Sailing: Prada sacking may lift GBR Challenge

The turmoil within the lavishly funded Prada challenge for the America's Cup erupted into public view yesterday when Patrizio Bertelli, the syndicate head, announced the sacking of his director of design, the American Doug Peterson.

Peterson is likely to be subjected to a "golden handcuffs'' agreement, under which he remains on the sidelines during Prada's involvement in the event. It is thought that a similar fate has befallen one of the team's alternate helmsmen, Gavin Brady.

The moves by Bertelli, the boss of the Milan-based fashion house which bears his wife's name, come as no surprise to many, who see him as an unpredictable and emotional man. But it is likely to undermine the prospects of a team that, in 2000, won the Louis Vuitton Cup final against the AmericaOne syndicate headed by Paul Cayard.

Cayard, too, has been side-lined by his new syndicate boss, Larry Ellison, whose Oracle BMW Racing team occupies the dock compound next to Prada's. Oracle has Bruce Farr as their chief designer and beat Prada in the only set of races completed so far in the opening round. For two days racing has since been postponed because of high winds.

The rumour mill has been working overtime in the Halsey Street compounds which house the nine challenging syndicates, as well the Team New Zealand defender, that the performance of Prada's two 2002/003 boats was under par.

With Bertelli facing other domestic problems, the disruption to his America's Cup hopes will raise commiseration in public but glee in private among his competitors, not least Britain's GBR Challenge. There is now an increased opportunity for the British boat to make the top six and achieve a place in the semi-finals.