“Luna Rossa has agreements with sailors ready, but we have to wait for the kiwi. You risk wasting time and money” – OA Sport

Max Serena, captain of Luna Rossa during the last America’s Cup, is waiting to receive news from Team New Zealand. The Kiwi, who defeated the Italian Federation 7-3 last winter, did not say when and where the next edition of the world’s oldest sports competition would be held. The announcement was scheduled for September 17, but CEO Grant Dalton postponed everything to better explore the different options on the table. The wait has become nerve-wracking, because under such uncertainty, it is very difficult to plan ahead And start working at full capacity. Luna Rossa will participate in the next America’s Cup.

Max Siren She spoke about it in an interview with Gazzetta dello Sport: “We have general ideas of what will happen. The boat will remain basically the same, flying, but the crew will probably be reduced by 2 or 3 units and from 11 to 8, so that could mean a big change. The same goes for the project. We have a very specific design team, but until the New Zealanders decide to deliver the news, there is no point in starting the business. We have ready-made agreements with sailors as well, but it makes a huge difference whether we’re going to compete in 2025, 2023 or 2024. It’s best to wait for the official announcement and then plan our commitment. Moving early means risking wasted time and money. There is no exact date for an announcement anymore, but I think Grant Dalton’s team will do so by mid-November. Even in this case, nothing is final“.

The sailor continued:I can’t really predict what they will announce. They talk about 4 locations with Auckland back in directions. The debate going on in New Zealand these days about whether to keep the trophy or allow it to be played abroad, I don’t think they have a winner yet. What I think can be said is that When there are these discussions and they are dragged out for a long time, the value of the final product (the America’s Cup in this case) usually goes down. We’ll see how it turns out between Ireland, Spain, Saudi Arabia and New Zealand (Presumed locations are Cork, Barcelona/Valencia and Jeddah, plus residence in Auckland, ed.). I expect everything. But if it is true that some of the sites indicated are willing to offer twice as much as Auckland, then I think it is difficult to keep the cup among the kiwis … Anyway, it is better to wait, surprises are on the agenda“.

And when he thinks of last winter:When it comes to racing in the final against Team New Zealand, I think we could have won a couple more. And so I feel a little sorry, but then I also think what that race showed is that they have something more than us in boat speed. So in the end they will win anyway. They were good at putting a high performance boat in the water. And as always, they benefited from starting the design first“.

Photo: Luna Rossa Press