Ferrari and Soldini already have a rival. Gitana 18 maxi trimaran arrives … and it’s scary

Two flying philosophies compared: flying monohull (Ferrari Hypersail) versus maxi-trimaran ULTIM (Gitana 18): two roads to the same dream. Breaking oceanic records, and – surely – going for the Jules Verne Trophy, the non-stop round-the-world voyage in the shortest possible time. Guillaume Verdier signs both projects and, in fact, makes possible an unprecedented confrontation between opposite philosophies of oceanic flight.

The story that returns

It is November 12, 1978, 47 years ago exactly, and a small yellow trimaran and a huge blue monohull are arriving on the finish line of the first Route du Rhum at Point-à-Pitre.

It’s Mike Birch’s Olympus Photo and Michel Malinovsky’s Kriter V, competing on sight after more than 23 days on the ocean. The first to cross the finish line is Birch, by just 98 interminable seconds, paving the way for the era of ocean multihulls.

From that day, multihulls became the paradigm of fast offshore, the platform on which records and round-the-world races would be built at very high averages, between the first Jules Verne Trophy records (around the world in the shortest possible time) and the madness that was The Race. While among monohulls, faster and faster regulations and boats were born, such as IMOCA 60s until the debut of foils, which again reshuffled the cards as to which is really the right holder of the ocean speed trophy. Foiling monohulls stop chasing and return to competing on the terrain of useful speed, and we return to the challenge of philosophies, always somewhere between technological ingenuity and lucid madness.

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Verdier starts with Ferrari Hypersail…

The star today is undoubtedly Guillaume Verdier, who puts his signature on two flagship projects, putting on the table what will in fact be the most interesting test in years.

It starts with an ambitious and lofty project , the Ferrari HyperSail, Giovanni Soldini “Team Principal” (a definition borrowed from the car racing teams) and the enormous technological capacity of the Maranello team, as much in terms of design as in research and implementation, especially on composite materials.

The idea, now well known at least on paper, is that of a 100′ (30-meter) full-foiling monohull, with some concept borrowed from the America’s Cup but repurposed and rethought without the limitations of any class rules.

The intention is to fly nonstop even and especially in oceanic conditions, in a more stable manner and with a much more optimized flight attitude (and also constantly monitored through the latest generation of electronics) than, for example, IMOCAs, in order to assault transoceanic trophies and circumnavigation records.

… and continues with Gitana 18

But Ferrari Hypersail was not the only idea Verdier had in mind to develop. Hence the announcement of the trimaran Gitana 18 – Maxi Edmond de Rothschild, ULTIM 32/23 (32 meters long x 23 meters wide), skipper Charles Caudrelier. Dimensions (as it happens) not too different from the red sea, a constantly repeated mantra: “born to fly always.” Two ideas of flight, one design thread.

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The fact that Verdier curates the architecture of both makes for rare reading: same computational culture, same simulation tools, but divergent philosophies. Without attributing to him the explicit intent to pit mono and tri against each other, the result resembles a natural experiment: an Olympus Photo vs. Kriter V in an ultramodern and especially “flying” version.

Laboratory vs. war machine

Beyond the romanticisms, the challenge between the two projects seems like something absolutely real, since, for better or worse, they will share not only the same race course (the world) but also the same goals, and, from the premises of Gitana18, it doesn’t look like Soldini and Ferrari will have an easy time excelling.

The trimaran’s predecessor, Gitana 17 already holds several records, including that of the Brest Atlantiques, a half round-the-world voyage covered in just over 28 days, but for the new French “monster,” the leap in quality is tangible. 50,000 man hours of conceptualization, compared to 35,000 for Gitana 17, not a single bolt brought from the old design to the new one, everything has been rethought and redesigned from the ground up, obviously treasuring the long experience accumulated in the oceans over the years .

However, there is a difference, at least at the level of preliminary perception (for now only these can be mentioned), between the two projects. Ferrari Hypersail seems both designed to race, dominate and set records, and as a research laboratory for new technologies. It is no coincidence that one of the key points of the project is the total “energy independence” of the boat, which will have to produce and manage all the energy on board autonomously without relying on combustion engines of any kind, but only by relying on renewable energy. A theme that also seems to be a brand flag, one that can be carried around the world to take advantage of the communication wave that such a project necessarily has. Gitana, on the other hand, seems designed with no ulterior motive other than running, putting what it has acquired to good use, but where winning is not a big deal, it is really the only thing that matters. Will he make it? Let us see on what planes the two projects are likely to confront each other.

