Macau Grand Prix event preview

Stellar Line-Up for Formula 3 Macau Grand Prix

The Macau Grand Prix has once again assembled the next generation of Formula 1 drivers for the 28th running of the prestigious FIA Formula 3 Intercontinental Cup.

A grid of 30 of the finest young racing drivers in the world will line up to contest the much-coveted prize on November 21st, all hoping to emulate the success of motorsport legends such as Ayrton Senna and Michael Schumacher.

Indeed, a staggering 19 of this season's F1 drivers have contested the Macau GP in the past, underlining its position as the premier event for F1 hopefuls all over the planet.

Once again, the champions of the world's three major Formula 3 categories will go up against each other. The F3 Euro Series is represented by eight of its top nine championship finishers, while British F3 sends four of its top five, and Japan five of its top six. The German F3 series has also enjoyed a prosperous season and two of its front runners will also make the trip to Macau.

But there can only be one winner, and one driver who knows that all too well is F3 Euro Series champion Edoardo Mortara. The Swiss-born Italian won last year's event with the Signature team and this will be his fourth entry at Macau. He is aiming to become the first driver to win back-to-back Macau Grand Prix titles since the event became a Formula 3 race way back in 1983.

Japanese F3 champion Yuji Kunimoto is also familiar with the Guia streets, having raced here last year. The TOM's driver is hoping to join an illustrious club with victory. He and his brother, 2008 winner Keisuke Kunimoto, would join Michael and Ralf Schumacher as the only brothers to triumph in Macau.

British series champion, Jean-Eric Vergne will be making the trip for the first time, as will fellow British F3 racer and Carlin team-mate James Calado, and Fortec Motorsport's Oliver Webb. Raikkonen Robertson Racing with Manor Motorsport's Luiz Felipe Nasr, Fortec's William Buller and Carlin's Jazeman Jaafar will enter the Macau GP for the first time, but the trio has experience of the unique track having contested the Formula BMW Pacific support race at last year's event.

Mortara's Euro Series rivals at Macau will include Roberto Merhi (Prema), Alexander Sims (Raikkonen Robertson) and Laurens Vanthoor (Signature) who make their third appearances at Macau (though one of Sims' was in the 2008 Formula BMW Pacific support race), and debutants Marco Wittman (Signature), Antonio Felix da Costa (Carlin) and Dani Juncadella (Prema). As well as Kunimoto, Japan is represented by his TOM's team-mate Rafael Suzuki, Yuhi Sekiguchi (Three Bond Racing), Alexandre Imperatori (Toda Racing) and Hideki Yamauchi (Hanashima Racing). German F3 sends front runner Daniel Abt with last year's winning team Signature, and Swede Felix Rosenqvist with native team Performance Racing.

The wildcard entries also include a couple of Macau heavy hitters, with Brendon Hartley and Renger van der Zande each returning to the event for the fourth time. New Zealander Hartley set the fastest lap back in 2008, but has suffered ill fortune in the races for the last two years, so the GP2 and Formula Renault 3.5 racer is hoping to set the record straight this year, partnering Carlos Munoz at Hitech Racing. As is Dutchman van der Zande - who stormed through the pack from 25th to fifth in the '08 race - alongside Kimiya Sato and Aaron Filguera at Motopark Academy.

Other entries include GP3 racers Rio Haryanto (Raikkonen Robertson Racing) - who has competed on the Guia streets before in Formula BMW Pacific - and Lucas Foresti (Fortec Motorsport), and local racers Michael Ho (Raikkonen Robertson Racing) from Macau and British F3 racer Adderly Fong (Sino Vision Racing), from Hong Kong.

-source: mgp