It has long been rumoured that the Red Bull Italy SailGP Team would be the next franchise to move to private ownership and now those rumours have come true, with the team being snapped up by a consortium fronted by Hollywood actor Anne Hathaway, Muse Capital’s Assia Grazioli-Venier, and luxury entrepreneur Gian Luca Passi de Preposulo, with two-time America’s Cup winner Jimmy Spithill as CEO and co-owner.
The move marks a turning point for SailGP—not just because of Hathaway’s red-carpet credentials, but because it ushers in the league’s first female-led ownership group. And this isn’t just symbolic. The team’s stated aim is to champion inclusive leadership and ride the growing wave of interest in mixed-gender, high-performance sailing.
"Italy has an extraordinary sailing legacy," said Grazioli-Venier. "Our mission is to be a catalyst for its next phase. SailGP has massive commercial potential, and this group is ready to unlock it."
That group includes a who’s who of media, sport, and business talent: MFO Certuity, Yeh Capital, Alexander Gilkes, Evan Yurman, Adam Shulman, Miriam Leone, Julie Eddleman, Heather Karatz, Pete Delgrosso and Dr. Jennifer Ashton, among others. Red Bull retains its naming rights and continues as a title sponsor.
From SailGP’s perspective, this latest franchise deal is a continuation of its broader vision: attracting serious investors with global reach. Earlier this year, Coalition Capital—backed by French football icon Kylian Mbappé—took over the France SailGP Team. These aren’t vanity projects. They’re calculated plays in a league that’s gaining commercial altitude at an impressive rate.
Russell Coutts, SailGP’s CEO and co-founder, welcomed the new Italian syndicate with signature understatement: “They bring an incredibly experienced and exciting lineup of commercially-minded investors to the table.” Translation: this is a big win for the league.
Meanwhile, Spithill says he is energised by the transition from helm to boardroom.
“After 25 years competing at the top of the sport, it’s incredibly exciting to put together a world-class team—both on and off the water,” he said. “This marks the next chapter in the evolution of Italian sailing.”
Anne Hathaway, meanwhile, made it clear she’s not here for the photo ops. “This team embodies a powerful convergence of innovation, athletic excellence, and inclusive leadership—particularly in advancing the role of women in high-performance sport,” she said in a statement.
And there’s real action behind those words. Muse Sport, part of the ownership group, has been vocal about supporting SailGP’s Women’s Accelerator Programme, aimed at increasing opportunities for women in professional sailing.
The revamped Red Bull Italy team is expected to make its next public appearance at the Mubadala New York Sail Grand Prix on June 7–8, before the championship shifts to European waters with a stop in Portsmouth, UK, on July 19–20.
So what does this mean for fans? For one, a fresh injection of energy into a team with huge potential. But it also signals a broader shift in SailGP’s identity—from start-up sailing series to global sports brand with the kind of diverse ownership that could help push the sport into the mainstream.
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