5 Questions from the INEOS - Ainslie split

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[@vandyFixer]

More excellent analysis, Moz. We may never know what exactly led to the split but eventually we might find out. You will probably to be quite accurate in your points. Most people as successful as these two main characters do tend to have massive egos and that, ultimately could be the final straw that tipped them up. My guess is the only winners will most likely be the lawyers for both parties. 🤔

[@barryscott6222]

"We may never know what exactly led to the split..." Money, and ownership of the "property" assets.

[@laurencemead1370]

They fell out over money. It's the Americas Cup, it's always all about money.

[@RobertDickey]

It's not America's cup unless there's drama and hey why don't the poms have two challenges and surely there are.other billionaires who want a Crack and for Ben take a pay cut and win the cup take a look at the kiwis won the cup with legends of the sport (Peter Blake Russell courts,grant dalton) maybe Ben should be leading hand for the next generation of young British sailors who dare to dream just a view from a sport mad kiwi 😊

[@3elementscreativemedia]

'If you sup with the devil you need a long handled spoon' I think this outcome was always going to happen.

[@TheUltimateWriterNZ]

Which one of them's the Devil though???

[@grantsutherland6798]

Thanks for the Ben & Jerry update Tom

[@MozzySails]

😅

[@grantsutherland6798]

@ has Ben switched to driving a Landcruiser-bruiser???

[@julienchaussee1658]

As usual great detailed Analysis Mozzy! Hey since Jim and Ben are both knights of her majesty, maybe a joust or a duel should suffice?! Whoever wins can take it all🤣😂🤣😂

[@real2gone]

My money's on Sir Ben.

[@ginnypeckham4022]

His Majesty.

[@julienchaussee1658]

​@@ginnypeckham4022true! That was a typo on my part... Still not used to it😜

[@kenadams907]

Thank-you. Great content and I’ll look forward to the next instalment…

[@arthurchristopherbulger7709]

You really undervalue the role of CEO - only 3 CEO’s have won the cup in the last 35 years - all Kiwi - Blake, Couts, Dalton - all had enough authority and didn’t need to spend time stroking a billionaire - is Ben a good CEO - maybe - but he has spent a ton of energy pushing his own personal brand and sailing - and has a history that suggests he has some leadership weaknesses- best CEO always wins

[@BC21084]

100%

[@abatesnz]

Who won in 2007, 2010, 2013?

[@arthurchristopherbulger7709]

@ I believe the CEO of those winning campaigns was Mr. Couts - Kiwi for hire

[@asterixdogmatix1073]

@@arthurchristopherbulger7709 Coutts was fired by Alinghi in April 2004. Brad Butterworth and Jochen Schümann led the 2007 Alinghi defense.

[@jameslittlewood7663]

Not just CEOs, but CEOs who could sail. And by “sail” I mean win at the highest level.

[@ClivehWright]

Hey thanks for helping me understand what could be going on! 😊

[@guyold7863]

I think we should recognise that both men are strong intelligent talented men, Who have brought British sailing and the Americas Cup challenge to a point no one has achieved before.. Bloody well done both of you and thank you, from the British saling community. It will be hard to find such a single minded, talented, sailor as Ben whos belief has made this happen for us all. Along with a generous and well positioned sponsor Jim and INEOS.. But what ever happens after this we have them to thank for making the dream come alive. One last comment, shame on the British press for the lack of coverage or recognition of the historical achievement which is something every British person should be proud off. Thanks Ben. Thanks Jim .

[@rl3898]

Very good points !!

[@neilcorder9367]

Your deep analysis is really fascinating

[@jackkorovev5217]

A pleasure as always, Mozzy!

[@hanshans387]

Thank you Moz, fascinating insights!

[@NobodyOfNote-qv5wh]

Thanks Mozzy, brilliant assessment!

[@TeamNZLEsports]

I love how we get the real full story from you. Thanks for the update.

[@timuren8364]

Excellent analysis as always!

[@barrysmith9154]

Thank you for letting me know the news. I am a small boat sailor Fireball and RS Aero. My Fireball 2005 Jack Holt & Allen fit out for the 60th Anniversary of Jack Holt. Thanks again.

[@stevemorrison5568]

Ben is looking for a yacht...

