Freddie Slater made his intentions clear for the Macau Grand Prix weekend with a dominant victory in the FIA FR World Cup qualifying race, mastering the start and controlling all ten laps around the Guia Circuit. Starting second, the Briton launched perfectly and swept past pole-sitter Théophile Naël before the pack reached Lisboa, immediately opening a gap that set the tone for the afternoon.
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Behind him, Evan Giltaire held onto second in the early laps but came under intense pressure from Mari Boya. The Spaniard, who had started sixth, was relentless in his pursuit and spent lap after lap sizing up Giltaire on the charge down to Lisboa. With seven laps remaining, Boya finally made the move stick, drawing alongside the ART Grand Prix driver before braking cleanly into second place.
Slater, meanwhile, was untouchable. He delivered a few purple sectors and fastest laps, extending his lead to more than five seconds while the battles played out behind him. Naël, recovering from his slow getaway, fought back to third after passing Giltaire in the second half of the race.
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The final laps were unusually calm for Macao, with no crashes or stoppages, an exception rather than the rule on the unforgiving street circuit. The only uncertainty came off-track, as Slater was reported to be under investigation for a pre-race matter, though no penalty had been confirmed at the moment this story was written.
Slater crossed the line first, Boya followed in second, and Naël completed the top three. The result sets the grid for tomorrow’s FIA FR World Cup main race, where Slater will get his chance to convert a flawless Saturday into the ultimate Macau victory.
