The qualification race for the inaugural Macau Formula 4 Race – FIA F4 World Cup delivered one of the most dramatic opening laps the Guia Circuit has seen in recent years, leaving several front-runners out and reshuffling the entire order before the race had even settled.
Chaos from the start
Pole-sitter Sebastian Wheldon lost the lead almost immediately, with Italy’s Emanuele Olivieri jumping ahead off the line. What followed was a chain of incidents that wiped out four of the key contenders before the field even reached the mountain section.
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At Lisboa Bend, Wheldon and Kean Nakamura-Berta came together, ending the race for both drivers. Moments later at Moorish, another pair — Macao’s Tiago Rodrigues and British driver Thomas Bearman — crashed out as the pack tried to pick its way through the opening-lap traffic. The safety car was deployed, leaving only 15 of the original 19 starters still running.
The early chaos allowed some drivers to climb through the field. French F4 champion Alexandre Munoz, who started down in 18th, found himself up to 10th by the end of the opening lap.
Among the retirements later in the race was British driver Emily Cotty, whose exit was not immediately explained.
Racing resumed with five laps to go. Olivieri came under pressure from British F4 champion Fionn McLaughlin, who closed in and made brief contact while attempting to challenge for the lead. The moment dropped McLaughlin back and gave Olivieri breathing room at the front.
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McLaughlin’s afternoon got worse with three laps left when he clipped the wall while running second, ending his charge and leaving him likely to start Sunday’s main race from the back of the grid.
Sunday’s front row set
Olivieri kept his composure through the final laps to take the qualification race win. Behind him, Jules Roussel capitalised on the McLaughlin’s mistake to secure second place, while Rintaro Sato — returning for his second run at Macao — completed the top three.
The trio will start from the front for tomorrow’s 10-lap Macau Formula 4 Race – FIA F4 World Cup, as the category makes its debut at the Grand Prix.