[@Coolcmsc]

Great summary, thanks. I asked CoPilot and with a few added questions, it agreed with you. Of interest, before I had helped it climb out of the bias in its training😮 data, it said Ratcliffe and INEOS, not Ainsley’s Athena - specifically not them - is the CoR. And there, the reason for that massive error, perhaps whilst just bias, we can see why what will happen will come to be. INEOS will take its traditional 1/3 share of a new team with two other owners and Ratcliffe will top up an offer himself to the RYC that it can’t refuse. Long term, Ben’s character is best kept out of this to maximise RYC success - he is an astonishing leader and sailor. But he is also an astonishing ego. It’s always been part of who he is and his success when everything has depended on him. Now, that is no longer true in AC racing. Is that good or bad? I think it’s good - I’m a spectator, nothing more - but others with a sense of what’s ‘right’ (misplaced or on-point) as opposed to ‘what’s going to happen’, will not. And it’s almost irrelevant to what will happen, despite being vital to the future of the RYC.

[@paulbentham6595]

Great vid Moz

[@cliveengel5744]

Mozzy, your analysis is spot on. Ineos wants to own the team; they have all the technical and sailing historian data, and Mercedes F1 has all the design details and the manufacturing facilities. Team NZ owns its entire operation: the design office, manufacturing, and all the systems. From 2024, they will continue evolving for the next cup in 2027. Ben Ainslie probably does not have this, and it would not be easy to acquire the entire knowledge base and prepare for the next cup. It took Team NZ 8 years to develop their AC-75 knowledge base. Ben Ainslie is starting from basics with the boat, which is a good starting point, but building the technical team from scratch will be difficult as all the resources lie within the Mercedes F1 Team. Ineos will build their sailing team around a few well known sailors like Tom Slingsby as nobody knows what is going to the Patriot Team. So it will be difficult to get out of the Custard bowl for Ben Ainslie, maybe an existing team in Europe, like the French or Swiss team. I believe it is to difficult to own, develop and sail in the AC Cup and do well.

[@like-the-cut-of-your-jib]

Ineos will try to attract Dylan Fletcher, not Tom Slingsby!

[@philh9421]

It’s certainly very expensive to own the entire operation and do well; I think there are a lot of parallels with F1. I’d not be surprised if cost control rules comes in soon.

[@roythompson6137]

You seem to be forgetting the nationality rules. Slingsby can't race for INEOS as a British challenger nor Ben for another European team. The agreement between CoR and Defender for AC38 pointed out the mutual interest of retaining/increasing nationality restrictions. Of course, a different CoR may want to dispute that.

[@cliveengel5744]

@ There is time to establish residency as Tom Slingsby did in the US when he raced for Oracle, so Tom can setup a base in England and become their sailing team leader. He is a top sailor and is doing very well in Sail GP, does not get involved with being the CEO of the Team! Next in line is Jimmy Spitthil, however I believe he would want to manage the Team and he may not be fit for the Royal Western in Plymouth of in Cowes. So there are plenty of people with AC 75 Experience! Owner Design Team Sailing Team Support Team

[@ianfhards]

@@philh9421 except the boat isnt sailed by one person (as in F1). This makes integrating athlete and design input more complex I think.

[@PeakTorque]

Lots of good name departures (thinkers) on the cycling side this season too from Ineos. Definitely something going on with the culture shift or lack of on that side.

[@IanHouston-u3b]

An interesting and informative video - thanks !

[@Sail-World]

Superb video Tom!

[@MozzySails]

Thanks!

[@bradcole4693]

Given the inherent technical and training advantages RNZYS built into the Cup, Ineos did really well. They faced a steep learning curve along a different path. TNZ had a clear speed & boathandling edge in the finals.

[@asterixdogmatix1073]

'Given the inherent technical and training advantages EVERY DEFENDER HAS built into the Cup'

[@TheUltimateWriterNZ]

1st Americas Cup you’ve followed??

[@KiwiPlacesx6]

New Zealand had to win th cup from the defender as have the US the Swiss the Italians etc

[@bradcole4693]

@ always surprising, the defensiveness

[@MichaelEnright-gk6yc]

Only in certain conditions Can't remember but I think I lower winds Ineos had an advantage. Team NZ.read the conditions better and designed the boat around the conditions expected. Team NZ spent a fraction on design and build.

