Macau ditches F3 for F4 in 2020
The Macau Grand Prix will not take place as we know it in 2020. Instead, it will most likely be contested by cars and teams from the Chinese Formula 4 Championship, bringing to an end an unbroken run of 37 years as the blue riband of Formula 3.
The 2020 running has become the latest victim of the COVID-19 crisis, and the Macanese government’s very strict reaction that has resulted in just 46 cases of the virus, and none at all in recent months. A 14-day quarantine stipulation for anyone entering Macau has made it too difficult for teams from the new-for-2019 FIA Formula 3 Championship, or for Macau to revert to the old philosophy of F3 cars and run the race for the Dallara 320 machines currently competing in Euroformula Open and Japan’s
Super Formula Lights series.
Macau Grand Prix Organising
Committee sporting coordinator Chong Coc Veng said at a press conference last week: “We are in close communications with a number of parties in organising races for the Formula Macau Grand Prix.”
According to sources in Asia, Chong confirmed verbally after this statement that the event, which takes place from 19-22 November, would be for F4 machinery. China’s F4 series is run for the same Mygale chassis as is used in the British equivalent, but with engines from Chinese manufacturer Geely.
The Macau GP ran for Formula Atlantic cars from the mid 1970s to 1982, before the late Barry Bland put a field drawn from the world’s leading F3 championships together for 1983 (above), setting a template that would last until the FIA F3 Championship provided the entire grid in 2019.
The other flagship races of the event – the FIA GT World Cup and FIA World Touring Car Cup round (for the Macau Guia) – have also been replaced by races targeted at local and regional participants.
“The Macau GT Cup will feature two classes of race cars, the GT3 and GT4,” said Chong. “Drivers will be selected from China GT Championship and Asia Pacific GT, as well as drivers from Macau.
“The Macau Guia race will be run in the TCR format featuring selected drivers from TCR Asia Series and Asia Pacific Touring Cars 2.0T races as well as local drivers.”