Formula Regional ‘World Cup’: a long term Macau GP solution
The FIA Formula 3’s short history with the Macau Grand Prix is likely a thing of the past, as the globally expansive Formula Regional category looks set for a positive, and permanent move-in at the famous Guia Circuit.
The tight 6.1km circuit on the streets of Macau (a Chinese administrative region west of Hong Kong) has long hosted Formula 3 machinery, with the first outing in 1983 which was won by Ayrton Senna, whilst the likes of Micheal Schumacher took it out in 1990.
The third tier machinery took over from Formula Pacific cars in ‘83, which in turn had taken over from Formula Libre in 1973…which had in turn replaced Sports cars in 1961; and now it’s the turn of the FIA-approved, Renault powered, Formula Regional machine, which is now set-up across the globe with its European, American, Oceania, Japanese, and Middle Eastern, F3 based series’.
The Renault powered Formula Regional by Alpine championships have became one of the more prominent global junior formulae categories in recent years
With the FIA F3 set to unveil its 2025 machine – the Dallara F3 – its continuation in Macau was seen as an impossibility, with Formula 3 CEO Bruno Michel explaining why:
“This year, with the fact we are producing a new car, we have to get the engines back quite early for Mecachrome to work on the engines and modify them for next year’s car, so it was impossible to go to Macau because of the logistics, completely impossible.”
After the FIA amalgamated the GP3 and the FIA Formula 3 European Championship, the Formula Regional Series is now the closest thing to a world-satellite third tier series, which will more closely align with the “FIA World Cup” terminology.
The FIA product (the amalgamation) of Formula 3 had only ever contested the Macau GP twice, in 2019 and 2023, with the COVID interrupted years of 2020-2022 having been replaced with the Chinese F4 series
The tight and twisty street of Macau will play host to the 71st Macau GP this November
Back when it was announced in May, FIA Single-Seater Strategy & Operations Director, Francois Sicard, said that having the Formula Regional series was more indicative of how the junior formulae landscape currently appears.
“Bringing Formula Regional cars to Macau for the FIA World Cup is a natural consequence of the evolution of the junior single-seater landscape over the last couple of years and is a logical step in the pyramid.
“Macau’s Formula 3 race has built its legendary reputation as an event that gathered the best junior racers from national series around the world at what is the world’s most challenging street circuit.
“A move to Formula Regional machinery very much revives that spirit and is an optimal long-term solution for the FIA-sanctioned single-seater competition in Macau.”
With the 2024 Macau GP set to take place on November 17 for its 71st edition, there are several Aussies who will likely take part in what will be a maximum-capacity grid.
Currently, across the five iterations of the series – with the American, Europe, and Japanese versions being the only full-running seasons – James Wharton (Europe) and Jesse Lacey (Japan) are the two Aussies that will most likely be on the grid, with the possibility of more I the lead up.
Formula Regional Europe racer, James Wharton, is likely to be one of the Aussie representative’s at this year’s Macau GP. Image: Dutch Photo Agency
Both Wharton and Lacey have had race winning seasons, with Wharton fourth in the championship after having taken a recent win in Austria, and Lacey third in the Japanese title race, having taken a win in Okayama in June.
Other Aussies to have won the Macau GP include ’74 Bathurst 1000 winner Kevin Bartlett in 1969 driving the Formula Libre machinery, former F1 racer Vern Schuppan in 1974 (Formula Pacific), and David Brabham in 1989 in Formula 3 Ralt machinery.
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