(Reuters) -Dylan Fletcher produced a masterclass in tactical sailing on Sunday to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat in Cadiz, steering Britain from last place to first in a thrilling finale that has put the team firmly in the driver's seat for the 2025 SailGP Championship.
Britain recovered from a start line penalty that relegated them to the back of the three-team winner-takes-all final to snatch the lead from rivals New Zealand just metres from the finish.
As they approached the final turning mark, Britain nipped inside of the Black Foils, forcing their rivals onto a slower angle into the finish line.
It was a move reminiscent of the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, when Fletcher pipped Peter Burling -- now skippering Team New Zealand in SailGP -- to the 49er class gold medal right at the finish of the final race.
The victory means Britain become the first team to win three Grands Prix this season, putting them three points ahead of the Black Foils with only one event remaining.
Three-time SailGP champions Australia slipped to third overall, five points behind the leaders, after coming home an uncharacteristic seventh in Cadiz. The result sees them surrender the overall lead they had held coming into the Spanish event.
Meanwhile, Germany continued their impressive run of form, following up their win in Geneva two weeks ago with a third in Cadiz. But consistency was lacking for the Danish team, who had been impressive on day one but struggled to find the same level of performance on the second day.
Home Spanish heroes Los Gallos gave the tens of thousands of fans that packed the Race Stadium and lined the Cadiz shore something to shout about as they claimed victory in race five, though their hopes of defending their championship title took a blow as they slipped to four points from the podium.
Brazil notched up their second-ever race win with a stunning victory in race seven, providing a welcome boost for Martine Grael, SailGP's only female driver.
All eyes will now turn to the championship-deciding season finale in Abu Dhabi from November 29 to 30.
A series of fleet races will determine who picks up event points there, before the top three teams overall will face off in a winner-takes-all race for the title.
SailGP is a global sailing league in which national teams race identical foiling F50 catamarans that rise above the water and hit high speeds close to shore.
(Reporting by Ossian Shine, editing by Pritha Sarkar)
