SailGP stars ride the waves at Surf Abu Dhabi ahead of championship

With just four days until the Mubadala Abu Dhabi Sail Grand Prix 2025 Season Grand Final, presented by Abu Dhabi Sports Council, a host of the world's elite athletes traded their high-speed F50 catamarans for surfboards on Tuesday at Surf Abu Dhabi, the world's largest wave pool.

Drivers Sebastien Schneiter (Switzerland), Diego Botin (Spain), and Peter Burling (New Zealand) joined crew members Tom Ramshaw and Paul Campbell James (Canada), Peter Kinney (USA), James Wierzbowski and Felix Van Den Hoevel (Germany) at the cutting-edge facility, which features Kelly Slater Wave Company technology.

The athletes were also joined by World Test Championship winning New Zealand cricketer Trent Boult and UAE daredevil influencer Ahmed Al Shehhi, who brings a diverse background in air sports including skydiving, paragliding, and speed riding.

The morning offered the athletes a unique opportunity to experience another watersport that demands precision, balance, and split-second decision-making -- skills they'll need in abundance when racing reaches its climax at SailGP's Grand Final on November 29-30 at Mina Zayed.

"It was a lot of fun. Having this experience in the best wave pool in the world is a unique opportunity for us and it lived up to the expectations," said defending SailGP champion Botin, who started sailing and surfing at the same time as a youngster.

"It's quite different from the ocean. It's really hard to read the wave because you can't predict it - it just happens - so you really need to know the wave to surf it well, but it's so clean and so perfect."

While the Spaniard pointed out the differences, he also highlighted surprising connections between the two sports.

"Well actually, the train has a foil to make the wave, so it's the same system we use in the F50 to pop out of the water," added Botin.

"And the surfing - it's obviously also a watersport. I'm quite used to being in the water surfing at home and there's quite a bit of correlation. You need to feel the ocean, feel the wind and the waves - many similarities but at the same time, quite different."

The athletes' visit to Surf Abu Dhabi comes as anticipation builds for the season-defining showdown. After 11 events spanning multiple continents, four teams - Emirates GBR, the Black Foils, the Bonds Flying Roos, and Los Gallos - remain in contention for the championship title and the $2 million up for grabs.

For Botin, the driver of Los Gallos, the relaxed atmosphere at Surf Abu Dhabi provided the perfect counterbalance ahead of what promises to be an intense weekend. The defending champions currently sit in fourth place, outside the top three qualification spots, making them the outsiders heading into the Grand Final.

"It's obviously super nice to be able to balance things out," added Botin.

"Having some fun here then gives you energy to push when the pressure is on at the weekend.

"This weekend for us is a bit different. We have very little to lose. We are not used to this situation in SailGP - normally we've been hanging in there with the pressure of making it to the final and not making big mistakes, but now we can go just full on. We are in the worst position of the four contender teams, but at the same time we can go full on.

"This is a course where many things can happen because it's very small, the wind is going to be light, super small starting box, which is very different to what we've had in the past, so we hope that things will get a bit messy and we'll create a good chance out of that mess."

Racing will take place at Mina Zayed on November 29-30, with the compact course and lighter wind conditions promising unpredictable racing. Following fleet racing across both days, the top three teams from the overall champions standings at that point will advance to a single winner-takes-all final race to determine the 2025 champion.

The Mubadala Abu Dhabi Sail Grand Prix 2025 Season Grand Final, presented by Abu Dhabi Sports Council delivers far more than elite racing. The event features a comprehensive entertainment program, including performances from globally recognised platinum-selling pop sensation Olly Murs on Saturday, November 29, and popular TV personality and DJ Mark Wright on Sunday, November 30. The Après-Sail celebration, presented by Mastercard, will transform the Race Stadium into a vibrant cultural hub.