Macau Grand Prix


The Macau Grand Prix is an annual motorsport road racing event for automobiles and motorcycles held on the Guia Circuit in Macau. The event includes the Formula Regional and Motorcycle Grand Prix title races, with other races for touring, grand touring and sports cars.
The first Macau Grand Prix was held in 1954 as a sports car event. In 1967, the Macau Motorcycle Grand Prix was introduced. In 2008, a GT3 race was added to the event, which became known as the FIA GT World Cup.
The Formula 3 Macau Grand Prix featured many national Formula 3 champions and drivers from around the world, with the winner being awarded the FIA Formula 3 World Cup.
Due to the challenging nature of the Guia Circuit, which consists of fast straights, tight corners and uncompromising crash barriers; the Macau Grand Prix races are considered some of the most demanding in the world. Many current or former Formula One drivers have participated in the event early in their careers and some of them have won the prestigious prize. Previous winners include Ayrton Senna, Michael Schumacher, David Coulthard, Ralf Schumacher, Ralph Firman, Takuma Sato and Dan Ticktum.

History

The Macau Grand Prix was originally conceived in 1954 as a treasure hunt around the streets of the city, but shortly after, it was suggested that the hunt's course could host a racing event for local motor enthusiasts. Production car races joined the event in 1957, which were superseded by touring cars in 1972.
In 1961, the title race became an open-wheel Formula Libre event.
The race continued as an amateur race until 1966, when Belgian driver Mauro Bianchi entered the race in an Alpine A220. Alpine Renault had also sent engineer Jean-Paul Castilleux to assist Bianchi with technical aspects of the car. Bianchi's victory and exposure led to more professional racing teams entering the Grand Prix in the following years.
The motorcycle race was introduced in 1967, and in that year the first fatal tragedy struck the race: double champion Dodjie Laurel was killed when he lost control of his car and crashed. This raised the alarm for more safety improvements for the race. Teddy Yip was one of the main forces behind the Macau Grand Prix back in the 1970s and 1980s, leading this Grand Prix to be one of the world's most famous motor racing events. The Macau Grand Prix parties he hosted for many years at his home also became a central part of the social aspect of the Grand Prix. Prize money at this time was not substantial, with 1980 winner Geoff Lees receiving thirty-four dollars and 1981 winner Bob Earl receiving thirty-six.
In 1983, it was decided by the organisers that since Formula Pacific was becoming obsolete, the race would be held as a Formula Three event. Initially, they wanted to run a F2 race, but as they were unwilling to make any large circuit modifications, which included cutting down trees, the organisers decided to adopt Formula 3 cars for the feature race and it was sanctioned by FIA as the F3 World Cup title race. At the same time, Yokohama Tire was officially designated as the sole supplier of control tires for the competitors.
This decision has seen the reputation of the event in the motorsport world increase rapidly, with the event attracting the best young drivers from Europe and Japan. The first F3 race was won by a young Ayrton Senna. The race in 1990 was a memorable one, as Michael Schumacher and Mika Häkkinen were involved in an incident when they were in first and second going into the final lap. At the main straight just after the Mandarin Oriental Bend, Häkkinen hit the back of Schumacher's car and crashed out when he attempted to overtake him. Schumacher's car was able to continue with its rear wing damaged and eventually won the race with the best aggregate time. Other notable winners include Formula One drivers David Coulthard, Ralf Schumacher and Takuma Sato. Since the introduction of F3 races, the Macau GP has gradually become a stepping stone for many F3 drivers to higher class motor-racing competitions such as the FIA Formula 2 Championship and Formula One. Amongst the drivers in the field in the 2010s, seven of them who have started this race would go on to win a Formula One race – Valtteri Bottas in 2011, Carlos Sainz Jr. in 2013, Max Verstappen and Esteban Ocon in 2014, Charles Leclerc in 2015, George Russell in 2016, and Lando Norris in 2017, but the 1995 Macau Grand Prix is the most recent race won by a driver who went on to win a Formula One race.
The event received world championship status from 2005 to 2014 as the final round of the World Touring Car Championship.

Format

The Macau Grand Prix race weekend normally starts on the Thursday and ends on the Sunday on the second or third week of November. The first two days are generally scheduled for practice and qualifying. All races are held on Saturday and Sunday, with the final rounds of the heavyweights Macau Formula 3 Grand Prix and the Touring Car Guia Race, as well as the FIA GT World Cup, held on the last day. Both the Macau Formula 3 Grand Prix and the Guia Race are sanctioned by the FIA and the winner of the Macau Formula 3 Grand Prix is awarded the FIA World Cup. Apart from the two major races held at the race weekend, the Macau Motorcycle Grand Prix is also one of the highlights of the weekend since it features former or current racers of the Superbike World Championship and stars of Britain's legendary open-road motorcycle races such as the Isle of Man TT.
Newly introduced into the 2007 race Macau GT Cup is the race for GT3 category cars. Since 2015 the winner of the race is awarded the FIA GT World Cup.
Over the years, the Macau Grand Prix's Guia Race for touring cars had belonged to the Asian Touring Car Championship, and the current GT Cup race was once the Supercar Cup for road going exotic sports cars., the Formula Renault race, the Porsche Carrera Cup Asia race, the scooter race for locals and in the past but on a less than frequent basis, a Jackie Chan endorsed race for celebrity women drivers involving Mitsubishis, with whom Chan hold a sponsorship deal.