[@nible63]

I applied for an engineering job on their ac team. It was run through mercedes F1, and the contract was with Mercedes F1. So I suspect majority of the design team is ineos.

[@AnvilAirsoftTV]

Interesting thank you.

[@neilcorder9367]

Very interesting

[@nigelw8575]

To me this looks as if two very sizable egos ( i.e. Jim R. & Ben A.) could not come to a new agreement and I don't think either of them will gain from this separation. The GBR AC challenge had come to a point where they were going to be THE favorite to challenge ETNZ in the next iteration of the AC. That, at least in parts, has gone down the toilet with both parties now having to rearrange their teams before they can think about developing the team and boat to finally bring the AC back to GBR.

[@GordonjSmith1]

Very informative - my thanks. I still need clarification with respect to whom owns the iP for my better understanding, but it is really not any of my business is it! As you say 'interesting times'. ..

[@MozzySails]

Well 'normal' would be for athena to own the work any contractor (merc) did for them... but as well all know two.parties are free to agree anything between them, so perhaps Merc still own some IP... time will tell, whoever owns it a lot will still be saved on Brackleys servers.

[@SimonWhiteley-b3o]

My sense is that Ratcliffe likes to own his businesses outright. Funding Ainslie wasn’t a normal sponsorship business proposition- it was glory and fun for him. So Ainslie not selling him AR would be a red line.

[@weatheranddarkness]

@@SimonWhiteley-b3o I think this is the core of it. I think all the other reasons given hang directly off of this.

[@SimonWhiteley-b3o]

@ yes. The only exceptions to the “very rich man owns team” approach that I can think of are American Magic (very rich yacht club), ETNZ (which I don’t know how it is structured- Emirates may be the glue, and exceptional in their approach?), and Ainslie.

[@simonedemarzo3186]

in reality I see a very clear solution for Ben… Aston Martin! They have the billionaire, the design team and THE GENIUS who would love the challenge.

[@rogermain6963]

Ben has done a great job for British sailing , good luck to him shame on JIM😂😂😂😂😂😂

[@CASABaJA]

Yes he did, and he was highly successful in his day, but his obsession with winning the America Cup has clouded his judgement and he should step aside and let other better sailors have their chance. Dylan Fletcher has shown himself to be good enough to lead the team on the water

[@YoungYachtDesign]

Excellent analysis as always. It feels a lot like Red Bull when they first came to F1 as a sponsor before buying a team. Owning the team outright would be the correct path for Ineos to grow and develop their brand and build long term value. Watching this play out will be very interesting. Best outcome would be for Athena to find new sponsors and maintain this successful team and remain challenger of record and ......... + watch Ineos fight to survive and bring onboard talent enough to mount a challenge....... Interesting times ahead.

[@otuamab]

Brilliant overview. Sad for British sailing as it seemed they were finally getting closer to the amazing NZ team. I thank both parties for some exciting and amazing sailing.

[@TheUltimateWriterNZ]

I dunno if it was close

[@johnmartin7158]

@@TheUltimateWriterNZ. It wasn’t close. Emirates Team NZ won decisively.

[@TheUltimateWriterNZ]

@ I know that John, you're replying to the wrong person.

[@johnmartin7158]

@@TheUltimateWriterNZ My apologies. Cheers from West Ak.

[@TheUltimateWriterNZ]

@ all good mate!

[@gregoryokeeffe5048]

It goes without saying that the challenger-of-record needs a challenging syndicate. Its job is essentially to negotiate the terms of the next challenge and to coordinate the challenging syndicates. Should the RYS select INEOS as its syndicate, Ben's team may challenge via another club. Maybe, Ben should try to hook-up with McLaren? I took the opportunity of introducing myself to Ben as we boarded the same flight from BCN to LHR. He is a charming man and I congratulated him on his efforts. I hope he manages to launch a challenge for the next cup. Good luck mate.

[@mikeh996]

So good to see you back!! Is sailgp to much to work on? Or have i been missing things....

[@3000waterman]

Alternative Yacht Club. Few have the clout. Royal Thames, or Royal Lymington, maybe.

[@davidtydeman1434]

Previous challengers have founded their own “yacht club” for the purposes of running the challenge.

