Marciello converted victory in Saturday’s qualification race, clinching the Pirelli Pole Position Award, to a win in Sunday’s main 16-lap race despite a safety car period.

The Formula 3 World Cup was interrupted halfway through the 15 laps by a lengthy red flag period for barrier repairs, but Hitech driver Luke Browning was the star of the weekend after winning the qualification race and dominating the action on Sunday. The Williams Driver Academy member, who finished 15^th in his rookie season of Formula 3 this year, joins an illustrious list of former Macau winners – several of whom went on to become Formula 1 champions.  

MATTEO BRAGA, CIRCUIT ACTIVITY MANAGER
“Having four different brands in the top four of the FIA GT World Cup underlines the adaptability of our Pirelli P Zero DHF tyres to different cars and circumstances. It’s been four years since we were last here in Macau, due to Covid-19 restrictions, and during that time we have cycled through two different generations of tyres – yet the teams were able to quickly understand how to extract the best performance from the DHF on this unique track. Exactly the same was true for Formula 3, where the tyre we developed for the international championship proved to be very well-suited to the specialised demands of the Macau circuit as well, thanks also to the data collected throughout the season. We received a very warm welcome from all the fans and media here in Macau, underlining the outstanding popularity of this iconic venue, and we already look forward coming back next year.”

FIA GT WORLD CUP
The 20 GT3 cars all used Pirelli’s P Zero DHF tyres, as run on a variety of GT cars in championships all over the world: providing direct technology transfer to the ultra high performance P Zero tyres seen on the road.
Marciello, the GT winner in 2019 as well, said: “We’ve used Pirelli tyres all year and they have always given us plenty of success. This weekend was no different, but the track was even quicker, right from the very first sessions. Tyre degradation wasn’t an issue; we’re obviously used to doing much longer stints on these tyres.”

FORMULA 3 WORLD CUP
The 26 Formula 3 cars used the medium-compound P Zero tyres, also seen on this year’s FIA Formula 3 Championship. These were well-suited to the rapid Macau Guia circuit, providing an ideal compromise between durability and grip throughout the 6.120-kilometre lap. “Pirelli did a really good job”, commented Browning. “It was really enjoyable to feel the grip and the medium compound was perfect for the conditions. It was a difficult race to manage with all the restarts and safety cars, but it feels truly humbling to seal this result and join the incredible list of past winners.”

NEXT RACE
The 70^th Macau Grand Prix took place during the same weekend as Formula 1 in Las Vegas (which concludes its 2023 season next weekend) as well as the final round of the World Rally Championship in Japan. As all these Pirelli-equipped series draw to a close, the GT season continues at the Gulf 12 Hours in Abu Dhabi on December 10: part of the 350 motorsport competitions that Pirelli contests each year.

The list of previous winners underlines the event’s reputation: since the FIA GT World Cup was inaugurated eight years ago the victors have included GT champions such as Raffaele Marciello and Augusto Farfus, while the Formula 3 race – which dates back to 1983 – has Formula 1 multiple world champions such as Ayrton Senna and Michael Schumacher as previous holders of the trophy.

THE COMPETITORS
This unique history, combined with the incredible challenge of the 6.120-kilometre circuit, makes Macau an emblematic event on the world stage. A total of five different manufacturers will contest the GT category – although a non-German manufacturer is yet to win – while the Formula 3 race uses the same specification of car as seen on the F1 support race package this year.

Pirelli has years of experience in both categories, having supplied the FIA Formula 3 Championship since 2019 (as well as the GP3 Series since 2010), and making its debut in what was then known as the FIA GT Championship in the mid-2000s.

PIRELLI ALL OVER THE WORLD
The 70^th Macau Grand Prix weekend from November 18-19 is one of the busiest that Pirelli will experience all year, with the Formula 1 team marking its return to Las Vegas for the first time since 1982, while the World Rally Championship squad is in action at the season-closer in Japan. At the same time, Pirelli showcases both GT3 and Formula 3 in Macau at one of the most demanding events of the year: part of more than 340 championships that the Italian firm is involved in worldwide, on both two and four wheels.

THE CIRCUIT
The Macau Guia street circuit is well-known as one of the most fearsome tracks in the history of motorsport, thanks to its combination of flat-out straights and twisty sections up in the hills. Being a street track, the barriers are close and the grip is variable: there are also some incredibly narrow sections such as the Melco hairpin, which is only seven metres wide. Add in the chance of changeable weather, and it’s easy to see just why Macau has written itself into the history books.

THE TYRES AND SCHEDULE
The 21 GT3 cars will use the tried and trusted Pirelli P Zero DHF tyres that have been successfully raced all around the world in America, Asia, Europe, and Australia throughout 2023, in national championships as well as the GT World Challenge and the DTM. This tyre was introduced last year to accommodate the massive technical evolutions within the GT3 category, showcasing adaptability to all the different eligible cars as well as sustainability. On top of the slick P Zero, the drivers also have the Cinturato WHA available for wet weather. The FIA GT World Cup competitors have five sets of slick tyres available to them throughout the weekend (consisting of two half-hour free practice sessions on Thursday, a half-hour qualifying session on Friday, a 12-lap qualification race on Saturday, and the 16-lap World Cup on Sunday) plus three sets of wets.

