Miguel Martinho is the 2026 Formula Foil World Champion! Racing on the Starboard Millennium, Miguel delivered an impressive performance in Guarapari, Brazil, winning four out of five races to secure the world title. With light and challenging conditions throughout the championship, consistency, smart racing and equipment performance were key. We caught up with Miguel to talk about his road to the title, the conditions in Brazil, his setup on the Millennium and how Formula Foil racing has evolved over the years.
You won four out of the five races at the World Championship. With so few races completed, there wasn’t much room for mistakes. What do you think made the biggest difference in allowing you to be so consistent throughout the event?
"I think experience was very important. With only five races, we knew there was almost no room for mistakes. I tried to stay calm, make good starts and keep my decisions simple and safe.
I was also very confident in my speed and in my equipment. When you know you have good speed, you don’t need to force things too much tactically and you can focus on sailing a clean race. Winning four out of five races in these conditions was obviously very satisfying."
The championship was dominated by light and inconsistent winds. How challenging was it to read the course and make tactical decisions in those conditions, and how much did equipment setup and tuning come into play?
"That was probably one of the biggest challenges of the championship. The wind was very light and inconsistent, so it was extremely important to read where the pressure was and, at the same time, keep the foil flying through the lighter patches.
The equipment setup was very important. I used a 9.0 Severne HyperGlide5, together with the Starboard 95 C600 UCS mast, SLX 765 front wing, SLX 180 HA tail wing and titanium fuselage. I really like the SLX 765 because, even though it is a relatively small wing, I can make it work very well even in light winds. It gave me the speed and, most importantly, the confidence to concentrate on racing."
You raced the Starboard Millennium to the world title. What characteristics of the board stood out most in the conditions you had in Guarapari, particularly when it came to early take-off, upwind angles and getting through the lighter patches?
"The Millennium worked extremely well in these conditions. One of the things I liked most was how easily it accelerated and got onto the foil early, which is very important in light winds.
Once flying, I found the board very efficient and balanced, with very good upwind angles and the ability to get through lighter patches without dropping off the foil easily. The combination of the Millennium with this foil setup worked extremely well for the conditions we had in Guarapari."
You’ve been racing Formula Windsurfing and Formula Foil for many years and have seen the equipment evolve enormously. How different is racing a board like the Millennium today compared with the Formula equipment you competed on earlier in your career?
"The difference is enormous. I’ve been racing Formula for many years and have had the opportunity to experience almost the entire evolution of the equipment. In the past, everything was about the board, fin and big sails; today, with foiling, the way we sail and race has changed completely.
With a board like the Millennium and today’s foils, we can achieve incredible efficiency and speed, especially in light winds. But one thing has never changed: we are always looking for more speed and for those small tuning details that can make the difference."
After so many years of racing and already having a long list of national and international results, what does becoming Formula Foil World Champion in 2026 mean to you personally — and what still motivates you to keep pushing at this level?
"This title is very special to me. After so many years racing Formula, going through different generations of equipment and still being here with the same desire to compete and win, becoming Formula Foil World Champion in 2026 means a lot.
Over the years I’ve won many races and championships, but a World Championship title will always be special. Maybe today I appreciate it even more, because I understand better everything that it takes to get here.
What keeps motivating me is actually very simple: I still love racing. I enjoy the preparation, searching for more speed, developing and tuning the equipment and, above all, that feeling of being on the start line wanting to win.
As long as I still feel that, I’ll keep racing."