[@tonymckeage1028]

Great Video Mozzy, Perhaps Team Mozzy should join with Ben Ainslie as the challenger of record. The ultimate risk is that Dalton approaches the New York Yacht Club to be the challenger of record, Ben needs to approach a partner who is in it for the exposure like "Emirates" effectively who get the naming rights and provide some logistics support! I also suspect that venue choice is heavily influenced by "Emirates" Ben also should consider modeling his role more like Dalton in building the Team and culture rather than the "hands on"approach" The UK have a long history of losing the Cup including the naming rights, perhaps New Zealand should claim naming rights after 35 years of winning the "oldmug!"

[@kyleharcus]

Great video. The whole thing doesn't make much sense as it felt like they could be really challenging for the cup this time round. But there was obviously a lot going sour behind the scenes. A shame nonetheless! Hope Athena can find a backer and mount a strong challenge.

[@roslynhita6149]

Wow!.... sorry to hear this .... I hope Sir Ben finds new funding..maybe talk to the Emirates ... Thankyou Mozzy ..as a Kiwi this is shocking to me I loved the Eneos Team

[@andrewpease3688]

But did you love Athena team?

[@roslynhita6149]

@@andrewpease3688 to be honest Ive never heard of them ..lol.. but Ive loved the "Rita" challenge from the 36th AMC .. however Im sorry the Ainsley/Ineos Challenge has collapsed

[@davidej9091]

What with cycling team, Manchester United and Grenadier 4WD, Maybe Jim Ratcliff has one two many vanity projects.

[@ChrisInKe]

Agreed. If I was Ben, i'd be taking a long holiday in Qatar. Unlimited funding and a big FU to Jim and Ineos over the crappy Man Utd deal if the Qataris got involved with Ben

[@jareddobson2354]

A question outside of this clip. What do the other teams think of ETNZ's double main outhauls? Did it benefit?

[@asterixdogmatix1073]

There is a separate Mozzy Sails episode where they discuss the twin main sheet feature. Look for the '5 Reasons Why ETNZ Won the Cup' episode.

[@jonathanlewis1352]

Nicely done. I think Ben’s up a creek on this one.

[@jasonpickens9839]

Definitely, but I don't think Ben has any other choice. I'm all in on it being about team ownership. Ben can't give up the team, nor will anyone else want to sponsor them without getting team ownership. 💩🏞

[@mark-ish]

​@@jasonpickens9839what's ETNZ arrangement, as a comparison?

[@robingravestock3227]

Sir Jim, has failed at sports, all his teams have declined since he has taken over, the cycling team. People don’t want to ride for him, he has no passion, he wanted to buy Chelsea because it was his boyhood team, but just bought Man united, sport needs passion, as a fellow Hayling islander (windsurfer) we all have witnessed the explosion of foils, get outdated very quickly, got a few in my garage now that are old hat, Ben needs to go and chat to these windsport foil makers, it’s changing fast, and sailors feel the wind, they will feel the foils, not sure an F1 tech foil is actually needed, keep with Ben .

[@peterquennellnyc]

Ineos are okay in Tour de France. Agreed re F1: Mercedes has not won an F1 constructors championship in the past 3 years and need to stick to their knitting.

[@solentfoiler5969]

If Ineos falls away as an AC team and AR find funding, wonder what the chances are of Merc still doing the design work for them is? Trying to think of a least bad outcome for a GB challenge. Could the relationship be repaired and redefined in a more transactional way?

[@simonnichol9851]

Hopefully it will all sort itself into a creditable challenge rather than several poorly funded, planned and run attempts. Hopefully Ben can get sorted with some big backers. Maybe go and talk to Aston Martin F1 and Adrian Newey?

[@3elementscreativemedia]

The BAR experiment with Newey did not end well.

[@alleycatphoto4973]

Any news with AC40 yachts and teams having a series this year ?

[@peterquennellnyc]

Saint Tropez April, Malcesine Italy May, Lagos Portugal June, Valencia September, Pensacola November.

[@sammaw4925]

There is a lot of teams and clubs that would like to partner with Ineos. Maybe a Dutch club? Or even an Australian? Australia has a team in sail gp ready to go as does the danish. NZ to host in Auckland or Sydney?

