Boris Herrmann (Germany), Malizia II - Yacht Club de Monaco (IMOCA)

"Our goal? Top 8 because I don't want to be moored at anchor (making repairs), I'd rather be on a pontoon in Salvador de Bahia. We're being very pragmatic! Strategically, we won't hesitate to head to the west, it doesn't scare me at all because I know the boat is solid and the Route du Rhum has given me a lot of confidence. Half of the fleet is dangerous. The new foilers will be much faster under certain conditions and I am just waiting to see their potential so we can evolve Malizia with new foils. Our benchmark competitor is Maître CoQ, which is skippered by two exceptional sailors that I know well. I hope we will have good match with them. They will be hard to beat them, but it's great to have someone of this quality to chase after."