Great Britain’s bid for a first America’s Cup win came to an end as New Zealand defended their crown with a 7-2 victory in Barcelona.
Ben Ainslie's Ineos Britannia team made the worst possible start to the best-of-seven series, losing the first four races, but they cut the deficit to 4-2 and threatened an extraordinary comeback.
However, two wins for New Zealand on Friday left Great Britain, competing in the final for the first time in 60 years, needing a miracle and one was not forthcoming, the defending champions sealing the win in the first race on Saturday.
"Firstly, I've got to say a huge well done to Team New Zealand," British captain Ainslie said.
"What an amazing campaign and team. In my view, they are the best team ever in the America's Cup.
"To our team, I just can't say enough thanks to everyone for all the effort they've put in over the years to get us this far. We had our moments in the finals but, at the end of the day, the better team won."
He added: "This isn't going to be the end of the journey for us. We set out 10 years ago to win the America's Cup [and] we're getting closer each time.
"The trick is to keep going and get it home next time."
