France’s Groupama opened the gap on the rest of the field in the fourth leg of the Volvo Ocean Race on Wednesday, leaving America’s Puma and Telefonica of Spain battling it out for second place.

By early in the day, Groupama had extended its lead over Puma to 130 nautical miles and the American yacht’s crew was concentrating on fending off the challenge from Telefonica, 30 nautical miles further back.

“There’s not much chance of catching Groupama in the near future,” Puma watch captain Tony Mutter said.

“They are over 100 nautical miles straight ahead… they’re in a very strong position.

“We have 80 per cent of our focus on Telefonica and Camper and the other 20 percent is on the last section and maybe being able to pounce on first place.”

Groupama is about 1,000 nautical miles to Auckland and skipper Franck Cammas was not taking victory for granted with light winds forecast, giving the chasing pack a chance of catching his yacht.

“It’s far from being a highway until the finish line,” he said. “In two days’ time we will have to deal with a transition to light airs and we will be upwind for 400 nautical miles until the north of New Zealand.”

The race set sail from Alicante, Spain, in November and finishes in Galway, Ireland, in July.

The latest leg, which began in Sanya, China, on February 20, is expected to end with the first yachts reaching Auckland on March 10.