Sir Ben Ainslie said he was “surprised” after Sir Jim Ratcliffe's Ineos Britannia team announced they were parting ways with the four-time Olympic champion at this year's America's Cup. He also threatened to launch a “serious” legal battle in response.
Ainslie's team defeated Italy in the Louis Vuitton Cup Series last year, qualifying for the high-profile event for the first time since 1964. However, Emirates Team New Zealand won the Old Mug with a 7-2 win in Barcelona last October.
After the defeat, Ainslie, who won the America's Cup with Team USA in 2013, will come back stronger for the next challenge, which Britain had been waiting 173 years for at the time to succeed in the tournament. I swore.
But on Thursday, Ineos announced that another challenge will begin, but Ainslie will not be at the helm, with Dave Endean appointed as team project chief executive.
“After parting ways with Sir Ben Ainslie, Ineos will compete in the 38th America's Cup under the name Ineos Britannia,” Ineos said in a statement. “Unfortunately, Ineos Britannia and Sir Ben were unable to reach an agreement on terms for moving forward after the conclusion of the 37th America's Cup in Barcelona.
“Ineos Britannia has appointed Dave Endeen, who has extensive experience in sailing and the America’s Cup, as CEO. Ineos has also appointed Mercedes F1 Team’s design and technology team under the guidance of technical director James Allison. We will continue to leverage our expertise.”
In response, Ainsley's team issued a statement on Thursday: “The British challengers for the 38th America’s Cup, led by Sir Ben Ainslie, were stunned to read today’s statement from Ineos and Mercedes F1 regarding their plans to challenge for the 38th America’s Cup. It creates significant legal and practical hurdles for them that will have repercussions in the coming days and weeks.
“Additionally, Sir Ben Ainslie’s British America’s Cup team, in conjunction with British Women’s and Youth America’s Cup team Athena Pathways, will now be known as Athena Racing. ”
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Ratcliffe, Ineos chairman and Manchester United co-owner, feels the team has strong foundations for the next challenge despite Ainslie's departure. “We are extremely proud of what we have achieved in Barcelona in developing the first truly competitive British boat in decades,” Mr Ratcliffe said. “We set a new standard in British sailing by winning the Louis Vuitton Cup for the first time and beating our defenders in the final for the first time in 90 years. 100 scientists and engineers are already working on the design of the AC38 yacht.”
