“IT’S A TOTALLY NEW MINDSET”: SWITZERLAND CEO UNPACKS REFRESHED CREW LINE-UP"

Switzerland will enter the upcoming 2025 Season with a ‘totally new mindset’ after unveiling a refreshed crew line-up of seasoned Swiss Olympians, America’s Cup experience and experienced grinders.

The team, which has struggled to perform since entering the league in Season 3, recently revealed a new wing trimmer and flight controller in Arnaud Psarofaghis and Bryan Mettraux respectively. Both come to the team fresh from Alinghi Red Bull Racing’s America’s Cup campaign, while Psarofaghis has previous SailGP experience, subbing in for Peter Burling to drive the Kiwi F50 at Taranto and Plymouth in Season 2. Elsewhere, the team unveiled an experienced grinder partnership in Stewart Dodson, acquired from Spain, and Matt Gotrel from Emirates GBR. Maud Jayet, who finished 4th in the Laser Class in the Paris Olympics, joins as the team’s full time strategist, while driver Sebastien Schneiter is retained for the upcoming season. Arno de Planta, who raced with Schneiter in their 49er 2024 Olympic campaign, joins as a reserve and SUI pathway athlete.

Switzerland CEO Tanguy Cariou said ‘big changes’ in the crew line-up were made in response to the team’s disappointing results in its first two seasons. In Season 3, Switzerland finished 8th out of a nine team fleet. Last season, the team’s results worsened to finish bottom of the leaderboard in a 10 boat fleet. “We made an assessment at the end of last season and decided we wanted to bring in some winning experience, as well as the best Swiss sailors.”

Refreshing the crew was a ‘team process’, Cariou explains, and one undertaken with the input of last season’s interim driver and team advisor Nathan Outteridge. Cariou led the way in going to market and ‘putting profiles and names’ on the table, while driver Schneiter had the ‘final cut’. Psarofaghis and Mettraux, Cariou says, are two of the best Swiss sailors in the world. "They have already sailed with us in the past on different projects, they know Seba well and they have been in touch with the team since its 2021 launch." He describes Psarofaghis as a ‘talented’ athlete he is ‘confident’ will pick up the F50 ‘quickly’.

Mettraux was brought in for his flight control experience in the America’s Cup. The introduction of the T-Foils next season means now ‘is the right moment to introduce a new flight controller,’ Cariou says. When it comes to the grinders, the team wanted to recruit ‘some winning experience’. Dodson joined the Spanish at the end of Season 3 and was on board for the team’s underdog victory over New Zealand and Australia to win the Season 4 trophy. Gotrel meanwhile has raced with Emirates GBR, a top SailGP team, since its entry into the league.

Cariou’s hope is that Dodson and Gotrel will streamline the Swiss team’s learning process - ‘they will help us get straight to the point’, he says. With the addition of Schneiter, Jayet, de Planta and Laurane Mettraux as reserve strategist, the team will encompass ‘the best Swiss Olympians, the best Swiss America’s Cup sailors and experienced grinders.’ Cariou admits introducing am almost entirely new crew is not without ‘risk’. “We’re trying to find a shortcut, so we know the risk but we almost know the potential.”

Looking to the season ahead, Cariou likens the team’s strategy to the Tour de France. “Some riders aim for the General Classification, but we are aiming to stage wins,” he says. The aim then, is not necessarily to worry about the overall season leaderboard, but to focus on each event as a standalone challenge. “We want to sail fearlessly, we want to grab the opportunities and aim for the event wins,” he says. “It’s a new line-up and a totally new mindset for this season.”

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