“The team favored to win the America’s Cup? Luna Rossa.”

It’s a surprising answer from Matteo De Nora, Team Principal of the Emirates Team New Zealand. He is the man the Italian team will have to beat, the manager who, alongside CEO Grant Dalton, has led the Kiwis to victory in the last three editions of the Cup, which they are now defending. No team has ever done that in the history of sailing’s ultimate prize.

But De Nora is also the man who helped bring the America’s Cup to Italy for the first time, to Naples, where the preliminary regattas begin today and run through Sunday. It is a preview of the America’s Cup to come in 2027.

De Nora is a fascinating character.

He has Italian roots. His father was chemist Vittorio De Nora, while his uncle Oronzio founded De Nora Industries and invented the formula for Amuchina, the Italian disinfectant brand. Both were from Altamura, in Puglia.

His mother is Swiss. A citizen of the world, he studied at Bocconi University and MIT’s Sloan School in Boston. He has a sporting background in powerboat racing and rallying. As an entrepreneur, he ran an American multinational in the electrochemical industry, later selling part of it to his cousin.

He came to the America’s Cup after sailing around the world twice, eventually settling in New Zealand. He began supporting the Kiwi team in 2000, and in 2003 formed the winning partnership with Dalton, one of sailing’s most celebrated figures. Both men describe themselves as pessimists.

“It’s a survival mechanism. Always preparing for the worst-case scenario helps,” the Team Principal says.

De Nora, the preliminary regattas begin today in Naples, which will host the America’s Cup in 2027. How are things going under Mount Vesuvius?

“I have a great deal of respect for Mayor Gaetano Manfredi, who wants to do a good job. It’s not easy. You can’t suddenly rebuild roads, open new hotels and create an adequate hospitality infrastructure. But I don’t regret choosing Naples. If there’s one city that knows how to improvise, it’s this one. Clearly, the Cup will happen, even though, as I said, it won’t be easy. I think we’ll all have to learn to embrace Naples as it is, along with its culture.”

You know the local fans will be cheering for Luna Rossa, right?

“That’s normal. We expected it. In New Zealand, three out of four people were cheering for us, and the other teams knew that and accepted it. It’s not a problem.”

You’re the defending champions, the team to beat. How do you see the competition?

“We’re doing fine. The team is constantly improving, although the technological advantage we had over our rivals in previous years, with the introduction of foils, the appendages that made the boats fly, has narrowed. We’re solid, but we also have less room to grow. The other teams will be closer to us...”

You’ve won the last three editions. What’s the secret?

“The culture, the team spirit. Dalton, the CEO, serves as the conductor, but the structure is very horizontal, without much hierarchy.”

But you lost your star helmsman, Peter Burling, who is now with Luna Rossa.

“He wanted to be paid more and wanted the freedom to compete in other events. That said, it’s not like taking Verstappen away from Red Bull. And besides, bringing young sailors through is part of Kiwi culture.”

How do you see Luna Rossa?

“They’re the favorites. And I think of their owner, Patrizio Bertelli: if he won the Cup, in a sense he would deserve it. Because of his passion, this is his seventh campaign, or his eighth if you count the 2017 withdrawal.”

The Cup has changed. Electric batteries on board instead of people...

“I hope it’s just a phase. Sailing can be highly technological, but the energy should come from nature or from people.”

An edition every two years...

“It would increasingly resemble Formula One or MotoGP, and there’s a risk that it would lose its appeal and uniqueness. There’s a reason why Wimbledon remains Wimbledon.”

The requirement to have at least one woman on board.

“I’ve changed my mind about women. It’s the right thing, but it shouldn’t be mandatory.”

The shift from the winner having complete control to a new governance structure for the teams.

“We had to accommodate the new realities, but the transition could have been handled better, with more cooperation among the teams.”

Does the old saying still hold that the fastest boat wins?

“I believe so. The fastest boat, and the one that doesn’t break.”

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