[@mccandless]

Hey Mozzy - Imagine an AI company coming in to sponsor Ben and his team! Lot's of new money over there and computing power.

[@TheWaltonius]

Was the GBR boat used in BCN actually fast? Did the designers really do a good job?. Their F1 car has been an also ran for the last 3 seasons.....3rd, 2nd, and 4th respectively in '22, '23 and '24. Hard to get an objective assessment?

[@joeheinzle]

What would be amazing is for Mclaren F1 to get into it and connect with Ben/Athena! A papaya AC would look sharp!

[@changingclips]

Could Athena /RYS force a deed of gift to move the cup away from the existing design packages (which they no longer have design expertise in) and also to wrong foot Jim and Ineos?

[@rdy3820]

or a sneaky way to run a two-boat team.

[@clivey1977]

i thought this too

[@roslynhita6149]

Oh I never thought of that ...how sneaky! Might be time for Prada or Alingi to enter the row

[@cmsinx]

Who are the sailors from the team going to go with? Ben or Ineos?

[@elisiva2583]

most probably whoevers got the most money to pay

[@mindletloose]

How great would it be for Ineos to have an Australian team! Slingsby and Outteridge on the team.

[@uberseehandel]

It may have passed you by, but Ratcliffe/Ineos are faced by a mammoth cash flow deficit, the revenue from the North Sea oil and gas fields which kept Ineos going has shrunk. Ratcliffe is deeply committed to Man U, which is committed to a huge redevelopment program. Ratcliffe is out of "walking around" money, Ainslie, unlike Dalton, is not commercially minded. The UK may not have a viable challenger of record at the next AC regatta.

[@AnttiBrax]

Highly doubt the claim that Radcliffe was "out of any kind of money". Regular people usually can't fathom how bloody big a stack a billion dollars is. And he's got 15 of them.

[@simontvrner]

@@AnttiBrax Thats his net worth not his stack of cash! $300m is no joke, even for Jim.

[@blackrocket2000]

Would James Dyson offer the cash and his design team expertise?

[@davidtydeman1434]

History says that changing teams means you are not likely to win. Luna Rossa and NZ have both shown it takes years to get to the top in this sport.

[@ianfhards]

Strange that the yacht squadron didnt get wind of this before the end of the cup given Ben's attire when it finished. I wonder if they are regretting being the challenger of record ? Might have been better if they had passed on the opportunity in the circumstances.

[@braydeny]

As a etnz fan I'm more worried now Ben will be off the enios boat

[@TheUltimateWriterNZ]

Agreed, if they had subbed Ben for Giles last cup who knows what they could've pulled out

[@dadcooks1347]

Could it be that Jim wants Ben off the boat (which is absolutely the correct decision) but Ben couldn’t let go….?

[@DriverDad58]

That's my take. I don't think Jim thinks Ben can win. And he's not going to waste a bunch of money on someone he doesn't believe in. Not saying whose right or wrong.

[@istra70]

100% correct Ben is useless on the boat and ca't let go....

[@like-the-cut-of-your-jib]

Same thought...Time to retire Ben...but it's hard to let go.

[@TheUltimateWriterNZ]

Agreed - Ben's hairline has receded a lot while his emotions and inability to accept blame has all accelerated. He was already passed his prime in Spain, imagine him in another 3 years

[@simonarr6584]

My money is right with you. Ben can't let go

[@davidbroadley2983]

Has any boat won an America's cup final race without a former int moth world champion? Burling, Fletcher, Outeridge, Goodison, and Slingsby. It is a pretty stunning list of successful AC Foiling drivers. They also all probably sailed and won in Mirror dingies. I doubt any class has such dominance in high end sailing. To Ben's credit he eventually brought in Dylan Fletcher. My personal view given UKs strength in the Moth class there should be more and involvement with design.

[@peterquennellnyc]

Dylan Fletcher not much mentioned in this thread, might be hottest sailing property in UK

[@finnmaccool3385]

Sailing is a professional sport and sailors will follow the money trail - that is not a criticism but loyalty doesn't pay the mortgage or educate the kids. I suspect we will see what happened with Team NZ in 2001 where Ernesto's cheque book decimated that team and cost Team NZ the cup in 2003. If Ineos decide to continue in the cup, they will buy a team. And part of that team will be the pick of Ben Ainslie's current squad.

