Macau Grand Prix: Slater Takes Provisional Pole, F4 Drivers Make History
The 72nd Macau Grand Prix is underway, with Freddie Slater securing the provisional pole position for the FIA FR World Cup's Qualification Race on Saturday. As Slater celebrates his early advantage in the pursuit of Macau Grand Prix glory, 19 young stars from around the globe are making history in the inaugural FIA F4 World Cup, marking the first track action for this entry-level category.
This exciting addition to the Macau Grand Prix schedule is a significant milestone for the FIA's global development pathway. It provides a unique opportunity for the next generation of single-seater drivers to gain valuable experience on the iconic yet challenging 6.120-kilometre Guia Circuit at an early stage in their careers. It's also a chance to familiarize themselves with Macau's street track before advancing to the FIA FR World Cup in future seasons.
In the FIA F4 World Cup, Kean Nakamura-Berta from Britain emerged as the quickest driver in Free Practice 1, which was disrupted by three red flags. The first red flag was caused by Fionn McLaughlin, the British F4 champion, who had to park up on the approach to the Lisboa corner early in the 40-minute session. Crashes involving Alexandre Munoz, the 2024 French F4 title winner, and Yuzhe Wang, a Chinese F4 contender, also led to red-flag interruptions. Emanuele Olivieri from Italy and Gino Trappa from Argentina, the 2024 F4 CEZ champion, completed the top three behind Nakamura-Berta.
The FIA F4 competitors will return to the track for Free Practice 2 on Friday at 09:15 local time.
In the FIA GT World Cup, Laurens Vanthor set a best lap of 2m16.451s to top the first practice session. However, he crashed while exiting the Mandarin kink, which is typically taken at speeds exceeding 270kph, resulting in red flags. Vanthor was uninjured, but his car sustained significant damage, preventing him from participating in Free Practice 2. His teammate, Alessio Picariello, clocked the fastest time of 2m15.966s, followed by Raffaele Marciello (ROWE Racing BMW) and Sheldon van der Linde (Team WRT BMW). Qualifying Q1 for the FIA GT World Cup runners is scheduled for 15:40 local time on Friday, followed by the first-ever Qualifying Q2 'Super Pole' shootout.
Michel Azona and his BRC Hyundai N Squadra Corse teammate, Norbert Michelisz, were the fastest in Kumho FIA TCR World Tour Free Practice 1 and 2, respectively. Yann Ehrlacher, the points leader, was second fastest in both sessions for Lynk & Co Cyan Racing. Qualifying for the FIA TCR World Tour is set for 12:10 local time on Friday.
Freddie Slater, who drives for SJM Theodore PREMA Racing, insists that the job is not yet done in the FIA FR World Cup. After claiming the provisional pole position, Slater stated that the job is only half-done. A crash by Hiyu Yamakoshi at the Lisboa corner brought out red flags with 10 minutes remaining, just after Enzo Deligny had gone faster. A second red flag followed with five minutes left to clear Reza Seewooruthun's stricken car, giving all drivers one final chance to improve their positions.
Slater delivered a perfect lap, demoting Deligny to second by 0.308s, with Mari Boya completing the top three. Slater's effort of 2m15.708s was significantly faster than Ugo Ugochukwu's 2m19.107s, set during the qualifying for the inaugural FIA FR World Cup in 2024. However, the grid for the Qualification Race will be determined after Qualifying Q2 from 14:30 tomorrow.
Slater commented, 'It wasn't the easiest last couple of laps, especially with that last red flag. Everybody was pretty tight, and I had to adapt on the last lap, feeling the grip corner by corner, which improved throughout the lap. I had to deliver, but there's another practice and qualifying tomorrow, so nothing's done yet.'
Taito Kato, who was fastest in Free Practice 1 for Van Amersfoort Racing, emerged as the top rookie in eighth place.
The Macau Grand Prix is a celebration of motorsport passion, a spectacular season finale for single-seater, GT, and touring car drivers from various championships worldwide, testing their skills on the most demanding circuits. It has also long been a proving ground for rising stars in the sport and a significant event in the Asia-Pacific region, inspiring future generations of drivers and fans.
This year marks a decade since the Macau Grand Prix has featured designated FIA World Cup races across different disciplines. The three FIA World Cup events will be streamed and free live on the FIA's official YouTube channel (https://www.youtube.com/FIAOfficialVideo).
