The latest episode of SailGP’s Racing on the Edge docuseries, in partnership with Rolex, takes viewers along the journey of the Spain SailGP Team’s challenges – both personal and professional – that they’ve faced since winning the Season 4 Championship last July.
Los Gallos kicked off the Rolex SailGP 2025 Season with a desire to start the way they finished – the latest episode explores the highs and lows of the Season 4 champions as they navigate climbing their way back to the top of the overall leaderboard.
The Spanish team found themselves in seventh place after the third event of the 2025 Season at the KPMG Australia Sail Grand Prix in Sydney. Struggling with internal misalignment amongst the team – communication had broken down and there was confusion over who was ultimately making the most critical decision onboard the F50 – crossing the start line.
Florian Trittel, wing trimmer of the Spain SailGP Team said: “After Sydney, we were in a hole. The team said, ‘Okay we have to do something because if we weren’t the worst starter – we were one of the worst starters.'”
Managing a fifth place finish at the Rolex Los Angeles Sail Grand Prix, the team still hadn’t found their rhythm. Seeking a reset, they spent much needed team time together and hit the road up to San Francisco for the second leg of the double header – a destination that felt like home due to the success they achieved only eight months prior.
Leaning on one another, Los Gallos managed to execute the best starts of all season – securing a win in the fleet racing across the weekend and subsequently a spot in the three-boat Final. But back to those start-line challenges… Nicole Van der Velden, strategist of the Spain SailGP Team said: “We had a bad start – we’re in third place – and one of the things that gives us confidence is knowing that Diego (Botín) likes being in those challenging positions because I’ve seen him go through much bigger life challenges in the past.”
The episode also explores Spanish driver Diego Botín’s medical condition, diagnosed after competing in the 2016 Olympics in Rio. Experiencing excruciating back pain in the middle of the night, Botín revealed he suffers from spondyloarthritis – an inflammation of the spine that could potentially lead to a life in a wheelchair if untreated. Battling chronic pain and sleepless nights, Botín has had to radically adjust his lifestyle and training to stay at the top of his game.
Despite the challenges, his recent achievements are extraordinary: winning SailGP Season 4, capturing Olympic gold with Trittel in 2024, being named Rolex Male Sailor of the Year, managing to secure the event win at the Oracle San Francisco Sail Grand Prix and most recently leading the team to victory at the 2025 Foiling Awards.
The episode closes with Botín saying: “To win is great, but in the end the important thing is how you have won that and I think if you feel like you have put heaps of effort in and you have gotten better – on the next level – as a person – this is the most powerful thing. This is the biggest lesson I’ve learned in my life.”
