The 72nd Macau Grand Prix – scheduled to take place between 13 and 16 November – will be introducing a new competition this year: the Formula 4 (F4) World Cup.
In a statement, the Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA) said the World Motor Sport Council voted in favour of establishing the new competition, which will see the world’s best F4 racers driving on Macao’s renowned Guia Circuit.
“The F4 World Cup will unite the top drivers from national and regional F4 series, all competing in identical cars, gaining invaluable experience on one of the world’s most iconic street circuits,” the FIA wrote in a social media post.
According to the organisation, competitors of the new race will be chosen via a “rigorous driver selection process” that will limit participation to “only the most talented young drivers.”
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Emanuele Pirro, the president of the FIA Single-Seater Commission, said the new event would serve as a stepping stone for talented drivers, allowing them to try out the Guia Circuit in a “more forgiving” F4 vehicle before advancing to a Formula Regional (FR) one, should they decide to take on the FR World Cup in Macao in the future.
Pirro described the Macau Grand Prix as “an essential part of the education of a young driver,” adding that there were not many challenging tracks such as the Guia Circuit left, which made it “the right moment” to inaugurate the F4 World Cup.
Meanwhile, the head of the Automobile General Association Macao-China, Chong Coc Veng, said the new race will serve as an opportunity for “young drivers in the region” who are looking to progress through the various tiers of formula racing to “become world champions in the future.”
In addition to the new F4 World Cup, the FIA will continue staging three other competitions, including FR World Cup, Grand Touring (GT) World Cup and Touring Car Racing (TCR) World Cup. The FR World Cup made its controversial debut in Macao last year, replacing the beloved Formula 3 (F3) race, which had been the centrepiece of the Grand Prix for over three decades.
