Jump to content

2023 Macau Formula 4 Race

Add links
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The 2023 Macau Formula 4 Race, originally named as 2023 Macau Asia Formula 4, was a Formula 4 (F4) motor race that took place on the Guia Circuit in Macau on 12 November 2023 as part of the 2023 Macau Grand Prix meeting. It was the fourth time F4 cars that had been raced in Macau and was an invitational, non-championship round of the 2023 Formula 4 South East Asia Championship. The event itself was made up of two races: a seven-lap qualifying race to set the starting grid for the twelve-lap final race.

A total of 23 drivers and 11 teams were entered into the event. SJM Theodore Prema Racing driver Arvid Lindblad won the event from pole position, having won the qualification race earlier in the day. Lindblad led every lap of the race meeting that was affected by wet-weather conditions in the morning and saw multiple deployments of the safety car for driver crashes. His teammate Charles Leong finished in second place and Rashid Al Dhaheri completed the podium finishers in third position.

Background and entry list[edit]

Layout of the Guia Circuit

Negotiations for the Formula 4 (F4) junior single seater car category to be part of the 2023 Macau Grand Prix meeting took place between the Macau Grand Prix Organizing Committee and the Shanghai-based motor racing championship promoter Top Speed in early 2023.[1][2] There were plans to name the winner of the season-ending F4 Chinese Championship race the Macau Grand Prix victor if a higher single seater category did not form part of the Grand Prix meeting in 2023.[3] It was held as part of the revived 2023 Formula 4 South East Asia Championship instead of being part of the 2023 F4 Chinese Championship as had been the case in the previous three editions of the event,[2][3] and was an invitational, non-championship round.[4][5] The event took place on the 24-turn clockwise 6.120 km (3.803 mi) Guia Circuit in the streets of the Chinese special administrative region of Macau on 12 November following a day of practice and qualifying.[3][4][6] It was the fourth year in a row that Macau held a F4 race after the category was introduced to the event due to COVID-19 restrictions preventing the holding of the Formula Three round.[7][8]

Drivers invited to the race had to be at least 15 years or older (with their date of their birth being binding) and were required to be the holder of a International C or ASN national licence.[5][9] Entries to the race had to be filed between 21 August and 15 September and a maximum of 28 entries were allowed into the event.[9] The entry list of 23 drivers and 11 teams was published on 25 October.[10] Each driver competed in a Tatuus F4-T421 Gen 2 car that was powered by the updated Fiat Abarth F413T turbocharged engine and featured the Halo cockpit protection device.[2][5] Two-time Macau Grand Prix winner Charles Leong were among the drivers who were entered into the race.[8] Martinius Stenshorne, the 2023 Formula Regional European Championship runner-up, returned to F4 racing with the Pinnacle Motorsport/B-MAX Racing team.[11] There were three female drivers in Bianca Bustamante, Miki Koyama and Vivian Siu who competed in the race. Budgetary constraints prevented Andy Chang, the 2022 Macau Grand Prix winner, from entering the event.[12]

Practice and qualifying[edit]

A single 45-minute practice session for drivers to test their cars and become acquainted with the Guia Circuit took place on the morning of 11 November.[6][13][14] Freddie Slater of the SJM Theodore Prema Racing team lapped fastest with a time of 2:30.922 that he set 17 minutes into the session. Stenshorne, Leong, Arvid Lindblad, Jack Beeton, Raphaël Narac, Rashid Al Dhaheri, Kevin Xiao, Ethan Ho and Enzo Yeh followed in positions two to ten.[13] Thomas Leung crashed into the barrier and caused the session to be stopped after seven minutes so his car could be recovered. Liu Kai Shun collided with the wall at the Melco hairpin and broke his front wing. He was hit from behind by Tiago Rodrigues and the resulting traffic jam of three cars forced a second stoppage before it was cleared. A crash by Lindblad at Lisboa corner saw Hadrien David and Yeh drive onto the run-off area to avoid Lindblad's stopped vehicle. Practice ended early with eight minutes remaining after Beeton had earlier struck the Fisherman's Bend corner wall. The bottom of the barriers sustained heavy damage and had to undergo lengthy repairs while Beeton's car had difficulty being removed from the barrier before it was put onto a flatbed truck.[13][15]

