Bissaro reveals how Peter Burling disrupted Luna Rossa's design room

The recent racing in Cagliari exposed the razor-thin margins separating triumph and frustration in modern foiling. Luna Rossa faced early pressure, battling underperformance on the opening days of the regatta. Aerospace engineer and trimmer Vittorio Bissaro described a high-tension environment where even the smallest deviation in flight control or foil adjustment cost critical seconds. As teams transition from the AC40 testbeds to the massive AC75 platforms, Cagliari served as a critical laboratory for testing both human reflexes and automated flight systems under true match-racing pressure.

Key Strategic Decisions: Autopilots and Human Intervention

A central tactical debate centers on the role of the autopilot versus human agency. In the AC40 class, automated flight controls offer remarkable consistency, but they lack predictive capability. Bissaro points out that when a boat begins to oscillate violently, the autopilot often diverges. This is where human intervention becomes decisive. The strategic choice to rely on highly automated systems during training allowed the Luna Rossa women and youth teams to build "automatic" reflexes. They mastered the playbook, freed up mental bandwidth, and executed flawless maneuvers without debating target numbers on the water.

Performance Breakdown: Splitting the Cockpit Roles

Luna Rossa's debrief structure highlights a rigid separation of responsibilities within the cockpit. The team split its analytical loop into two distinct systems:

• The Tactical Loop: Controlled by the helmsmen, focusing on positioning, wind shifts, and match-racing maneuvers.
• The Speed Loop: Managed by Bissaro and trimmer Umberto Molineris, focusing entirely on sail trim, foil adjustability, and maintaining peak boat speed through tacks.

This functional division was supercharged by the arrival of Peter Burling. Burling disrupted the traditional Italian design approach by bringing multi-disciplinary expertise. Unlike specialists who focus solely on their immediate tasks, Burling processes vast streams of data simultaneously, keeping track of everything from hydraulic pressures and jib tracks to mast rotation and traveler positions.

Critical Moments: The Battle of Foil and Sail Physics

The technical frontier of the upcoming America's Cup will not be won in hull design, which remains constrained by strict class rules. Instead, the ultimate battleground lies in the foil and rudder package. Teams must resolve a severe design compromise: engineering a foil package slick enough for maximum straight-line speed, yet high-drag and high-lift enough to handle the tight, aggressive turning rates required in pre-start duels. Furthermore, sail trimming under tight energy budgets presents a major physical constraint. Every pump of a hydraulic system drains power, forcing trimmers to morph their sails with absolute efficiency.

Future Implications: The End of Large Design Advantages

As the class rules enter their third iteration, the era of massive performance breakthroughs is over. Marginal gains will dictate who wins the next America's Cup. Bissaro expects the performance delta between challengers like Luna Rossa and the defender, Emirates Team New Zealand, to be significantly smaller than in past campaigns. Under the leadership of skipper Max Sirena, Luna Rossa has evolved its team culture, balancing traditional Italian passion with a cold, methodical approach to pressure. This cultural shift, combined with shared design IP, positions them as the premier challenger to watch.