Alinghi Red Bull Racing failed to get off to a good start in the semi-finals of the America's Cup. The Swiss syndicate clearly lost twice against Team Britannia.
Alinghi had no chance against the winner of the round robin twice. In the first duel, the gap was over two minutes, in the second, the Swiss boat crossed the finish line 1:37 minutes behind the British team.
This once again made it clear that Alinghi was the clear underdog in this semi-final duel. The team led by skipper Arnaud Psarofaghis, who celebrated his 36th birthday on Saturday, was only convincing at the start of the first regatta.
Maneuvering errors and a capital false start
In contrast to the two direct duels lost in the round robins, Alinghi got off to the better start this time off the coast of Barcelona, but the British team soon took the lead and later also benefited from a maneuvering error by Alinghi.
The second race, on the other hand, was a copy of the duels from the Round Robin, with the Swiss being penalized for leaving the starting area. They were almost at a standstill and even almost disqualified before they were able to pick up speed again and hoist themselves onto their foils. The British then controlled the action, literally flying over the water compared to Alinghi.
Five wins for a ticket to the final
The next two duels will take place on Sunday afternoon. The first team to secure five wins will advance to the final of the Louis Vuitton Cup, where they will face the winner of the duel between Luna Rossa from Italy or American Magic from the USA. Like the British team, the Italians also lived up to their role as favorites in the first two semi-final duels, winning 2:0.