The half an hour qualifying session that was held later that afternoon set the qualification race's starting order with each driver's fastest lap times. Drivers who failed to lap within 110 percent of the fastest entrant would not qualify for the event.[6][9] The start of the session was delayed by a quarter of an hour because of a slippery track in the final sector caused by an support race incident.[16] Lindblad took pole position for the qualification race with a lap time of 2:24.293 that he recorded on his last lap. He was joined on the front row by Slater whose best lap was 0.549 seconds slower and he was followed by David in third position. Leong took fourth with a lap time he set late in qualifying while Al Dhaheri secured fifth around the same time period. Beeton was sixth, Narac claimed seventh, Rodrigues qualified eighth and Stenshorne took ninth.[16][17] Ho completed the top ten qualifiers.[16] Bustamante in 11th set her quickest lap at the end of qualifying and was the fastest driver not to qualify in the top ten places.[18] Following her in the final places were Yeh, Liu Kai Shun, Koyama, Kai Daryanani, Xiao, Cheong, Chui Ka Kam, Ryuji "Dragon" Kumita, Marco Lau, Siu, Jaden Pariat and Leung.[16] The final five qualifiers were outside the 110% limit but were allowed to compete in the qualifying race.[19] Daryanani oversteered into the Lisboa corner wall and qualifying was stopped for five minutes after 12 minutes had passed. Stenshorne broke his front-right wheel in an accident in the track's final sector and stopping the session for six minutes. With nine minutes remaining, Narac broke his front wing against the Solitude Esses turn barrier and his car briefly went upwards as it embedded itself into the wall. Qualifying was stopped for 13 minutes because recovery vehicles had to return to their positions for future use, extending the recovery time of Narac's car.[16][17]

Qualifying classification[edit]

Pos. No. Driver Team Time Gap
1 23 United Kingdom Arvid Lindblad Hong Kong SJM Theodore Prema Racing 2:24.293 —
2 27 United Kingdom Freddie Slater Hong Kong SJM Theodore Prema Racing 2:24.842 +0.549
3 2 France Hadrien David France R-ace GP 2:24.883 +0.590
4 11 Macau Charles Leong Hong Kong SJM Theodore Prema Racing 2:25.239 +0.946
5 14 United Arab Emirates Rashid Al Dhaheri Italy Prema Racing 2:25.983 +1.690
6 45 Australia Jack Beeton Australia AGI Sport 2:26.573 +2.280
7 1 France Raphaël Narac France R-ace GP 2:27.219 +2.926
8 7 Macau Tiago Rodrigues China Asia Racing Team 2:27.530 +3.237
9 34 Norway Martinius Stenshorne Republic of Ireland Pinnacle Motorsport 2:27.738 +3.445
10 68 Chinese Taipei Ethan Ho Chinese Taipei Team KRC 2:28.563 +4.270
11 19 Philippines Bianca Bustamante Hong Kong BlackArts Racing 2:28.733 +4.440
12 77 Italy Enzo Yeh China Asia Racing Team 2:29.319 +5.026
13 72 Hong Kong Liu Kai Shun Republic of Ireland Pinnacle Motorsport 2:29.765 +5.472
14 8 Japan Miki Koyama Japan Super License 2:30.150 +5.857
15 88 India Kai Daryanani Republic of Ireland Pinnacle Motorsport 2:30.184 +5.891
16 96 China Kevin Xiao China Asia Racing Team 2:30.602 +6.309
17 4 Macau Marcus Cheong China Asia Racing Team 2:33.814 +9.521
18 16 Hong Kong Chui Ka Kam China CHAMP Motorsport 2:38.325 +14.032
110% time: 2:38.722
19 30 Japan "Dragon" Japan B-Max Racing Team 2:39.683 +15.390
20 53 Hong Kong Marco Lau Hong Kong H-Star Racing 2:44.202 +19.909
21 28 Hong Kong Vivian Siu China CHAMP Motorsport 2:47.384 +23.091
22 5 India Jaden Pariat Hong Kong BlackArts Racing No Time —
23 22 Hong Kong Thomas Leung Hong Kong H-Star Racing No Time —
Source:[20]

