2024 America's Cup: Bleddyn Môn's dual role boosts British bid for America's Cup

Bleddyn Môn hopes both his sailing and engineering expertise can help Britain win the 2024 America's Cup.

The Welshman has re-signed with skipper Sir Ben Ainslie's INEOS Britannia team for a third attempt at the Cup.

The crew will bid to become the first British team to win the famous trophy when the 37th edition gets underway in Barcelona in September 2024.

"Going for the America's Cup for the third time there is a sense of pressure," Môn said.

"Each time we have challenged for the America's Cup the intention has always been to try and win it for Great Britain but as a country we never have won it, so as the campaigns go on the pressure does stack up a little bit."

Môn learned to sail in the waters off Traeth Bychan on Anglesey and was part of Sir Ben's ultimately unsuccessful America's Cup campaigns in Bermuda in 2017 and in New Zealand in 2021 - where Emirates Team New Zealand successfully defended the title they wrested from Oracle Team USA in 2017.

Team skipper Sir Ben is the most successful sailor in Olympic history and he has described Môn as a "bit of a genius".

"I heard that comment in an interview and obviously it was partly light-hearted," Môn said.

"But essentially he is referring to the role I have which is a combination of the technical aspect specifically working on performance analysis and simulation, with the sailing skill-set as well that I bring to the team.

"That combination is something quite powerful within the America's Cup, just purely because of how much the technical side impacts your performance on the water."

As part of the preparations, INEOS Brittania will work alongside the Merecdes-AMG Petronas F1 engineering team.

It is a return of sorts to F1 for Môn, who spent a year of his studies working with Mercedes F1 rivals Red Bull, but sailing remains his passion.

"INEOS are involved in many sports - particularly the technical ones," he said.

"They are Involved with Mercedes F1 and we have a strong relationship going forward this campaign between the sailing team INEOS Britannia and Mercedes F1.

"There is a lot we can learn and tap into from their side and hopefully that will put us in good stead going into this cycle."