Races

Macau Grand Prix (1964–present)

The title race was first held in 1954 as a sports car race. In 1961, it switched to Formula Libre regulations until 1974, when Formula Pacific became the rule. 1983 was a start of the new era with the introduction of the Formula 3, which attracted drivers from European Formula 3 championships and the Japanese Formula 3 Championship.
2019 introduced the Dallara F3 2019 machinery, with the entrants—all of them from the FIA Formula 3 Championship—using equal cars and engines for the first time.
In 2020, 2021 and 2022, the title race was run as a part of China's Formula 4 championship with exclusively local drivers and teams, as the COVID-19 pandemic forced travel restrictions on international FIA F3 drivers and teams.
From 2024 onwards, the race returned to the 1983–2018 format of Formula Regional where drivers of various European, North American, and Asian Formula Regional championships are eligible to participate.
International and national series to include the race:
  • 1977–1982: Formula Pacific Championship
  • 2004–2010: FIA Intercontinental Formula 3 Cup
  • 2011: FIA Formula 3 International Trophy & FIA Intercontinental Formula 3 Cup
  • 2012–2014: FIA Intercontinental Formula 3 Cup
  • 2015: FIA Formula 3 Intercontinental Cup
  • 2016–2019: FIA Formula 3 World Cup
  • 2020–2022: F4 Chinese Championship
  • 2023: FIA Formula 3 World Cup
  • 2024–2025: FIA Formula Regional World Cup

    Macau Motorcycle Grand Prix (1967–present)

Macau is a special event for motorcycle riders. The Motorcycle Grand Prix has featured notable top-level riders, with winners of the race including MotoGP World Champion Kevin Schwantz, Superbike World Champion Carl Fogarty, notable MotoGP rider Ron Haslam and Isle of Man legends Michael Rutter, Robert Dunlop, and John McGuinness. Because of the street circuit nature, the course is closer to the legendary British open-road races than a regulation MotoGP circuit.
In 2014, the award-winning documentary Macau Gladiators by German director Andreas Knuffmann appeared. The movie is about the 2013 edition of the Motorcycle Grand Prix and followed the team of Frank Heidger and riders Didier Grams and Marc Fistette.
The 2024 Motorcycle Grand Prix was cancelled following persistent heavy rains brought about by Typhoon Toraji. Results were taken from qualifying, with Davey Todd declared the winner.

Macau Guia Race (1972–present)

The first Guia Race for touring cars was held in 1972. The event was notable in that very few touring car races were held on street circuits at the time. From 2005 to 2014, the race became the final two rounds of the FIA World Touring Car Championship. In 2015, the race changed formulae to the TCR Touring Car specifications. From 2015-16, the race was part of the TCR International Series. In 2017, it became the pentultimate Super 2000 formula race for the WTCC before returning back to TCR standards under the World Touring Car Cup banner in 2018, where it has been a TCR championship series race. From 2018 to 2019 it was the World Touring Car Championship
In 2020 the Guia Race was run for the TCR China Touring Car Championship with local drivers, due to the COVID-19 pandemic. From 2021 to 2022, it was run as a TCR Asia Series race, again for drivers representing Asia. Since 2023 it has been part of the Kumho TCR World Tour, which allows drivers from China and Asia series to participate, and also since 2025, TCR Australia Touring Car Series, which also allows drivers from Australia and New Zealand to participate.
Starting from 2008, the Macau Touring Car Cup was added in the calendar. In 2022 and 2023 it was the final round of the China Touring Car Championship, whilst in 2024 TCR China joined the field of the TCR World Tour for their finale. In 2025, it will be the TCR Australia Touring Car Series in addition to its World Tour status.
  • Held races
  • * 1972–1993: Guia Race of Macau
  • * 1994: Guia Race of Macau – Asia-Pacific Touring Car Championship
  • * 1995–1999: Guia Race of Macau
  • * 2000: Guia Race – Asia Touring Car Series
  • * 2001: STDM Guia Race
  • * 2002–2003: SJM Guia Race
  • * 2004: SJM Guia Race – Worldwide Touring Car
  • * 2005: FIA WTCC LG – Guia Race of Macau – Presented by SJM
  • * 2006: FIA WTCC – Guia Race of Macau – Presented by SJM
  • * 2007: FIA WTCC – Guia Race of Macau
  • * 2008: FIA WTCC Canon – Guia Race of Macau
  • * 2009: FIA WTCC Marriott – Guia Race of Macau – Presented by SJM
  • * 2010–2012: FIA WTCC – Guia Race of Macau Presented by SJM
  • * 2013: FIA WTCC – Guia Race of Macau – Presented by Star River．Windsor Arch
  • * 2014: FIA WTCC – Guia Race of Macau – Presented by Suncity Group
  • * 2015–2016: Suncity Group Macau Guia Race 2.0T
  • * 2017: Suncity Group Macau Guia Race – FIA WTCC
  • * 2018–2019: Suncity Group Macau Guia Race – FIA WTCR
  • * 2020: Macau Guia Race
  • * 2021: Galaxy Entertainment Macau Guia Race
  • * 2022: Wynn Macau Guia Race – TCR Asia Challenge
  • * 2023: Macau Guia Race – Kumho TCR World Tour Event of Macau
  • * 2024–2025: Macau Guia Race – Kumho FIA TCR World Tour Event of Macau