Qualifying race[edit]

The qualifying race to set the main race's starting order began at 08:00 local time on 12 November and was scheduled to last eight laps.[6][9] That morning saw rain and winds affect Macau,[21] making the track sodden with standing water and a lack of grip.[18][22] Race organisers allowed the drivers to perform additional sighter laps to allow them to assess the conditions,[23] and the decision was made not to begin the race with a standing start but to have the first two laps held under safety car conditions because of the weather and the large amount of spray,[21][22] which caused difficulty in judging braking and turning into corners when the lap started and ended as water could accumulate from being drained from other parts of the track.[24] At the beginning of the second lap, Liu spun into the barriers on the pit lane straight, damaging his front wing.[21][22] Liu stopped his car against the wall at Reservoir Bend corner,[22] extending the safety car period by one lap as it was tended to.[21] The safety car led the field through the pit lane at the conclusion of the second lap and was withdrawn at the end of the following lap, during which time some water was removed from the circuit and spray levels decreased.[21]

Racing commenced at the start of lap four, with Lindblad leading Slater and David (who avoided an accident when he regained control of his car's loose rear at Fisherman's Bend turn and almost lost third place to Leong) and pulled away from the rest of the field.[19][21][22] Daryanani retired after colliding with the R Bend turn barrier before he could cross the start/finish line, prompting the safety car's second deployment. Every driver was required to again drive through the pit lane to allow for the recovery of Daryanani's stranded vehicle.[19][22] After Daryanani's car was removed from the track,[23] the race restarted on lap six and was again led by Lindblad from Slater and David.[22] Lindblad pulled away from his teammate Slater as the following drivers took different lines through the first sector to avoid being hindered by spray.[21][23] David made a driver error while under pressure from Leong and crashed into the barrier at the exit of Dona Maria corner on the same lap. This promoted Leong to third and the safety car was deployed for the third and final time on lap seven.[19][22] During the safety car period, Stenshorne stopped on track at San Francisco Hill because of a mechanical issue and did not restart until the whole field had passed him.[21][22]

The race ended under safety car conditions because of the expiration of the time limit and Lindblad led every lap of the qualification race to secure victory that would ensure he would start the main race from pole position.[21][22][24] Slater finished in second place, 0.758 seconds behind. Leong completed the podium finishers in third position. Al Dhaheri, Beeto and Ho finished in positions four through six. Narac sustained damage to his car's front wing and was shown the black and orange flag on the final lap. As this was the case, he could not enter the pit lane for repairs but he finished in seventh place.[21][22] The final classified finishers were Rodrigues, Bustamante and Yeh, Koyama, Xiao, Chui, Cheong, Leung, Dragon, Siu and Lau;[25] Siu and Lau received drive-through penalties that were converted into 30-second time penalties and these were added to their total race times, dropping them to 17th and 18th positions, respectively.[19]

Qualifying race classification[edit]

Pos No. Driver Team Laps Time/Retired Grid
1 23 United Kingdom Arvid Lindblad Hong Kong SJM Theodore Prema Racing 7 25:39.046 1
2 27 United Kingdom Freddie Slater Hong Kong SJM Theodore Prema Racing 7 +0.758 2
3 11 Macau Charles Leong Hong Kong SJM Theodore Prema Racing 7 +1.628 4
4 14 United Arab Emirates Rashid Al Dhaheri Italy Prema Racing 7 +2.663 5
5 45 Australia Jack Beeton Australia AGI Sport 7 +3.405 6
6 68 Chinese Taipei Ethan Ho Chinese Taipei Team KRC 7 +5.913 10
7 1 France Raphaël Narac France R-ace GP 7 +53.246 7
8 7 Macau Tiago Rodrigues China Asia Racing Team 7 +53.699 8
9 19 Philippines Bianca Bustamante Hong Kong BlackArts Racing 7 +54.869 11
10 77 Italy Enzo Yeh China Asia Racing Team 7 +55.712 12
11 8 Japan Miki Koyama Japan Super License 7 +56.977 14
12 96 China Kevin Xiao China Asia Racing Team 7 +57.537 16
13 16 Hong Kong Chui Ka Kam China CHAMP Motorsport 7 +59.950 18
14 4 Macau Marcus Cheong China Asia Racing Team 7 +1:01.616 17
15 22 Hong Kong Thomas Leung Hong Kong H-Star Racing 7 +1:05.809 22
16 30 Japan "Dragon" Japan B-Max Racing Team 7 +1:09.367 19
17 28 Hong Kong Vivian Siu China CHAMP Motorsport 7 +1:35.309 21
18 53 Hong Kong Marco Lau Hong Kong H-Star Racing 7 +1:58.554 20
NC 34 Norway Martinius Stenshorne Republic of Ireland Pinnacle Motorsport 7 +1:42.043 9
Ret 2 France Hadrien David France R-ace GP 5 Accident 3
Ret 88 India Kai Daryanani Republic of Ireland Pinnacle Motorsport 2 Accident 15
Ret 29 Hong Kong Liu Kaishun Republic of Ireland Pinnacle Motorsport 1 Accident 13
Fastest lap: Arvid Lindblad, 2:40.400, 85.3 mph (137.3 km/h), on lap 6
Source:[25]

