The British America's Cup challenge trials boat (T6) incorporates Formula 1 technology and this was evident as it sped across the Bay of Palma. The British team, INEOS Britannia, are busy horning their skills ahead of the big race next year in Barcelona. Their Palma-based trials vessels will play a key role. The 40-foot test boat will play a vital role in the team’s programme through to the next America’s Cup, to be raced in Barcelona in the summer 2024. T6’s work will commence with an extensive testing period, primarily aimed at validating the team’s design tools and testing key componentry ahead of the design deadline to start the build of the team's race boat.
INEOS Britannia, led by Sir Ben Ainslie, is the Challenger of Record for the 37th America’s Cup and was the British Challenger to the 36th America’s Cup in Auckland in 2021.
INEOS is supporting INEOS Britannia as the team aims to make history by bringing the America’s Cup back to Britain for the first time in its 170-year history.
A base has been established in Palma and on Wednesday at the Real Club Nautico in Palma Sir Ben will give further details.
T6 was built at Carrington Boats in Hythe, at the same site where the original ‘Empire’ Flying Boats were built back in 1937. The new age flying boat was then transported to Brackley, UK, the home of the Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 Team for its fit out. T6 has been a key to bringing together the two teams, defining common working practices between the worlds of America’s Cup and F1.
T6 will operate throughout the winter from the team’s new base in Palma. Live test data and results will be streamed back to the design, engineering and performance teams at the team’s UK headquarters in Brackley, where work is already underway on the research and design of what will become the team’s AC75 race boat, competing for the 37th America’s Cup.