Ferrari. Where the game is really played – five axes of comparison

• Takeoff and long waves. The first to fly on foils wins without question, and in light winds at takeoff Ferrari Hypersail may have an advantage over its rival due to less aerodynamic drag while at the same time having a configuration of foils and the boat itself that is easier to modify and has more room for “extremes,” as opposed to Gitana 18, which is probably more stable once airborne but with less ease in taking aero and hydrodynamic surfaces to extremes. Once airborne, stability on the ocean wave becomes a determining factor. Ferrari relies on electronics without hiding it: it is a known fact and stated by the protagonists themselves that there will be algorithms and on-board computers that will contribute greatly to keeping the craft flying stably, even on the wave.Gitana 18 will have greater inertias. It will in turn rely on technology but with likely less aggressive behavior, thanks mainly to its width. On this aspect, from the outside very much in Gitana’s favor, the partnership with the Formula 1 team for the Hypersail could play a key role: the modern power units of the top motor series have control cycles at incredibly high frequencies, monitoring thousands of parameters and acting accordingly with millisecond delays, capable of managing, for example, combustion at almost 20,000 rpm and at the same time releasing electric power or charging under braking. It is very likely that this type of very advanced technology will be imported onto the Hypersail project to optimize precisely the flight control.

• Energy and reliability. As mentioned, HyperSail will have to independently produce and manage all on-board power for foil and avionics control as well as sails without relying on generators-a design constraint but also a clear technological manifesto. Obviously, this will pose risks in terms of component reliability, at least in the first period. Gitana 18, in the ULTIM groove, focuses on mature power management and redundancy.

• Loads and structure. There is no doubt that the structural engineers of both projects need a heavy sleep to be able to sleep soundly at night given the loads the two vessels will be subjected to in the ocean. Much will depend on how far they have gone to the extreme on structural optimization in lightening. While weight is already an issue for traditional boats, for foil boats we get to aircraft-style “obsessions” and it is clear that it is not easy to find the right compromise. The advantage of the Gitana 18 is to be able to “spread” the loads somewhat over the hulls and transoms, although the dimensions make the overloads huge structural levers that the construction system will have to be able to cope with. In contrast, the monohull will have a high concentration of load on all the support points, well localized, with an overall structural stress extremely concentrated at these pivotal points. Hypersail’s canting-bearing keel will be both muscle (righting moment) and wing (lift): an interesting and very elegant choice, but one that will require adequate structural response as well as impeccable control.

• Peak speed vs time of flight. The Gitana 18 team explicitly states that the basic metric of all work is time in the air, not peak speed. The team’s outgoing boat, Gitana 17, recorded 51.7 knots and showed 24 hours over 800 nm. One wonders if the 18 will aim for the insane 1,000-mile figure in 24 hours, a figure no one is betting on, however. On HyperSail, the 50-knot threshold remains a named but cautious target: all players defer to testing. It will be interesting to see if either team will have a significant advantage on the top speed or mileage front, or if things will go hand in hand.

• Programs and timing. The French will take to the water first, with the presentation of Gitana 18 set for December 2025. Given the team’s experience, it is plausible to think that, barring the onset of problems, the testing phase will not take too much time away from the regatta and record program. In contrast, the launch of HyperSail for now is set for a generic 2026: the timelines are therefore staggered but not by too much, which could allow Soldini’s team to recalibrate the project targets after the first tests (which are likely to be long and demanding given the amount of innovation to be tested).

The sails: the Ferrari double mainsail a first for the ocean

Another key divergence is in the sail plan. Ferrari HyperSail will adopt a double mainsail (twin-skin) rig, derived directly from America’s Cup experience on AC75s, as Glenn Ashby who joined the team on behalf of North Sails told us.

Basically, two parallel membranes forming a closed airfoil, controlled by a structural boom and rotating mast.
The goal is to reduce induced drag, improve the lift of the profile, and make the thrust more stable and predictable in flight, with “real wing” behavior rather than glider behavior.

This is consistent with HyperSail’s integrated aerodynamics-hydrodynamics approach, and the ability to automatically control camber and incidence in real time, but it is also a first for ocean sailing, and it is no coincidence that Soldini himself calls it “the big bet we made.”

It is also a clear sign of the “automotive-aeronautical” hand of the Ferrari team: the rig is part of the machine, not an accessory, and the philosophy with which it is used is similarly referred to in parallel, with the camber control referred to by Ashby and Soldini as a “10-speed gearbox” versus the 2 of a traditional mainsail. It remains to be discovered how the Italian team solved the issue of reducing sail area in harsh conditions certainly not uncommon in the ocean, but nothing has transpired to that effect other than that it was an issue largely addressed in the design phase.

On the opposite front, Gitana 18 remains-at least as far as is known so far-faithful to the more conventional ULTIM configuration: single rotating mast, mainsail and jibs (and roller headsails), optimized for weight and oceanic versatility.
The use of twin-skin on such large platforms is not ruled out in the future, but for now the team favors strength, simplicity and reliability on long crossings and small-crew maneuvers. The difference is not just aesthetics: it is the choice between aerodynamics “assisted” by active controls and a more “organic,” crew-regulated one.

Distance challenge, may the best man win

Net of the numbers-which tests will certify-the game will be played on how long the two boats will be able to stay airborne, even in difficult conditions, how soon they will be able to take off, and, a key aspect, how they will manage on-board power. HyperSail puts on the scales the merits of a monohull, which is structurally easier but requires a high degree of control automation, where, however, Ferrari technology could make a difference, and the quest for energy autonomy. Gitana 18 relaunches with the wide and stable platform proper to a (huge) trimaran, designed specifically to fly continuously. It is the long-distance challenge that may reshape ocean sailing in the coming years.

Federico Albano