After more than a decade’s hiatus, Alinghi is returning to the America’s Cup with Red Bull as a partner, representing the Société Nautique de Genève yacht club.
“While keeping the winning spirit that has always animated Alinghi, we want for this challenge to do something totally different, totally new, totally fresh,” said Alinghi founder Ernesto Bertarelli. “When we imagined with Dietrich Mateschitz the involvement of Red Bull in the America’s Cup, he said: Our way is not to get into the sport as sponsors but to blend into the team, to form a true partnership, to nurture young athletes and turn them into the best in their field. He also proposed that we should make contributions to give the America’s Cup itself a new dimension.”
Photo credit: Samo Vidic / Red Bull Content Pool
“Now that they have chosen to launch back into the America’s Cup, partnering with Red Bull,” Defender CEO Grant Dalton says, “it’s a true testament to the success of the AC75 class and the boundaries of innovation, design and speed which appeals to a far wider audience than has been seen in the past.”
The fleet won’t make it easy for the Swiss team, though. Sir Ben Ainsle has been making moves to strengthen INEOS Britannia and their partnership with the Mercedes AMG F1 team, plus, there are also return campaigns from Luna Rossa and American Magic to contend with.
For more, visit americascup.com.