motivation.”
Burling, meanwhile, had been left less than impressed by the earlier manoeuvres of Ineos Britannia.
“It was a little bit uncomfortable to be honest with how close the boats got,” Burling said.
“But the umpire obviously thought we were pretty clear there, so it was great to get the penalty and control the race from there.”
After issues with one of the batteries had made Ineos Britannia marginally late for entry into race one, it has been a frustrating couple of days for Ainslie’s team.
“It was close, I thought it was okay,” said four-time Olympic gold medal winner Ainslie of the incident at the start of race three. “But the umpires didn’t see it that way.”
As winds then fell below the 6.5 knot minimum requirement, the race committee announced there would be no more action on Sunday afternoon.
Race four has been rescheduled to Monday’s reserve slot, winds permitting.
A British boat has never won the America’s Cup, but Ainslie’s crew overcame Italy 7-4 in the Louis Vuitton Cup series to qualify for the showpiece event for the first time since 1964.
New Zealand, meanwhile, are seeking a third successive title.
Ainslie, who won the America’s Cup as part of Team USA in 2013, remains positive for the remainder of the competition.
“We just got to keep upbeat,” Ainslie said. “There is a long way to go in this competition, we just got to keep pushing.”