[@roslynhita6149]

yes ..as a kiwi that is exactly what Ive been thinking... but that HURTS a NATION...it takes a long time to recover from treachery ..Jim ought to think about it .. the traitor stain remains forever ...ask Russell and Brad

[@cubatea]

Who owns Brittania? Isn’t the current boat a significant factor in who takes the challenge forward?

[@weatheranddarkness]

Not really no. It would however be handy if the class rule stays similar enough that they can work up the team without building a new mold etc. The boat itself is otherwise as good as scrap.

[@aigledu30]

Hot take... Ben should go to Laurence Stroll and Adrian Newey! Aston Martin British racing green America's cup boat!!! Plenty of cash and intellectual expertise there!!!

[@billbligh4547]

AML are hemorrhaging £1m a day. Also, Stroll’s son is even less of a sailor as he is a F1 driver.

[@ianfhards]

Cant imagine Newey will put his toe in the water again after the last time.

[@hughstirling7442]

Great analysis, and very sad with all that momentum built up. Obviously it's about ownership, Ben didn't want to cede ownership and Radcliffe wanted ownership. Ben is commercial and wants a £ legacy and control, Radcliffe wants £, and control which comes from ownership. Neither wanted to compromise, and Radcliffe clearly thinks he doesn't need Ben to win. He put all his resources and money behind the team but came 2nd. Time will tell which one can make it work, if either can.

[@jameslittlewood7663]

Oracle did this for years and years before they won. Prada, even longer, and they still haven’t. Thomas Lipton himself did it - what - four times? All of which failed. “If you’re worried about the money” he said “you can’t afford it”. I’d have thought Ainsley quite valuable off the boat. ETNZ is a good case study for the benefits of a sailor-led team. Also of how to structure a team that owns itself, without a resident gazillionaire.

[@julian4548]

Well doing the same thing and expecting a different result is ….. So poss a good thing for the UKs chances. But as a Kiwi I don’t really want it to be.

[@Silvius.2]

At AC rules what written about what tem NZ RNZYS can choose an another sailing club if RYS not finding an team? Hope not same crap like between swiss and oracle coming up again? If british yacht club not finding a representatives team when RNZYS can choose an another challanger?

[@peterrose8944]

You can take the sailor out of the laser but you can't take the laser out of the sailor. Therein lies the rub.

[@joschmoyo4532]

You can take a sail in a Laser but you can't forget what a lousy overrated pig it proves to be.

[@roslynhita6149]

@@joschmoyo4532 lol

[@giovannigaleotti2623]

ROI?

[@philh9421]

Excellent analysis, many thanks for your thoughts. It’s probably heresy but I didn’t rate Ben in SailGP and I wasn’t impressed with his performance in either of the last two Americas Cup competitions. The SailGP team is doing so much better now he’s off the boat. Athena is missing its sugar daddy, INEOS loses nothing if it chooses to walk away entirely at this point.

[@philh9421]

Incidentally Mercedes only recruited software positions for AC in 2022 (I applied) so while they might have a big bank of data, they don’t have longstanding staff engineers with sailing experience, they’ve been around for three years at best.

[@Jacob-W-5570]

Does this give the possibility of two British challengers?

[@MozzySails]

Yes, i think so

[@squiddly-diddly]

Ainslie is spent....2024 showed his autocratic narcissism... Much easier for Ineos to recover and go forward than for Ainslie to rebuild another funded team.

[@johnmartin7158]

Well said.

[@scrounger-h8i]

i have yet to be convinced that the mercedes relationship was of greater value than the "brand" affiliation.....

[@TheAllEngineering]

Same here, their association with the Auckland campaign went a bit quiet after their poor foil design caused problems on the water.

[@happychappy7115]

Ball in Royal Yacht Squadron's court😊 That said neither of Brit 2020-24 challenges would have gone the distance without the Radcliffe billions? Thankfully I'm a kiwi and the NZYS have their own challenges.

[@JamesWilson-hs7ie]

believe Jim might be a member of RYS...

[@billbligh4547]

Correct, and the money will overcome personality issues.