Final race[edit]

The 12-lap final race began 29 minutes later than its scheduled start time of 15:40 local time on 12 November.[6][9][26] Conditions on the grid were dry before the race following an improvement in the weather conditions although there were some patches of dust laid on the circuit to dry spilled oil.[26][27] Lindblad held off a challenge by his teammate Slater to get past on the outside into the braking zone for Lisboa corner that caused his teammate to turn into the corner later than usual despite locking his tyres and weaving left and right to attempt to get the latter out of his slipstream.[19][26] Behind them, Koyama lost control of her car into Lisboa corner.[27] She spun into the outside tyre barrier, causing the rear of her vehicle to bounce back onto the track and block the outside line. Bustamante was unsighted and collided with Koyama's rear before Xiao lightly hit Bustamante.[18][19][26] Cheong and David had to stop before continuing because their paths were impeded,[22] and the safety car was deployed to allow officials to clear the accident scene.[28]

At the lap three restart, Slater pressured Lindblad for the race lead until an suspect electronic control unit fault in his car in the centre of the Solitude Esses caused him to drop to the rear of the field.[19][22][28] This promoted Leong to second, Al Dhaheri to third and Beeton to fourth.[22] Stenshorne had moved from 19th place to seventh after an overtake on Rodrigues on the fourth lap before the safety car was deployed for the second time when Lau crashed at Paiol corner and dropped oil on the circuit.[22][26] The dropped oil on the track meant that the safety car was deployed for three laps before the race was resumed on lap eight.[19] Lindblad maintained the lead once again and was briefly challenged by Leong in second before Leong came under pressure from Al Dhaheri in third due to a lack of pace, allowing Lindblad to pull away to be 2.7 seconds ahead by the end of lap nine.[26][28][29] David had overtaken Daryanani and Chui to move into tenth position.[19]

Leung collided with Liu on the drive to Lisboa corner, sending the latter into the outside wall.[19][26] The safety car was not deployed for the accident,[26] but rather yellow flags were waved at Lisboa turn, preventing drivers from performing overtakes there.[22][29] Stenshorne crashed against the Fisherman's Bend turn barrier, removing his front wing on the straight and promoting ever driver behind him up a position.[19][26] On lap ten, Xiao had an accident against the wall at Dona Maria corner, prompting the safety car's third and final deployment.[28] The race concluded under safety car conditions,[26] so Lindblad won the race, having led every lap of the race weekend.[30] Leong finished 0.274 seconds behind in second and Al Dhaheri was third.[26] Beeton finished fourth, ahead of Ho, Rodrigues, David, Yeh, Slater and Daryanani.[22] The final finishers were Chui, Cheong, Dragon and Siu;[26] Narac retired on lap ten from eighth position with car damage.[19][26]

Final race classification[edit]

