DS Automobiles officially announced on Thursday its commitment as the title partner of the France SailGP Team, a first on the circuit for a car brand. Sailorz spoke with Bastien Schupp, Marketing and Communications Director of the premium brand of the Stellantis group, about the reasons behind this partnership.
How far back do your contacts with the France SailGP Team go?
I met Stephan Kandler for the first time at the very beginning of the Orient Express adventure; they were looking for additional partners at the time [for the 37th America’s Cup, Ed.]. The project was interesting, but we didn’t want to commit back then because we were looking for an opportunity to promote DS on a much more regular basis, similar to what we were already doing through our commitment in Formula E [title partner of the DS Penske team, Ed.]. It turns out that last year, in another context—the French Open golf tournament, which we have partnered with since 2025—the subject of SailGP came back to the table via the IMG agency, which provided us with a lot of advice. Since the circuit aligns much better with the goal of regularity I mentioned, and also features a clientele and universe close to our own, I got back in touch with Stephan. The timing was right, and the partnership was finalized at the end of the calendar year.
What was it about this circuit that convinced DS to commit to the France team?
It’s a very exciting circuit, with a focus on technology, innovation, and speed that suits us well. In fact, everyone we spoke to internally while presenting the project was blown away by the images—both because of the spectacular action close to the shore and the technological aspect. When you watch documentaries on what the crew members do on board, even those controlling the foils or the wing have computers, screens, and buttons to operate, which you wouldn’t necessarily imagine for such short and fast races. We were attracted by this, but also by the emotion transmitted by this circuit. We were also looking for a way to strengthen our link with France. We could have imagined a partnership linked to the circuit itself, but what interested us was associating ourselves with the France team to affirm DS as a French premium brand.
Had you been approached before regarding sailing projects?
Yes, we are regularly approached by all sorts of races and skippers, because the link between premium automobiles and sailing is quite obvious, with a high-end and wealthy target audience. However, the timing wasn’t right for us, and I must say we find the SailGP format very appealing due to the frequency and the proximity it creates with the public. To be honest, committing to a race that is interesting at the start port but then has to be followed on screen for three months appeals to us less.
“Many parallels
between Formula E and SailGP”
Very important. The goal is to build brand awareness for DS Automobiles in France, but also throughout the rest of the world [60% of sales are outside of France, Ed.]. We are currently present in 40 countries with over 450 points of sale. Even if we aren’t represented in every country where the Grands Prix take place, similar to what we do in Formula E, it’s interesting for us to be able to mix television visibility with on-site events. This allows us to invite clients, giving them a behind-the-scenes look and the chance to meet the key players; it provides a very privileged experience that is very useful to us.It’s also a circuit that attracts major investors, including Hollywood stars and athletes like Kylian Mbappé for the French team. Was this also an argument in your commitment?
Indirectly, yes. Again, we see many parallels between Formula E and SailGP, which are very engrossing and exciting championships when you’re involved, but are not yet very well known, even if we can call them rising forces. This investor side reassures us about the growth potential of the discipline and the fact that people will be talking about it. If they are putting money into it, it’s because they believe in the development of this circuit. Another aspect that played a role for us is the Impact League: we are, of course, committed to the ecological transition through our electric vehicles, so it’s important to be in a discipline that is ecologically very engaged.How do you plan to activate this partnership?
There will obviously be on-site activation through guests at events, and there will also be internal activation through sales challenges to win trips, for example to New York. We will certainly engage in joint storytelling and communicate across our social media channels throughout the year to help raise awareness of SailGP, given that we have a certain reach. Alongside that, we are also studying with the French team what potential technology transfers might exist, knowing there are many parallels between our two worlds: aerodynamics obviously, lightweight and advanced materials, data—all fields in which we should be able to collaborate and tell stories. In an ideal world, there would be real transfers in both directions. One of the probable activations would be to create a DS/SailGP France limited series. We have planned working sessions in Lorient very soon, and we will also provide vehicles for the team, but all this is still very new; we rushed to announce this partnership before Perth to be present on the boat in Australia.
“We have committed
for the long term”
We absolutely regret it! In fact, when I presented the project and the calendar yesterday (Wednesday) to the staff, I told them that Geneva would be treated as our Grand Prix, in the same way we use the Monaco Formula E Grand Prix as our French race; it’s the simplest solution in terms of proximity. Apparently, organizational constraints prevented the French Grand Prix from being held this year, but it is expected for 2027.Sportingly, what are your expectations?
Victory! It would be foolish to commit if we didn’t believe in it. When you look at the results, the French team has been in the top five regularly in recent years and has won several Grands Prix. Given that the boats are technologically identical, it comes down to the teams and the skippers. In that regard, the French are well-equipped, notably with Quentin (Delapierre) and the new team manager, Philippe Presti. I think it is entirely feasible to see them at least on the podium—and therefore in the final—at the end of the year in Abu Dhabi, and to eventually become champions. We believe in it, and that’s also why we have committed for the long term [duration was not specified, Ed.].The team’s CEO, Bruno Dubois, mentioned an operating budget of around 7 million euros last week. What share do you take?
We are the major partner, so we invest a substantial budget which we do not disclose, but we are very happy to make this investment to build the DS brand awareness and help SailGP grow in popularity.
K-Challenge will also be involved in the America’s Cup with part of the France SailGP team. Could you also support them on that project?
I can’t exclude it at this stage, but it’s really not our objective; SailGP is our absolute focus, a significant investment.
Image : Qaptur