The 27 Formula 3 cars will use the medium-compound P Zero slick, as also used in the FIA Formula 3 championship. This year’s Formula 3 tyres have been designed to allow young drivers to grow their talent on the most demanding tracks, with a Cinturato wet-weather tyre available as well in case of rain. The FIA F3 World Cup competitors have four sets of tyres available to them throughout the weekend (consisting of a 40-minute free practice session on Thursday, two 40-minute qualifying sessions on Thursday and Friday, a 10-lap qualification race on Saturday, and the 15-lap World Cup on Sunday) plus three sets of wets.

MATTEO BRAGA, PIRELLI MOTORSPORT CIRCUIT ACTIVITY MANAGER:
“We are delighted to be heading back to the legend that is Macau. This is one of the most demanding tracks on the international calendar due to its supremely challenging combination of flat-out straights as well as twistier sections that are also extremely fast: all on normal street asphalt with variable grip. The cars tend to run a low downforce setup while the close walls take no prisoners; this requires an extremely precise, reliable, and driveable tyre that is capable of adapting itself to a wide variety of circumstances and potential weather conditions. Luckily, we are able to rely on the global experience gained from the numerous GT championships that we take part in, as well as our agreement to supply the FIA Formula 3 Championship for the past five years. With drivers and teams of world-class calibre, this is set to be an extremely closely fought weekend where every element of the car, including the tyres, will play a key role in the final outcome.”

Formula 2

Feature Race, the winner: Nyck de Vries won the race and the title for ART Grand Prix, starting from pole on the supersoft and then switching to the medium. De Vries started ahead of his DAMS championship rival Nicholas Latifi, on the same strategy, and managed to stay in front of him on the track as well as during the pit stops. Third-placed finisher Louis Deletraz (Carlin) was also on a supersoft-medium strategy, with an excellent second stint to seal his podium on the final lap.

Nyck de Vries: “We knew in advance that the supersofts were going to be tough, so the virtual safety car kind of played a little bit into our hands, because it kind of gave us an extra lap, or shortened the stint by one lap. Nicholas was catching a bit on the in-lap, but it was just enough and I did a good out-lap. The pace was good. I kind of managed it and never asked too much. I was very much in control and that is how we want it.”

Feature Race, alternative strategy: Luca Ghiotto (Virtuosi) went for an alternative strategy, as he had done at the last round. He started on the medium tyre from fourth on the grid and ran it for 24 of the 28 laps, to lead the race and lap as quickly as those around him on newer tyres. He rejoined on the supersoft more than six seconds down on the leader and eventually finished fourth.

Sprint Race, the winner: Following a lengthy delay as the result of a first-lap accident, the race was shortened to 15 laps, with all the drivers using the soft tyre from start to finish in warm conditions. Ghiotto led from the re-start and successfully defended his place from de Vries to the finish.

Formula 3

Race 1, the winner: Prema’s championship leader Robert Shwartzman claimed the title with second place, having started from pole. His team mate Marcus Armstrong won the race, from third on the grid. Some rain and a safety car in the early stages complicated the action, with the wet tyre seen briefly as well – although the conditions didn’t really warrant it.

Race 2, the winner: Hitech GP driver Juri Vips claimed his third win of the year from reverse grid pole, but Armstrong and Shwartzman had to fight their way further through the field to complete the podium. In warm conditions, it was important to manage the soft tyre carefully throughout the 20 laps.

Pirelli Quote

Pirelli’s head of F1 and car racing Mario Isola: “Congratulations to both our champions, who fully deserve their titles. We are very proud that Pirelli forms a part of their careers. We experienced mixed conditions throughout the weekend, so the drivers had to get the best out of the tyres under a variety of different circumstances on a relatively low-grip track, which is always a challenge. In the F2 feature race, there were some interesting strategies, with Ghiotto getting the maximum out of the medium compound as he tried something different to those around him. In the end, despite the divergence of strategies, the result was very close.”

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Pirelli extends its condolences to all of Anthoine’s family, friends and colleagues, and sends best wishes to his fellow driver Juan Manuel Correa, who was taken to hospital. Both Formula 2 races were cancelled following the incident, with a number of tributes to Anthoine taking place during the Belgian Grand Prix weekend.

In Formula 3, Pedro Piquet – the son of three-time Formula 1 champion Nelson – won the opening race for Trident on Saturday ahead of the Prema drivers Robert Shwartzman and Jehan Daruvala: Piquet claimed the lead on the first lap before pulling away from his rivals, managing his medium tyres well in warm and sunny conditions at the demanding Spa circuit.

Sunday’s second F3 race was held in much cooler conditions, and there was even a brief rain shower during a mid-race safety car period. Marcus Armstrong took the win for Prema in front of Yuki Tsunoda (Jenzer Motorsport) while Shwartzman scored another podium to increase his championship lead.

Pirelli’s head of F1 and car racing Mario Isola: “Anthoine was loved and respected by all his racing colleagues, and it was a real pleasure for us last year in Abu Dhabi to present him with a scholarship award after he brilliantly won the GP3 Series, which helped him take the next step in his exceptionally promising career. Like the rest of the motorsport community, we are all still struggling to come to terms with what has happened. The thoughts of us at Pirelli are now with his family and many friends.”

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For further information about Pirelli, please contact Anthony Peacock on +44 (0)7765 896 930 or anthony.peacock.ex@pirelli.com