By Alexander Smith BARCELONA, Spain (Reuters) -Italy recovered from a high-speed nosedive in their first race against Britain on Tuesday, bouncing back in strong winds in the second to level the series in what both teams are framing as a "fight" to become the America's Cup challenger.

Luna Rossa recovered from a dramatic, high-speed nosedive during the first race against Britannia, bouncing back in the second.

Britain capitalized on an Italian misstep in the America's Cup challenger series to take a 3-2 lead. In the race held off Barcelona, the British team took an early lead after the Italians momentarily lost control of their boat's rudder.

Italy's AC75 boat took a dramatic, high-speed nosedive during the latest race against Britain in their America's Cup challengers clash on Tuesday, damaging their carbon fibre decking and handing their opponents a win and 4-3 lead.

British co-helm Dylan Fletcher said he feared “someone might have been killed” had Ineos Britannia not taken evasive action during Sunday’s controversial loss to Luna Rossa, which allowed the Italians to draw level at 2-2 in the Louis Vuitton Cup final.

Britain and Italy are neck-and-neck in the America's Cup challenger series, both aiming to face New Zealand in the final. The series stands tied at 3-3, with both teams experiencing thrilling high-speed races and tackling challenging Mediterranean conditions off Barcelona.