Oracle Team USA believe they have stumbled on to a kink in the armour of Emirates Team New Zealand, which they intend to exploit when the two syndicates lock horns in the 35th America’s Cup Match, presented by Louis Vuitton.

“They have some serious strengths, they’re going really fast,” Andrew Campbell, the Oracle tactician, said.

“So we’re going to have to make sure we’re optimised for every condition that we go sailing in; that we get our weather calls and configurations right.

“We’re going to need to be as fast as we can so we can catch them if we get behind.

“But they’ve also shown that they’re vulnerable in certain positions on that racetrack in terms of their playbook and their communication. We’re going to make sure we take advantage of those weaknesses.”

The best-of-13 series begins on Saturday and will have two-times defending champions Oracle starting with an advantage. The defender earned the right to have New Zealand start with minus-one points by winning the Louis Vuitton America’s Cup Qualifiers.

“To have those guys go into the Match one down already is a big bonus for us,” Campbell added. “We worked hard for that point.”

Oracle will also go into the series with the mental edge, having swept the two races with the Kiwis during the Qualifiers.

“To beat them in both of those races, not only is there a psychological benefit to us, but there is an actual benefit of a win going into the Match,” he added.

Oracle did not launch their boat into the water yesterday as their sailors had the day off.

However, the same could not be said for Team New Zealand, who took to the Great Sound in their AC50 to fine-tune their boat.

According to reliable sources, the Kiwis’ boat was powered by the same wing sail that was badly damaged in a dramatic pitch-pole during their Challenger Play-off Semi-finals against British challenger Land Rover BAR.

Team New Zealand also sailed with two different sets of rudders.

The Kiwis reached the America’s Cup Match for the second straight time after defeating Artemis Racing 5-2 in the Challenger Play-off Finals this week.

Oracle are gunning for a third straight America’s Cup triumph, while Team New Zealand are seeking redemption after squandering what seemed an impregnable 8-1 lead at the 34th America’s Cup Match in San Francisco in 2013.

“Time will tell when we get out racing, but for sure we’re going to bring a fast boat out to the racetrack on Saturday,” Campbell said.