Pos No. Driver Team Laps Time/Retired Grid
1 23 United Kingdom Arvid Lindblad Hong Kong SJM Theodore Prema Racing 12 37:28.517 1
2 11 Macau Charles Leong Hong Kong SJM Theodore Prema Racing 12 +0.274 3
3 14 United Arab Emirates Rashid Al Dhaheri Italy Prema Racing 12 +0.992 4
4 45 Australia Jack Beeton Australia AGI Sport 12 +1.177 5
5 68 Chinese Taipei Ethan Ho Chinese Taipei Team KRC 12 +2.666 6
6 7 Macau Tiago Rodrigues China Asia Racing Team 12 +3.560 8
7 2 France Hadrien David France R-ace GP 12 +3.807 20
8 77 Italy Enzo Yeh China Asia Racing Team 12 +4.236 10
9 27 United Kingdom Freddie Slater Hong Kong SJM Theodore Prema Racing 12 +4.527 2
10 88 India Kai Daryanani Republic of Ireland Pinnacle Motorsport 12 +5.812 21
11 16 Hong Kong Chui Ka Kam China CHAMP Motorsport 12 +6.571 13
12 4 Macau Marcus Cheong China Asia Racing Team 12 +7.334 14
13 30 Japan "Dragon" Japan B-Max Racing Team 12 +29.607 16
14 28 Hong Kong Vivian Siu China CHAMP Motorsport 12 +2:02.952 17
Ret 1 France Raphaël Narac France R-ace GP 10 Accident 7
Ret 96 China Kevin Xiao China Asia Racing Team 9 Accident 12
Ret 34 Norway Martinius Stenshorne Republic of Ireland Pinnacle Motorsport 8 Accident 19
Ret 72 Hong Kong Liu Kai Shun Republic of Ireland Pinnacle Motorsport 7 Accident 22
Ret 22 Hong Kong Thomas Leung Hong Kong H-Star Racing 7 Accident 15
Ret 53 Hong Kong Marco Lau Hong Kong H-Star Racing 3 Accident 18
Ret 19 Philippines Bianca Bustamante Hong Kong BlackArts Racing 0 Accident 9
Ret 8 Japan Miki Koyama Japan Super License 0 Accident 11
Fastest lap: Arvid Lindblad, 2:24.791, 94.5 mph (152.1 km/h), on lap 10
Source:[31]

References[edit]

