Photo: C. GREGORY/INEOS Team UK

The British entry to the 37th America’s Cup is named INEOS Britannia and is the official Challenger of Record – a role that gives them some say in the rules for this edition of the event alongside the America’s Cup Defender, Emirates Team New Zealand. 

Team name: INEOS Britannia
Yacht club: Royal Yacht Squadron
Skipper: Ben Ainslie (GBR)

The Challenger of Record is the name given to the first yacht club to challenge the holder of the America’s Cup once it has been won.

When Emirates Team New Zealand successfully completed their defence of the America’s Cup in 2021, the Royal Yacht Squadron immediately issued a challenge on behalf of Ben Ainslie’s INEOS Team UK (now called INEOS Britannia), so they are Challenger of Record for the 37th America’s Cup.

The INEOS Britannia Team has been competing in the America’s Cup continually since 2017. Initially the team was branded Land Rover BAR and competed under this name in the 2017 America’s Cup regatta in Bermuda. 

The team was set up by the most successful Olympic sailor of all time, Sir Ben Ainslie with an aim to bring the America’s Cup back to the UK. The Cup was first raced for in the Britain in 1851 (then a race around the Isle of Wight) but was won by an American yacht named America (it is in honour of this boat it is now named the America’s Cup). Despite many challenges in the years since, the America’s Cup has never been won back by the Brits.  

Ahead of the 2021 America’s Cup, sponsorship rights for the team were bought by INEOS and the firm’s CEO Jim Radcliffe – who would also take headline sponsorship role of then Sky cycling team and who also has a significant stake in the Mercedes F1 team.

The British America’s Cup entrant joined forces with the Mercedes F1 team ahead of the 2021 America’s Cup and for the 2024 event INEOS Britannia and Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 team have strengthened this relationship with the British challenger standing to benefit from the technical and engineering experience of the multiple World Champion F1 team.

There is an emerging theme ahead of the 37th America’s Cup of F1 involvement, with Alinghi also joining up with an F1 team in the form of Red Bull Racing.