Giovanni Soldini and Ferrari Take Ocean Foiling To a Higher Level

The technical demands of the Ferrari Hypersail 100-footer will require sophisticated automation and energy allocation. Ferrari Hypersail

On a calm day, the ocean might seem like a gentle giant with a pulse that laps the shoreline, but veteran ocean racers know it vastness, and how unpredictable and unconquerable it is. Among these seasoned sailors stands Giovanni Soldini, the bearded Italian skipper and adventurer whose weathered face hints at the thousands of hard miles he has sailed as a professional yachtsman. Now, at the helm of a radical new 100-footer under build, Soldini is embarking on his most ambitious sailing project yet.

Water In His Veins

Born in Milan in 1966, Soldini seems an unlikely prospect for becoming Italy’s most distinguished offshore sailor. At seventeen, his story goes, Soldini convinced a 75-year-old American captain to take him across the Atlantic. That journey from Palma de Mallorca, Spain, to Antigua forged more than his sea legs—it formed his very identity and an incredible career that now spans more than three decades. Few among his peers can boast of 40-plus trans-ocean races and achievements that have made him a national hero in Italy.

His resume is long and varied but includes six transatlantic OSTAR races (with two victories), three Transat Jacques Vabre races (one victory), and four Rolex Middle Sea Races. He’s also completed two solo round-the-world races, finishing second in the 1994/95 B.O.C. Challenge before winning the 1998-99 Around Alone. It was during the Around Alone that Soldini cemented his legend after rescuing competitor Isabelle Autissier from her overturned hull some 2,000 miles west of Chile. The rescue was indeed heroic, and for this act of selfless seamanship, French President Jacques Chirac awarded Soldini the Légion d’honneur.

Giovanni Soldini (second from right) leads the new Ferrari Hypersail project, which aims to put a fully-foiling 100-foot monohull against the standing ocean passage records. Ferrari Hypersail

Despite the diversion to Autissier, Soldini still completed the 26,000-mile race in 116 days, 20 hours—a record that beat the previous by almost five days. And it wouldn’t be the last record he would break.

Throughout his career, Soldini developed a reputation for shattering long-standing records. In 2013, aboard the modified Volvo Ocean 70 Maserati, he and his crew broke the Golden Route record from New York to San Francisco, covering 13,225 miles in 47 days, 42 minutes, and 29 seconds. From there, he added the Cape2Rio distance record in 2014 (still unbeaten), the Hong Kong to London route in 2018 (15,083 miles in 36 days), and records for the English Channel and the original Fastnet Race route with the Maserati Multi70.

While Soldini has proven his prowess and resilience many times over, he’s back into the spotlight with an even more ambitious way to tackle bigger ocean passage records. This time with an ocean-going foiler the likes of which has never been put to sea. The big Ultime trimarans of late have shrunk oceans already, and while they have their limitations, Ferrari’s Hypersail will too. Only time and miles will tell whether the project is more hype than sail.

The Ferrari Connection

The relationship between Soldini the sailor and the automotive world is said to have begun when John Elkann, chairman of Fiat Chrysler Automobiles, started sailing with him in 2009. Though Soldini initially sought support for competing in the crewed Volvo Ocean Race, this connection eventually led to the design and construction of the Maserati Multi70. The partnership evolved, and in 2022, Soldini converted the Multi70 into research platform, collecting ocean data for the UNESCO Decade of the Sea. That collaboration has taken a bold new direction with Ferrari’s foray into the realm of ocean sailing.

In June 2025, Ferrari unveiled the Hypersail project with Soldini. Said to be “a groundbreaking 100-foot flying ocean racing monohull that will challenge conventional sailing wisdom.” The platform is a nod to Ferrari’s racing heritage and its Hypercars. The AC75-looking craft is indeed slick in its renderings and early construction images, which shed little light into the systems that will ultimately keep the boat upright and skimming across wave tops.

“Hypersail is a new challenge that pushes us to go beyond our boundaries and expand our technological horizons,” Elkann, Ferrari Chairman, at the press launch. “At the same time, it perfectly aligns with Ferrari’s tradition, drawing inspiration from our Hypercar, three-time winner of the 24 Hours of Le Mans.”

As Team Principal, Soldini brings his extensive experience to this ambitious project, as well as his personality and following. The yacht, designed by French naval architect Guillaume Verdier (of Commanche fame), features foil appendages on the canting keel, the canting sidefoils (like the AC75) and rudder.

Those involved with previous and similar projects, such as designer Mark Mills’ 60-foot Flying Nikka and the AC75s and IMOCA 60s, are well aware of the technology and power demands of safe and dynamic flight with so many forces at play, the Hypersail is said to be energy self-sufficient, relying exclusively upon renewable energy sources including solar, wind, and kinetic energy. All power required to run the control and motion systems for the foils, keel, and rudder, as well as the on-board computers and instruments, will be generated autonomously while under sail.

At a press launch for Ferrari’s Hypersail project, the intricacies of the 100-footer are explained. Foil appendages on the canting keel add a twist beyond the technology of the AC75s for the America’s Cup, but with so many moving foils, automation and reliability will be paramount on a boat with no engine. Ferrari Hypersail

“To prepare as well as we can for the variability and force of the phenomena and conditions encountered at sea, our top priority is to strike the right balance between the pursuit of extreme performance and maximum reliability,” Soldini said. As one who’s encountered his share of breakdowns at sea, he’s well aware of the high potential of failure and semi-submerged hazards that litter world’s oceans today.

According to the Hypersail project briefing, Ferrari’s expertise in aerodynamics, energy efficiency, power management, and kinetic energy is being adapted for the ocean environment. The yacht will sail with a flight control system developed for the automotive sector, employing aerodynamic and structural calculation processes to ensure performance and safety. This quest for bespoke solutions has already led to the filing of nine patents, with six more in development.

Currently under construction in Italy, the Hypersail is scheduled to launch in 2026. For Soldini, this represents the culmination of a lifetime spent pushing the boundaries of what’s possible on the water. As the Ferrari Hypersail takes shape, it promises a faster and more technical era of ocean sailing while propelling Soldini’s legacy of innovation and determination to a new edge. For a yachtsman who has already accomplished so much, foiling across the seas is a fitting next chapter.

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