Furious Canada driver Phil Robertson has demanded answers from SailGP organisers after hydraulic issues forced his boat to retire on day one of the Sydney event.
The Canadian F50 catamaran began losing hydraulic function shortly after the first of three fleet races began Saturday on Sydney Harbour.
By the time Australia crossed the line first, Canada's entire hydraulic system had failed, leaving the boat to sputter to a last-placed finish.
"These boats are run hydraulically, and if you don't have any pumps pushing oil around, your boat doesn't work. It's very disappointing," Robertson said.
Organisers delayed the start of the second race to give Canada a chance to fix the issue on the water, but the boat was retired after no solution could be found.
Robertson and co watched on as Australia and Denmark charged to the top of the event leaderboard after day one.
The issue has since been remedied and Canada will return to the water on Sunday, when the fleet will compete in two more races in an effort to reach the top three on ranking and qualify for the event final.
But Canada will received no redress for the two races missed.
"We've already spoken (to SailGP boss Russell Coutts) and there's nothing," Robertson said.
To ensure a level playing field, SailGP prohibits teams from modifying their multimillion-dollar boats, and can dictate the times they are able to be taken out on the water.
That has left Robertson to question how the SailGP could wash its hands of the hydraulic issue.
"I'm actually pretty furious," he said.
"I think it's really poor by the league, to be honest. You come here, promised a boat to race with.
"Nothing's in our control. We're not allowed to touch the boat, we're not allowed to repair the boat.
"We are promised a boat, race-ready. When you don't get a boat that's race-ready, it's out of your hands and it does piss you off.
"When it shuts down like that and breaks, you've got to ask questions, and there needs to be questions asked.
"There probably won't and that's disappointing."
Robertson was particularly frustrated given SailGP cancelled official practice for most of the fleet on Friday as thunderstorms brewed in Sydney.
Only Germany and the USA were permitted on the water, with the former racing their first Sydney SailGP and the latter undergoing crew changes since last year.
"Usually, when we do our training day, you find these bugs and you resolve them before the race day," Robertson said.
"But without having any time to go sailing, it's pretty frustrating."
The Sydney SailGP, the eighth of 13 events this season, has serious ramifications for a Canadian team that sit at the bottom of a logjam on the overall rankings.
Before Sydney, Canada were in eighth place but only six points behind third-placed USA.
But Saturday's malfunction leaves the boat vulnerable to falling further behind.
"There has to be some ramifications and maybe something for the team," Robertson said.
"At the moment, it's suck it up and take it on the chin, and move on."