  1. ^ Simmons, Marcus (9 March 2023). "F3 could headline Macau 'junior single-seater festival'". Autosport. Retrieved 16 February 2024.
  2. ^ a b c Marques, Renato (30 August 2023). "F4 SEA to replace F4 Chinese Championship in this year's GP". Macau Daily Times. Retrieved 16 February 2024.
  3. ^ a b c Wood, Ida (25 February 2023). "The 2023 Macau GP is being planned to take place over two weekends". Formula Scout. Retrieved 16 February 2024.
  4. ^ a b "Macau Grand Prix invitational highlight of revitalized F4 South East Asia Championship". Formula 4 South East Asia Championship. 21 August 2023. Retrieved 16 February 2024.
  5. ^ a b c "Formula 4 Driver Guide 2023 – Macau GP Support Race" (PDF). Eurasia Motorsport. July 2023. pp. 2, 4–7, 9. Retrieved 16 February 2024.
  6. ^ a b c d e "70th Macau Grand Prix – Official Programme" (PDF). Macau Grand Prix Organizing Committee. November 2023. pp. 09, 15–16. Archived (PDF) from the original on 27 January 2024. Retrieved 16 February 2024.
  7. ^ "F4's retention in GP programme gains support". Macau Business. MNA International. 12 November 2023. Retrieved 16 February 2024.
  8. ^ a b Marques, Renato (10 November 2023). "Added excitement anticipated for this year's F4 race". Macau Daily Times. Retrieved 16 February 2024.
  9. ^ a b c d e "70th Macau Grand Prix - 11th-12 November 2023 - Macau Formula 4 Race - Sporting Regulations" (PDF). Automobile General Association Macao-China. 12 October 2023. pp. 3, 5–6, 23, 32–33. Retrieved 16 February 2024.
  10. ^ Wood, Ida (25 October 2023). "Prema to go up against top Asian teams in F4 SEA's Macau races". Paddock Scout. Retrieved 16 February 2024.
  11. ^ Wood, Ida (7 November 2023). "FREC runner-up Martinius Stenshorne to enter Macau's F4 races". Formula Scout. Retrieved 16 February 2024.
  12. ^ "70º Grande Prémio | Corrida de Macau de Fórmula 4: A prata da casa" [70th Grand Prix | Macau Formula 4 Race: The silver of the house]. Hoje Macau (in Portuguese). 10 November 2023. Retrieved 16 February 2024.
  13. ^ a b c Wood, Ida (11 November 2023). "Slater fastest, Lindblad crashes in F4 SEA practice on streets of Macau". Formula Scout. Retrieved 16 February 2024.
  14. ^ Dias, Erico (12 November 2023). "Here are the highlights from day one of the 2023 Macau Grand Prix". Macao News. Retrieved 17 February 2024.
  15. ^ "Macau Grand Prix Gets Underway with Free Practice". Macau Grand Prix Organizing Committee. 11 November 2023. Retrieved 16 February 2024.
  16. ^ a b c d e Wood, Ida (11 November 2023). "Red Bull junior Lindblad claims F4 pole in chaotic Macau qualifying". Formula Scout. Retrieved 16 February 2024.
  17. ^ a b "Lindblad scores pole for first Macau Formula 4 Race". Macau Grand Prix Organizing Committee. 11 November 2023. Retrieved 16 February 2024.
  18. ^ a b c Yu, Steven (17 November 2023). "Bianca Bustamente Faces Heartbreak at Macau After Strong Debut". C! Magazine. Retrieved 11 June 2024.
  19. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m "近期比赛回顾：澳门F4林德布拉德获胜，梁瀚昭亚军；西班牙F4德利尼黑旗罚下，奈尔加冕" [Recent competition review: Macau F4 Lindblad won, Liang Hanzhao was runner-up; Spanish F4 Delini was sent off with a black flag, and Nair was crowned]. Bilibili (in Chinese). 12 November 2023. Retrieved 10 June 2024.
  20. ^ "Macau Formula 4 Race - Qualifying - Official Classification" (PDF). Macau Grand Prix Organizing Committee. 11 November 2023. Retrieved 4 December 2023.
  21. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Wood, Ida (12 November 2023). "Arvid Lindblad wins wet and wild F4 SEA qualification race in Macau". Formula Scout. Retrieved 10 June 2024.
  22. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q "Arvid Lindblad wins F4 South East Asia Invitational at Macau Grand Prix". Formula 4 South East Asia Championship. 12 November 2023. Retrieved 10 June 2024.
  23. ^ a b c "Lindblad wins wet Formula 4 Qualifying Race in Macao". Macau Grand Prix Organizing Committee. 11 November 2023. Retrieved 10 June 2024.
  24. ^ a b Wood, Ida (12 November 2023). "Lindblad: "Macau in the dry is difficult enough", and "bit sketchy" in wet". Formula Scout. Retrieved 10 June 2024.
  25. ^ a b "Macau Formula 4 Race - Qualifying Race - Official Classification" (PDF). Macau Grand Prix Organizing Committee. 12 November 2023. Retrieved 4 December 2023.
  26. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m Wood, Ida (11 November 2023). "Red Bull junior Arvid Lindblad takes another Macau win in F4 main race". Formula Scout. Retrieved 11 June 2024.
  27. ^ a b Dias, Erico (12 November 2023). "Here are the highlights from day two of the 2023 Macau Grand Prix". Macao News. Retrieved 11 June 2024.
  28. ^ a b c d "Victory for Lindblad in Macau Formula 4 Race". Macau Grand Prix Organizing Committee. 11 November 2023. Retrieved 11 June 2024.
  29. ^ a b Santos Filipe, João (13 November 2023). "70º Grande Prémio | Arvid Lindblad vence corrida de Fórmula 4". Hoje Macau (in Portuguese). Retrieved 11 June 2024.
  30. ^ Wood, Ida (13 November 2023). "Macau F4 winner Lindblad "gutted" he can't join this weekend's F3 races". Formula Scout. Retrieved 11 June 2024.
  31. ^ "Macau Formula 4 Race - Final Race - Official Classification" (PDF). Macau Grand Prix Organizing Committee. 12 November 2023. Retrieved 5 December 2023.
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=2023_Macau_Formula_4_Race&oldid=1228528913"