Sir Ben Ainslie spent much of his career chasing victory from the helm, but now the Olympic legend is driving Emirates GBR’s ambitions from the shore.Megan Armitage15:22, 29 Jun 2026Updated 15:22, 29 Jun 2026Sir Ben Ainslie is best known for his gold medal winning antics on the high-seas, but it is in his new backseat position on shore where he feels most fervent. The most successful sailor in Olympic history, Ainslie has built a sailing legacy for Great Britain to be proud in both the Olympic and international sailing circuits.‌However, now 49 years old, Ainslie is relishing a new role in the sport as CEO and team principal of SailGP team Emirates GBR. And forced to watch on from the shore as his team takes charge on the waters, it brings with it the opportunity to get more passionate about the racing itself.‌"We always joke that the people watching off the boat is sort of like being an armchair admin. So to a certain extent, I guess that's me," he said.‌"You've got more time to think about it and watching the full fleet so you end up being more emotional about it because when you're in the heat of battle, you're just focused on what you can do."It is a very different notion to me but it has been great. The team are doing a fantastic job."Ainslie handed the driving wheel of the Emirates GBR boat to double Olympic champion Giles Scott in 2024 to focus on his CEO responsibilities. And with current driver Dylan Fletcher taking the helm during the 2025 season, the Tokyo 2020 gold medallist steered the boat to a first SailGP crown in his first season.‌"The big switch, obviously, was Dylan coming in and taking over from my role driving," said Ainslie. "He's done a fantastic job."It's good to see his progression coming through, not just the technical element of driving the boat, but also the team element that comes with that. That's constantly evolving."I am really happy with the way the team's performing and moving forward."‌Emirates GBR started their title defence in fine form this season, immediately clinching a win in Perth before a series of top three finishes.However, the middle of the season has seen a few more flaws creep in, including race ending wing damage at the recent Halifax GP in Canada.With Tom Slingsbury's Bonds Flying Roos leading the overall standings after seven races, Ainslie now hopes the upcoming Portsmouth GP on home waters can catapult his team back to winning ways.‌"The Australians have had just an amazing season so far," he said."We have actually had quite a similar start to last season. We started off really well last season, and then we had a sort of mid-season wobble, which means we've had some inconsistent results in the last three or four events now as well."Portsmouth was a bit of a transformative event for us last season, so hopefully, it can be again this time round."‌The Emirates Great Britain Sail Grand Prix in Portsmouth will kick-off the European leg of SailGP 2026 season as British racing returns in a mix of world class sport, food, drink and entertainment.With boats set to stun at over 100km per hour and an Après-Sail line up that includes Jess Glynne and Craig David, it is sure to be an event to impress both fans and sailors alike."The is the first time that we've had in sailing a proper global circuit with this amount of investment that is really making huge strides in terms of the fanbase," said Ainslie.Article continues below"And ultimately, the athletes want to be performing at the very highest level against the best athletes in the best boats for their country."I think SailGP provides that avenue."The Emirates Great Britain Sail Grand Prix returns to Portsmouth on 25-26 July. Limited tickets are still available here.