The yachting world is celebrating a massive milestone: Boris Herrmann and Team Malizia just launched their brand-new, highly anticipated IMOCA race yacht, Malizia 4, on July 6, 2026, in Lorient, France.
Before diving into where you will see them compete, let’s clear up a quick point of terminology. You won’t find Team Malizia on a racetrack in the FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) that is the premier international sports car racing series featuring hypercars and endurance racing at places like Le Mans. Instead, Team Malizia competes in the ultimate ocean endurance championships: the IMOCA Globe Series, The Ocean Race, and the legendary solo-round-the-world Vendée Globe.
Here is a breakdown of what makes Malizia 4 a masterpiece and exactly where you can watch her slice through the waves.
Inside Malizia 4: Built for All Conditions
Designed by naval architect Antoine Koch and the design office Finot-Conq, Malizia 4 is an evolution of next-generation offshore racing design. While the team’s previous boat (Malizia – Seaexplorer) was a tank in heavy downwind conditions, the new yacht was engineered with a more versatile philosophy: fly early, glide through light winds, and excel upwind.
- The Hull Design: It features a narrower, flatter hull with significantly less “rocker” (the curve of the bottom). Most notably, it features a unique “blade” along the underside of the black and red hull, designed to reduce drag and separate water cleanly when the boat heels.
- The Steering Wheels: In a major departure from traditional offshore setups, the team has implemented steering wheels instead of a tiller. Herrmann believes that hand-steering will offer a bigger competitive gain than foil shapes alone during grueling legs.
- The Crew Space: Conceived for grueling multi-day team races and solo sprints alike, the yacht features a fully enclosed cockpit with panoramic windows, keeping sailors protected from punishing waves while preserving visibility.
Where to See Malizia 4 Compete
Team Malizia has locked in an aggressive racing calendar spanning the next two years. If you want to watch them compete in these pinnacle endurance events, here is exactly where they will be:
1. The Ocean Race Atlantic (September 2026)
The boat’s true competitive baptism happens very soon. On September 2, 2026, Malizia 4 will line up in New York to race across the Atlantic Ocean, finishing in Europe by mid-September.
2. The Ocean Race (Starting January 2027)
This is the big one for crewed endurance. Team Malizia will take on the fully-crewed, multi-leg race around the planet. The action kicks off on January 15, 2027, in Alicante, Spain. The team has built an incredible crew lineup for this, including co-skipper Will Harris and standard-setting American sailor Cole Brauer.
3. The Vendée Globe (November 2028)
The ultimate mountain of solo ocean racing. After a series of transatlantic warmups in early 2028 (like the New York Vendée and The Transat CIC), Boris Herrmann will take Malizia 4 out entirely alone for the non-stop, unassisted solo-round-the-world race starting in late 2028.
Beyond just winning trophies, the boat continues Team Malizia’s “A Race We Must Win” mission, featuring onboard scientific sensors to track ocean health and CO2 levels as it circles the globe. Keep your eyes on the Atlantic this September to see what this new machine can really do.
