With 280 km/h past the docks, through extremely narrow hairpins and between iron guard rails: at the Grand Prix in Macau, China (18–21 November), the world’s best junior Formula 3 drivers meet to compete with each other on one of the world’s most difficult race tracks.

Volkswagen driver Edoardo Mortara (Italy) returns to the former Portuguese colony as the title defender – albeit the Formula 3 Euro Series Champion will be pitted against extremely powerful rivals, not least from his own camp. 13 of the 30 participants in total trust the near-210 hp Volkswagen Formula 3 engine, including the British champion Jean-Eric Vergne (France), Marco Wittmann (Germany), the runner-up of the Euro Series, and Daniel Abt (Germany), the "vice” champion of the German Cup.

"The Macau Formula 3 Grand Prix continues to pose a true challenge – both to the drivers and teams as well as to the technology. The circuit with extremely long straights and many tight turns demands a good compromise for the set-up, a powerful engine and, last but not least, loads of courage and accomplished skills at the wheel. The line-up of drivers and teams could hardly be any better and promises to deliver a spectacular Grand Prix as everyone aims to impress here,” says Volkswagen Motorsport Director Kris Nissen.

Brimming with motivation, last year’s winner Edoardo Mortara is shooting for his second consecutive win – a feat that has not been achieved by any driver in the Formula 3 era since 1983. "I’m already counting the days down to the start. Obviously, I’ve got extremely fond memories of Macau due to my victory. And since I know that our package consisting of the Signature team and the Volkswagen engine will be extremely quick again, I’m extremely confident too,” says Mortara who also holds the lap record of 2m 10.732s. "I’m not afraid of the walls and will attack as hard as possible.” But 29 other drivers will do everything they can to defeat Mortara. Like many of them Jean-Eric Vergne will be on the grid of the "Guia Circuit” for the first time – albeit with perfect preparation. "Macau is one of the most important races of all and I’m still lacking a victory there. Together with my engineer from Carlin I practised on the Red Bull driving simulator – that really paid off as now I’ve got a realistic impression of the track layout,” says the 20-year-old Frenchman.

The exquisite field of 30 drivers from 18 nations, the fascinating 6.115-km city street circuit and the special flair of the port city have made the Grand Prix a true classic in racing since its inaugural event in 1954. Subsequent Formula 1 stars like Ayrton Senna, Michael Schumacher and David Coulthard have entered their names on the winners’ list here whereas others spectacularly failed.

Text & Image Source: Volkswagen Motorsport