[@MBCGRS]

Ben just wants it to be him at the helm for the first British win... and anything else isn't acceptable to him. End of story.

[@mathew5315.1]

You don't need to look further than the Premier League to see how bad Ineos are at sports team management

[@SiC886]

This! Manchester Utd's demise has more than likely been a contributing factor.

[@HughFordham]

And cycling...

[@guymonty96]

And Mercedes F1, currently only 4th in the betting, for this years championship!

[@davidLPST]

He’s only been at Man U for five minutes

[@AntiVaganza]

​@@guymonty96 While it's true that Merc has floundered do you really think Ineos "manages" Merc F1? No, they don't. They are sponsors and call no shots in terms of design nor execution on the sports side of things. Maybe some in marketing but that would be it. This is no defense of Ratcliffe, his business practices deserve none and by extension nor does he. It's no defense of Merc, either. They should have done better. But to say Ineos has a big hand in their recent demise is quite the reach.

[@artistglyn]

When two egos collide....the worst of both worlds. There's no I in team.....ETNZ won't have any trouble getting a new COR. The Italians and the Americans will be queuing up.

[@roslynhita6149]

Hullo Prada ...NZ has missed you and your colorful people

[@trevorsilver]

Grenadier, Nice fc, Sky cycling team, Man U. Maybe Jim should stick to chemicals and leave Sir Ben to win the next AC

[@mark-ish]

7:22 woohoo!! another video coming out soon, boys.

[@martinohnenamen6147]

Two alpha males "divorcing", no surprise there. Bigger surprise that the "partnership" lasted so long.

[@oldskoollove1001]

INEOS To approach Pip Hare or Sam Goodchild to set up a new sailing team..!! Is the Royal yacht squadron Cowes the only sailiing club aloud to represent a GB based team..??

[@billbligh4547]

Pip Hare doesn’t deserve the hassle of dealing with these oversized egos.

[@andrewpease3688]

The first NZ challenge was represented by the mercury bay yacht club,which was just a remote tiny shack

[@andrewpease3688]

The first NZ challenge was represented by the mercury bay yacht club,which was just a remote tiny shack

[@geoffshrimpton7340]

That might work if the AC became an Ocean race. Imoca, Solitaire, Mini are a world away from match racing.

[@andrewpease3688]

@@geoffshrimpton7340Peter Blake didn’t come from a match racing background.Man (woman)management skills and strong technical background needed

[@TheLDunn1]

I was gutted to hear this news when it broke. The UK had a really strong contender, and now we have two weak ones. It’s not going to help the cup return. I can well believe the analysis here that the split was down to an ownership / control issue. Sad times.

[@SuperGardenshed]

sailors allegiance: after years of enjoying 6 figure salaries, private jet travel and all expenses paid, I'd be surprised if the allegiance of the sailors doesn't follow the money, wherever that new funding comes from.....

[@Silvius.2]

Grant dalton is best team leader.... He managing some in team for sponsors, leaders and..? But then designers, sailing coaches, strategic on sea etc. They free to decide? See italian youth or women on same boats sailing was all good. Maybe ben chef on AC yacht is also gone...? Then on team NZ burling was great enough to know not only he winning a cup at own? Two helm and trimming two together with all strategic was bringing kiwis the winning! All 8 on yacht + sailing strategic coaches +weather team was bringing winning at race days after years of strategic design-buildig yacht before. Grant Dalton and team NZ built a blady stong team together last years.

[@jamestwilkins875]

I have a question - I saw a video in which a NZ reporter asked Ben Ainslee an innocuous question, but Ainslee responded by aggressively insulting the reporter. My first response was 'does Ainslee have the people-skills to be a CEO?' Can anyone comment on this?

[@andrewhurstcars]

Ainslie has had a fair crack at it. Jim probably thinks it’s time for someone else to have a go.

[@Simon-ds2jx]

This situation isn’t going to make either team/boat go faster, only weaken our chances.

[@johnmartin7158]

Possible, or on the contrary it could unify the team.

[@Jledcustoms]

Ben will die old, sad, and lonely, having never lifted the cup.

[@forestboy52]

What ?? Ben won the cup with Oracle in San Francisco

[@Jledcustoms]

@ he’s a pathetic child,

[@ginnypeckham4022]

He also has a large family.

