Sir Jim Ratcliffe and INEOS face 'significant' legal action as Man Utd chief splits from sailing legend Sir Ben Ainslie for America's Cup race

The split, as first reported by The Telegraph, revealed mounting tensions between the two figures. Ratcliffe notably omitted any acknowledgement of Ainslie’s contributions to leading Ineos Britannia, a move that has sparked speculation over the ownership of assets and intellectual property tied to the team.

Responding to the announcement, Ainslie expressed shock and confirmed his intention to explore significant legal options. In a statement, his team, now rebranded as Athena Racing, questioned the feasibility of INEOS’s plans for the 38th America’s Cup and threatened legal consequences for their decision.

A statement from Ainslie’s team read: “The British Challenger for the 38th America’s Cup, led by Sir Ben Ainslie, was astounded to read today’s statement from INEOS and Mercedes F1 regarding their planned challenge for the 38th America’s Cup. This plan raises significant legal and practical obstacles for them that will play out in the coming days and weeks. Furthermore, Sir Ben Ainslie’s British America’s Cup team will be known as Athena Racing going forwards, aligning with the British Women’s and Youth America’s Cup team, the Athena Pathway.”

Ratcliffe, whose INEOS conglomerate has already invested approximately £200 million into the America’s Cup campaigns, remains determined to continue under the name Ineos Britannia.

“Unfortunately, Ineos Britannia and Sir Ben could not find an agreement to move forward following the conclusion of the 37th America’s Cup in Barcelona”, a statement read.

Meanwhile, Ratcliffe highlighted the milestones achieved under INEOS’s leadership during the 37th America’s Cup but refrained from mentioning Ainslie.

“I am enormously proud of what we achieved in Barcelona in developing a British boat that was truly competitive for the first time in decades," he said. "It set new benchmarks for British sailing, including winning the Louis Vuitton Cup for the first time, and taking races off the Defender in the finals for the first time in 90 years. We will now build upon this for the 38th America’s Cup through the Ineos challenge and already have 100 scientists and engineers working on the design of our AC38 yacht. More details on the INEOS Britannia challenge will follow in due course.”

INEOS has since appointed Dave Endean as the team’s chief executive. Endean, who brings extensive experience from previous campaigns, will lead the effort alongside Mercedes Formula One technical director James Allison, who has been instrumental in integrating cutting-edge F1 technology into the yacht designs.

The next chapter of the America’s Cup remains uncertain, with defending champions New Zealand yet to finalise dates for the event. With Ratcliffe pushing ahead under the INEOS Britannia banner and Ainslie rebranding as Athena Racing, the stage is set for a new era in British sailing.