2025 Macau Grand Prix Recap

In its 72nd edition, the Macau Grand Prix comprised seven categories, offering the public an interesting selection of motorsport events | Credit: MGPOC

The tales of the 72nd Macau Grand Prix

Reaffirming its status as one of the most difficult and technical races on the planet, the Macau Grand Prix did not disappoint in 2025. Providing the public with its traditional package of action and unpredictability (plus some spectacular accidents!), the GP maintained its crown as the jewel of motorsport in the East for another year.

Below, check some of the highlights of the 72nd edition of the race, which saw old and new names shine on the streets of the former Portuguese colony.

FIA FRegional World Cup

The big winner in Macau in 2025, the french rising star Théophile Naël | Credit: FIA

The big event of the weekend would certainly be the one featuring the Formula Regional cars, which, for the second consecutive year, would bear the burden of the Grand Prix itself.

There were high expectations for good battles in the race, especially due to the interesting level of the grid – among which were several F4, FRegional and F3 race and tournament winners – which were duly fulfilled by the race.

The weekend itself began with a spectacular performance from the British prospect Freddie Slater (SJM Theodore Prema Racing), who won the Qualifying Race on Saturday. Starting second in the race, Slater quickly overtook pole-sitter Théophile Naël (KCMG Motorsport) before turn 1, never to lose that position. The Briton would have a smooth race, which would guarantee him pole position for Sunday's featured event, followed by Mari Boya (KCMG Motorsport) and Naël.

Starting from pole position, this time it would be Slater's turn to face the challenge of holding off the grid's momentum at the start of the race – and, like Naël on Saturday, the driver wouldn't withstand the pressure for long. In a decisive move, Boya took the lead from Slater before the end of the first sector, positioning himself in the lead at the critical Lisboa corner.

Further back, Enzo Deligny (R-ace GP) overtook Naël for third place, in a clean and interesting French duel for the last podium position. Both drivers constantly swapped positions in the following laps, providing an intense confrontation for the public.

In the tricky Macau circuit, consistency and strategic play are decisive factors in the final result | Credit: MGPOC

Meanwhile, Slater regained the top spot at the start of lap 3, maintaining that position until lap 10, when, on a restart (after Charlie Wurz's collision at the Lisboa corner), Boya again relegated the British driver to second.

Trying to recover ground against the Spaniard, Slater made a fateful mistake: entering the R Bend too fast the driver crashed into the outside barriers of the corner, substantially damaging the rear suspension of his Tatuus. That was the end of the race for the Englishman, who, for yet another year, saw his ambitions in Macau slip through his fingers.

The accident triggered another yellow flag, which caused the final twist in the race. At the restart, Naël took the lead from Boya, with the Frenchman finally consolidating his position at the top after a series of yellow flags on the penultimate lap of the event.

There was no more time for restarts, with Théophile Naël being crowned the winner of the 2025 Macau GP. Rounding out the top-3 were Mari Boya and Enzo Deligny.

FIA GT World Cup

Adding another trophy to his personal collection, Fuoco took home the victory in the GT World Cup | Credit: Ferrari S.p.A.

If the FRegional event was marked by moments of brilliance from several drivers, it can be said that the opposite was true in the event reserved for GT cars, with the name of the weekend being just one: Antonio Fuoco.

The AF Corse SRL driver started the category's disputes with a bang, winning the qualifying race with his Ferrari 296 GT3, held on Saturday. Starting in pole position, the Italian had no problem holding off an initial offensive from second-placed Ye Yifei (Harmony Racing), leading from start to finish the event that would determine the starting order for the category's featured event.

On Sunday, the story would be very similar for Fuoco: again in pole position, the Italian quickly consolidated his place at the top of the standings, relegating the fight for the remaining podium positions to the rest of the pack. After a good race on Saturday, Ye Yifei was unable to repeat his performance, dropping to fifth position by the end of the first lap.

A highlight of the early stages of Sunday's race was the performance of two-time GT World Cup champion Raffaele Marciello, who jumped from fourth to second position. The Swiss driver, driving Rowe´s Racing BMW M4 GT3 (Evo) proved to be the main threat to Fuoco's ambitions in Macau, putting in some good laps around the treacherous Guia circuit.

Fuoco's Ferrari proved unbeatable on the streets of Macau, with the Italian exploiting every meter and centimeter of the Guia circuit to his advantage | Credit: MGPOC

But Marciello's initial attack was promptly contained by Fuoco, who gradually increased the gap between the two contenders. In the second half of the race, having already established a three-second advantage over Marciello, it was clear that Fuoco would only have to drive steadily to take home the 2025 GT World Cup trophy.

For Marciello, the situation seemed a little more complicated, as third-placed Laurin Heinrich (Schumacher CLRT, Porsche 911 GT3 R) became a constant presence in the Rowe Racing driver's rearview mirror. But the Swiss driver's experience on the streets of Macau would be a decisive factor in this duel, with a solid performance guaranteeing him second place until the checkered flag.

In the end, Fuoco crossed the finish line 3.960 seconds ahead of Marciello, thus securing the first victory for an Italian driver and brand in the history of the GT World Cup. For the Swiss driver, the margin over his pursuer would be slightly narrower, with only half a second separating him from third-placed Heinrich.

The other events of the weekend

Perhaps the biggest surprise of the weekend, Jules Roussel was the winner of the F4 race | Credit: FIA

FIA F4 World Cup: Promoting complete dominance by French drivers in open-wheelers in Macau over the weekend, Jules Roussel took home the FIA ​​F4 World Cup trophy. The driver faced strong initial competition from Emanuele Olivieri (who finished second) and Rayan Caretti (who crashed on lap eight), but the momentum of his rivals was contained by a solid performance from the 2025 French F4 runner-up.

Kumho FIA TCR World Tour: With two completely different podiums, the TCR events were marked by surprises and historic moments. Race 1 was marked by an intense battle between BRC Hyundai Squadra Corse drivers Néstor Girolami and Mikel Azcona, with the Argentinian Girolami coming out on top by just 0.5 seconds. The 63rd edition of the Macau Guia Race, which represented the Race 2 of the category, was marked by a show from Josh Buchan of HMO Customer Racing, who became the first Australian driver to win a Touring car race in Macau.

Greater Bay Area GT Cup: Despite starting third on the grid, Team Pegasus driver Welong Lu defied all odds and took home the victory in the final race of the SRO GT Cup. Driving a Lotus Emira, the driver had a marvelous race, leaving Linchao Han (Toyota Gazoo Racing China, GR Supra GT4 Evo2) in second place and Kai Shun Liu (Team Pegasus, Lotus Emira) in third.

Macau Roadsport Challenge: Lou Cheok In, driving a Toyota GR86 for LW World Racing Team, took the victory in the category, ahead of the GR86 of Jeronimo Belem Badaraco (SON VENG Racing Team) and the Subaru BRZ of Leong Keng Hei, representing the colors of Spark Racing.

Macau Motorcycle Grand Prix: the name of the weekend in the 57th Macau Motorcycle GP was Davey Todd. A veteran of Superbike and the Isle of Man TT, the Briton had a spectacular weekend in Macau, winning the pole position and the victory in the event for the two wheels machines. Guiding the Zeeco BMW Motorrad BMW M1000RR, Todd was joined on the podium by teammate Peter Hickman and Erno Kostamo (BMW M1000RR, Racing for Inclusion by RVS).