[@actiaint]

I predict a complete new design standard.

[@TheRflynn]

Radcliffe has a poor record on sports management (MU, Ineos Cycling), lets see if he does have some ideas or he is a buyer of track records.

[@SuperReasonable]

I am a massive admirer of Ben Ainslie, but I also feel he’s probably not a great team player. He started life as a brilliant single handed sailor. never looking totally comfortable with other sailors who in the main could never match his own extreme standards. He was definitely much better in Barcelona and unlike the previous cup, we only saw flashes of frustration with those around him. To that end, I do believe he should step down from helming another campaign. I also don’t see him as a front man, team leader either. He has never been totally happy in front of the press, cameras or public, being an intense and focussed person with no time for irrelevancies. To that end, I don’t see a huge future for him in America’s Cup sailing and I’m sure Jim Radcliffe has come to the same conclusion.

[@ianfhards]

I agree. Ben would have been better splitting BAR (now Athena) into AC and non-AC and selling the AC part to INEOS and taking a lifetime back seat/ambassadorial role. He could still have shared in the glory and taking credit for doing the right thing.

[@MarcHillM]

Apparently Ineos confirmed their Merc sponsorship funding is safe.

[@grahamdale1687]

Don’t forget the Merc F1 team has 3 equal shareholders, Merc auto, Toto and Ineos so it would appear to be difficult for Ben to acquire any of the activity at Brackley.

[@deanrwilson]

I'm tipping Ineos wanted to own the team and Ben wouldn't allow that. It does raise the question what happens to the IP.? Who has legal rights to that.? Having said that I suspect Jim has down his homework.

[@ianfhards]

As in F1 Ineos will find a way of getting what they need regarding IP. Athena may spend lots of money to Lawyers to take Ineos to court but I doubt they will be able to outspend Ineos there. I suspect INEOS will look to the cup after next with a newly team when the IP for these boats will be worthless anyway.

[@ianthompson1675]

Ben Ainslie Racing could, unlikely though it is, become the contender for another Nation’s Yacht Club ...?

[@andrewlaming]

Can you explain the challenger of record. Does the cup holder choose? Do all challengers apply and the Cup holder pick the weakest. How does it work?

[@MozzySails]

The first yacht club to issue a valid challenge (genuine club which hosts events on the sea) is the Challenger. Whilst the Defender cannot chose who is first, they can engineer a situation where their favoured challenger is on hand to issue the challenge as the yachts finish the deciding race

[@dadcooks1347]

In Barcelona they were locked in a room so no one else could approach and spoil with a different challenge

[@gabegrace8333]

​@@MozzySailsCould Dalton shoulder tap Ben? Arrange finance with Arabs and take Cup somewhere there.. Time is against Ben

[@davidsayers6609]

Bens too thin slinned. He lets Burling live in his head. Jim has a keen sense of the obvious which all can read at 500 paces. Ben has peaked and thats it for him. He keeps saying we're gonna win but unfortunately pistol Pete lets his tactics on the water Bens all hot air. He called Pete arrogant and thats nothing more than projection. Bye bye Ben

[@TheAllEngineering]

Ben did as well as he could with the boat he was given. Mercedes F1 did not deliver a boat that was as fast as the NZ boat. So much hype made of the Mercedes F1 connection which ultimately failed to deliver.

[@Silvius.2]

LR was own giving up! LR was stepping back from main sail control and realibility 🤷 Ineos was an surprise going into AC final💁‍♂️ LR was all self guilty loosing LV cup🤔 Ineos with mercedes was lucky getting into AC final after LR breaking and weather.

[@reetspetit]

Nice. Never supported Ineos. Ratcliffe is a super rich hypocrite who I dislike a lot. When Ben got into bed with him I suspected it would end in tears. Ben voted for the "Leopards Eating People's Faces Party"... Hope he finds a new sponsor.

[@simplerefinedliving9285]

Lets call it for what it is. The cup is so massive now you can't be a captain on the water and a CEO. Point 2: lets face it, Ben just wasn't good enough to win the cup on the water. Jim wants ownership and Ben couldn't accept this. Definately weaker for both parties now. I think Jim will bleed him out of the cup. He will get what Ben has left by attrition. But time is ticking for both.....