Red Moon Rising

The most disappointed team at the 37th America’s Cup was, without a doubt, the Italian Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli syndicate. Devastated is probably a better word to describe the team when they lost the Louis Vuitton Cup final against the British Ineos Britannia crew. Shell-shocked is another apt way of describing the mood in the Italian base on that day.

This was a team that the vast majority had earmarked as a shoo-in to win the challenger series comfortably and set up a rematch of the 36th America’s Cup final series against their age-old rivals Emirates Team New Zealand. There was an air of confidence – some might say arrogance – about the Italians when they arrived in Barcelona in the lead up to AC37. Max Sirena’s team knew they were everyone’s favourites to face the Kiwis – and they also felt the mantle was justified.

They had spent years training alone from their well-established a superbly resourced team base in Cagliari Sardinia, rebuilding after the disappointment of the 2021 Cup in Auckland – where they put up a good fight that kept Peter Burling’s New Zealand crew honest early on in the series. Ultimately though as the series went on Emirates Team New Zealand proved to be just too good and they eased away to an impressive 7-3 defence.

The Italians’ challenge for the 37th America’s Cup began almost immediately. After months on end of secrecy and silence in October 2022 the team revealed the radical-looking LEQ12 test boat which Jimmy Spithill and Francesco Bruni would thrash the life out of for the next 18 months as the sailors and designers explored every corner of the AC75 design rule. The Italians’ silver dream machine AC75 was a head turner and – for most people’s money – the best looking boat in AC38.

Everything looked to be going according to plan for Luna Rossa in the final weeks leading up to the start of racing. The feedback from the unofficial match-ups taking place between the teams off the Barceloneta beachfront was unanimous – the silver boat looked fast all around the course.

But, when it came down to it, when what really mattered was results and not looks, the Italian boat started to lose its sparkle. Major breakdowns cost the team vital points and after the biggest one – when the mainsheet traveller system failed spectacularly – the crew never appeared to regain confidence in their boat. Spithill and Bruni never looked at their best in the LVC final against the British and despite some trademark bluff and bravado from Spithill to the media it was clear that they knew they were up against it versus the fired-up pairing of Ben Ainslie and Dylan Fletcher.

Nevertheless, when Ainslie and Fletcher delivered the final coup de grâce that sent Luna Rossa spinning out of AC37, the sailors and shore crew were left visibly befuddled and incredulous that their America’s Cup dream was over so much earlier than they had expected.

Were the Italians overconfident? Did they fully expect to breeze through the challenger series and so had optimised their boat for the lighter conditions expected to prevail during the match? We might reasonably speculate about that, but only Max Sirena and his cohorts will fully know the truth.

Team owner Patrizio Bertelli didn’t wait long to confirm that his team would be back for a crack at the 38th America’s Cup. Sirena – who had questioned publicly whether he was the right person to lead another campaign – was swiftly reappointed and the team’s two young, talented, and highly ambitious sailors Ruggero Tito and Marco Gradoni have been lined up as helmsmen.

The team has reverted to its old name and is now simply Luna Rossa and there is a new feel about the syndicate also. Bertelli has stayed out of any – public at least – involvement in the ongoing spat that the British, American, and Swiss challengers have created with Emirates Team New Zealand. Bertelli may or may not have had a hand in the 37th America’s Cup being staged in Naples, Italy – but whether he did or not, the move has handed a huge slice of hometeam advantage to his team.

It’s hard not to contrast the power struggle between the ‘gang of three’ and the Kiwis, with the seemingly laser-focused agenda of the Italians. While the other teams are trading public statements and arguing the toss over the protocol for AC38, Bertelli’s men and women are streaking ahead of everyone. Last month, Luna Rossa got the jump on the pack by being the first team to begin training in their AC40. They have since announced the renewal of their tie up with insurance/financial group Unipol, and yesterday they revealed iconic Italian sports car manufacturer Alfa Romeo as a partner and official sponsor of the team’s 38th America’s Cup campaign.

The Alfa Romeo tie-up appears to be a match made in heaven with so many synergies between the two passionately Italian brands. Alfa Romeo may not currently be involved in Formula 1 but they have a great pedigree there and are set to make a return in 2026.

“Deep roots, Italian heritage, a sporting spirit, and a relentless pursuit of excellence,” said Sirena about the new deal. “We even share a signature colour — red. Our partnership is built on shared values, and its strength continues to grow.”

If he were talking about any other two companies then Sirena’s words could be misconstrued as banal marketing-speak. Look a little closer and it’s clear this deal is another key piece being smartly slotted into place in the jigsaw of Luna Rossa’s meticulously conceived plan to finally win the America’s Cup for Italy.

Lessons have been learned from the last campaign when it turned out that having the same approach and trying to do it better just doesn’t cut it in the America’s Cup.

“We are going to try and work in this new campaign in a more structured way,” Sirena told the assembled team in Cagliari as the latest Italian AC campaign kicked off. “It’s going to take time. It’s going to make some people unhappy at the beginning. But we believe – I believe – it’s the way to go. We need to raise the level that has been used in the past.”

The Red Moon is rising fast. The first cross of the 38th America’s Cup has already happened and it’s Luna Rossa that has made it – already comfortably ahead.