Sailing: Identical Sail GP boats to provide new challenge for Blair Tuke and Peter Burling, says Sir Russell Coutts

Sir Russell Coutts has indicated one major feature of the Sail GP season will serve as an unfamiliar leveller with the New Zealand team embarking on their first season.

The team will be led by two-time America's Cup winners and Olympic gold medallists Blair Tuke and Peter Burling, who have been in contention for the ultimate prize in several branches of the sport.

However, speaking to Newstalk ZB, Coutts said the fact that all the teams race in identical foiling catamarans similar to those used during the 2017 America's Cup will make the competition interesting.

In the America's Cup, the design of the team's vessel has been an important factor in success as teams look for a way to find a speed advantage.

Every team competes on the same vessel in Sail GP. The only difference is in the presentation. Photo / Getty Images

"It's all very well to win when you're going two or three knots faster than somebody else, but when you've got exactly the same equipment then it really boils down to who is going to sail that boat the best," Coutts said.

"That's going to be fascinating because even in their Olympic racing, it's pretty well renowned that Burling and Tuke have developed a speed advantage. A lot of that could be technique, but some of that could be equipment too.

"In those Olympic classes that are so-called one design, there are differences in equipment between masts and sails. They're small differences but differences that nevertheless matter quite a lot. In this race, they're going to be racing against these other guys in an absolutely identical boat and I think that's going to be fascinating to see how they come out of that and which team comes out on top."

The New Zealand Sail GP team. Photo / Photosport

The Kiwis will come up against some familiar faces during the Sail GP season, which begins in Bermuda next weekend, with Sir Ben Ainslie leading the Great Britain crew, and Jimmy Spithill at the helm for the United States.

The 2021 season will be the sophomore year for Sail GP, after the inaugural competition was held in 2019, with Australian beating Japan in the final.

Coutts, who founded the competition alongside American businessman Larry Ellison, said despite missing the inaugural season of the competition, the Kiwi outfit won't be coming in off the pace – particularly with Burling and Tuke in the ranks.

"They've been active sailing and they've proven that they can adapt to different boats; they were pretty good in these boats in 2017.

"Right now, I couldn't pick a winner."