Written by Jiya Mahapatra, Edited by Sharifah Zaqreeztrina
The Macau Grand Prix is back! In the past, Macau has been a prestigious location of many Formula 3 races. Unfortunately, due to Covid-19 restrictions, it had been cancelled for a few years.
Thankfully, it returned in 2023, and to mark its 70th anniversary, organisers have expanded the event into an extravaganza that will span over two weekends. It will also feature other motorsport series including Formula 4, MotoGP, and the GT World Cup.
All of these events will be taking place at the majestic Guia Circuit, a 6.120-kilometre street-circuit in the heart of Macau. A historic track that hasn’t been modified since 1957, it consists of several exciting sectors such as the Lisboa bend, which offers a number of overtaking opportunities at the end of the main straight.
The F4 race took place last Sunday, and it was a competition to remember. Red Bull junior driver Arvid Lindblad took the victory, with his Theodore Racing teammate Charles Leong finishing beside him in P2.
It was a gripping event, with Lindblad being chased by Freddie Slater for the entire race. Full of crashes and drama, the race ended up including three safety cars, with Lindblad sealing the victory following the third.
In his post race interview, he described how “In the main race, I knew it was going to be difficult at the start and on the restarts, so I tried to manage them well. I could have done a better job, but I managed to hold on.” He also showed his admiration for the celebrated track itself, stating that “It’s such a historical track, an amazing place, an amazing event, and the first street circuit for me, so I’m over the moon with the result.”
The F4 event had also received a lot of publicity a couple of weeks prior, following the announcement that the newest addition to the McLaren Driver Development Programme, Bianca Bustamante, would be participating.
Sadly for her, it was not the day that she was hoping for. Her race concluded after Miki Koyama of Arnage Racing flew into the wall at Lisboa, leaving Bustamante with nowhere to go, and ended up with a disappointing DNF.
The Macau Grand Prix also featured a number of GT Cup races, such as the GT Cup GT3, where Hong Kong’s Darryl O’Young claimed pole position after an intense qualifying session. He managed to add Macau to his tally of wins, after scraping past the finish line just ahead of Lamborghini's Ling Kang.
Although all of these races are monumental, the highlight of the event is the F3 Grand Prix that will be held this upcoming Sunday. Despite the fact that it will not count for championship points, a number of teams are participating, including Campos Racing, ART Grand Prix, Trident Motorsport and more.
The qualifying round taking place the day before will consist of 10 laps, while the final race will be a thrilling dash of 15 laps. It’s certainly a race to look forward to!