Now essentially at the halfway point in the series, neither team has been able to pull away from the other, with the first-to-seven series tied at 3-3.
“It’s the gift that just keeps giving, isn’t it?” Ainslie said after racing.
“Two great teams going at it, it’s what we all want to see to a certain extent but at some point something will have to give, won’t it?”
On another day of glamour conditions in Barcelona, it was a case of the team who led after the first beat getting their pick of the shifts and controlling the race, with the righthand side of the course being favoured by the teams.
A mistake in the starting box from Luna Rossa in race one allowed the British to take control of the day’s opening race, and Ineos Britannia made them pay for that with a well-managed race.
The Brits opted not to apply match racing tactics and match Luna Rossa by tacking on top of them, but instead sailed their own race and prioritised protecting the better pressure.
Ineos Britannia and Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli remain level after six races in the Louis Vuitton Cup final. Photo / Ricardo Pinto, America's Cup
While Luna Rossa fought back a couple of times in the eight-leg race, the British stayed composed and maintained their lead.
The British had faster average speeds on both the upwind and downwind legs of the race, while there was nothing separating the average velocity made good numbers of the teams. In the end, Ineos Britannia were able to close out a 12s win to go ahead on the scoreboard.
And they would have felt in a good position to build on that lead early in the day’s second race.
It was neck and neck off the line, but Luna Rossa’s decision to tack away early on the first beat proved to be a smart decision. It remained a tight contest through the first leg with a couple of lead changes, but Luna Rossa were able to put the foot down to lead at the first gate, slingshotting around it nicely to hit the course at pace and extend their lead almost immediately.
They led by just 4s at the first gate – about a boat length – and extended that slightly at the second gate before really opening the race up on the third leg.
From that point, it would have taken a mistake to allow Ineos Britannia a way back into the race, but that didn’t happen as the Italians levelled the series again with a 17s win.
“The boat was sailing well today,” Luna Rossa port helmsman Francesco Bruni said.
“It was a pity with that little mistake on the first race because I think we could have had that point as well. But it was super good, nice conditions and very enjoyable sailing today.”
The teams will return to action tomorrow with another two races on the schedule, with conditions toward the upper end of the wind limits forecast once more.
Results
Ineos Britannia (UK) beat Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli (Italy) by 12s
