Ainslie hands wheel of British SailGP team to fellow Olympic gold medalist Scott

Ben Ainslie is stepping down as driver of the Emirates Great Britain SailGP Team but will remain as CEO and majority owner in tech titan Larry Ellison’s global league.

Ainslie will hand the wheel of the British foiling 50-foot catamaran to two-time Olympic gold medalist Giles Scott starting with the Mubadala Abu Dhabi Sail Grand Prix on Jan. 13-14.

Ainslie, the most decorated sailor in Olympic history and a former America’s Cup champion, is the second star skipper to give up a SailGP helm in recent weeks. Jimmy Spithill announced his retirement from driving after steering Team Australia to second place in Dubai last month while filling in as friend and countryman Tom Slingsby was on paternity leave.

Spithill left the U.S. team in late November ahead of its sale to a diverse group of investors and announced that he’ll start an Italian team for Season 5 that will begin next fall.

Ainslie said this is the right time to step away from driving the high-performance catamaran in the 10-boat fleet.

“It was a tough decision but the right decision,” Ainslie said. “I’m looking forward to an exciting future for SailGP and my role off the water is focused on trying to build the team as a business.”

Ainslie is also the CEO and skipper of INEOS Britannia, one of five challengers in the 37th America’s Cup that will be sailed in the fall in Barcelona.

“As the CEO of both Emirates GBR and the INEOS Britannia America’s Cup Team, and most importantly a husband and father, at some point you’ve got to realize that you can’t do everything,” said Ainslie, who turns 47 on Feb. 5.

“I’m coming to that point where it’s time to let the next generation come through and have their opportunity.” Ainslie added. “We’ve got a huge talent in Giles Scott. He’s one of the best in the sport and he will suit this style of racing perfectly."

Scott said taking over for Ainslie is “a big moment."

“SailGP is an amazing League. There’s nothing else like it and for Ben to give me the call up is amazing,” he said. “I’ve got some catching up to do, but the Emirates GBR Team is a great squad. Everybody involved is hugely experienced and top-quality sailors.”

Ainslie joined SailGP ahead of the pandemic-delayed Season 2. He became majority owner of the team in October 2021 and reached the $1 million, winner-take-all Season 3 championship race before finishing third.

The British are currently in fourth place halfway through Season 4, just two points out of podium position.

“All in all it’s been a fantastic experience with SailGP and the team’s in a great place looking to the future,” Ainslie said.

Ainslie won his fourth straight Olympic gold medal, and fifth straight overall, in the 2012 London Games. He had a key role in a dramatic comeback by Ellison’s Oracle Team USA to defend the America’s Cup in 2013.