America’s Cup: Grant Dalton’s Formula One inspiration as Team New Zealand prepares for next Auld Mug defence

As Team New Zealand plots yet another defence of the America’s Cup, chief executive Grant Dalton concedes the science of boat design will ultimately prove his side’s weapon against the financial might of his competitors.

Earlier this year, Dalton helmed Team NZ’s defence of the America’s Cup in Barcelona, and ensured the Auld Mug remained in Kiwi hands after recapturing it from Oracle Team USA in Bermuda seven years ago.

Across three challenges, including two successive defences, Team NZ has got the better of sides with much deeper pockets, making the most of Kiwi ingenuity — as seen by the Bermuda “cyclors” that got the better of Oracle.

However, ingenuity will only get the team so far.

The financial might of its opponents, which include petrochemical giants Ineos, the Prada Group backing Luna Rossa, and Italian-Swiss billionaire Ernesto Bertarelli dwarfs what the Kiwi team can put up.

But speaking to Newstalk ZB, Dalton said science would ultimately be the point of difference between winning and losing the Cup at the next challenge.

“I failed university entrance physics, yet my fascination, other than team dynamics, which I love, is science.

“Three [America’s Cups] was difficult to win, four is probably damn near impossible. So how do we even contemplate winning four in a row?

“The science has to play a bigger part in Team New Zealand’s future, to help create the edge. I am absolutely fascinated by the science,” he said.

Fortunately, other sport does serve up inspiration that Team NZ needs.

As a fan of motorsport, including MotoGP and Formula One, Dalton is quick to look sideways when working out new ways to advance both his team and his sport.

Formula One sees 10 teams all design their own cars within a certain set of rules and regulations. The America’s Cup is effectively the same, albeit with those regulations determined by the Cup holder — in this instance Team NZ — until they are bested by another.

And leaning into Formula One in particular, Dalton wants to see the America’s Cup continue to push boundaries.

“That’s the fascination of the America’s Cup, it’s not a one-design event, where everyone has the same boat.

“That’s got its place in the world, but this is the top of the food chain. You’ve got GP2, Formula Two, and Formula One. This is Formula One. The cars in Formula Two are exactly the same.

“There are questions about should it be a lot cheaper? Should you dumb it down in terms of technology, and therefore create more teams?

Emirates Team New Zealand celebrates winning the Louis Vuitton 37th America’s Cup in Barcelona, Spain in October. Photo / photosport.nz

“I’m not in the camp of dumbing it down and bringing technology to the centre. It should remain the absolute pinnacle of technology.

“Yes, someone will always have an advantage because they will do their technology better. That’s how it should be.”

There is already plenty of overlap between Formula One and the America’s Cup, too.

Oracle are backed by Red Bull, the upstarts of extreme sport, who have in the past decade become arguably Formula One’s most dominant side.

Meanwhile, Ineos are also heavily involved with Mercedes, as well as the British entry of Sir Ben Ainslie.

And with sharing of intellectual property so prevalent, Dalton expects increasing overlap between Formula One and their America’s Cup counterparts.

“It’s more than a fascination now, because of the emergence of the Formula One teams within the America’s Cup,” he said.

“It’s always been compared to Formula One, but now it actually is, because they’re so heavily involved.

“Ineos was kind of a weird looking boat, from a purist’s point of view, it didn’t look quite right, but it was actually really fast.

“There’s a direct correlation between aerodynamics, Formula One, and the way that boat looked, which we, as an organisation, from a science point of view need to dig into.”