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Wikipedia

2023 Macau Grand Prix

Not to be confused with 2023 FIA GT World Cup.

The 2023 Macau Grand Prix (formally the 70th Macau Grand Prix – FIA F3 World Cup) was a motor race for Formula Three cars held on the streets of Macau on 19 November 2023. The Macau Grand Prix served as a non-championship round of the FIA Formula 3 Championship. The race itself was made up of two races: a ten-lap qualifying race that decided the starting grid for the fifteen-lap main event. The 2023 race was the 70th running of the Macau Grand Prix, and the second edition as a non-championship FIA Formula 3 round (not to be confused with the 1983-2018 specification now known as Formula Regional).

2023 Macau Grand Prix
Race details
Date 19 November 2023 (2023-11-19)
Official name 70th Macau Grand Prix – FIA F3 World Cup
Location Guia Circuit, Macau
Course Temporary street circuit
Course length 6.120 km (3.803 mi)
Distance 15 laps, 91.800 km (57.042 mi)
Weather Dry and clear
Pole position
Driver
Hitech Pulse-Eight
Fastest lap
Driver United Kingdom Luke Browning Hitech Pulse-Eight
Time 2:06.647 on lap 7
Podium
First
Hitech Pulse-Eight
Second
MP Motorsport
Third
SJM Theodore Prema Racing

Background and entry list

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The Guia Circuit, where the race has been held

The Macau Grand Prix is a race considered by drivers as a stepping stone to higher motor racing categories such as Formula One, and is Macau's most prestigious international sporting event.[1][2] The event was made a non-championship round of the FIA Formula 3 Championship for the first time in 2019, before the COVID-19 pandemic caused heavy disruptions, particularly concerning entry of foreign drivers into Macau. This caused the race to be held as a domestic Formula 4 event for three years, serving as a round of the Chinese Formula 4 Championship.[3][4][5]

In 2023, Formula 3 and other international series returned to the streets of Macau.[6] As the Grand Prix celebrated its 70th anniversary, the organizers expanded the event over two weekends, with the first weekend seeing mainly domestic and Asian series, while the high-profile international series and the Formula 3 title race were held over the second weekend.[7]

Entry list

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All competitors used an identical Dallara F3 2019 chassis with a 3.4 L (207 cu in) naturally-aspirated V6 engine developed by Mecachrome. All teams competed with tyres supplied by Pirelli.[8]

Team No. Driver
  Trident Motorsport 1   Richard Verschoor
2   Roman Staněk
3   Ugo Ugochukwu
  Jenzer Motorsport 5   Max Esterson
6   Charlie Wurz
7   Matías Zagazeta
  SJM Theodore Prema Racing 8   Dino Beganovic
9   Gabriele Minì
10   Paul Aron
  Hitech Pulse-Eight 11   Luke Browning
12   Isack Hadjar
14   Alex Dunne
  Campos Racing 15   Pepe Martí
16   Sebastián Montoya
17   Oliver Goethe
  Van Amersfoort Racing 18   Noel León
19   Sophia Flörsch
20   Tommy Smith
  ART Grand Prix 21   Laurens van Hoepen
22   Christian Mansell
23   Nikola Tsolov
  Rodin Carlin 24   Zane Maloney
25   Dan Ticktum
  MP Motorsport 27   Dennis Hauger
28   Mari Boya
29   Marcus Armstrong
Source: [9]

Team changes

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  • Regular season entry PHM Racing by Charouz confirmed they would not take part in the event whilst they completed their takeover of the Charouz entry.[10]

Driver changes

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Practice and qualifying

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Two 40-minute practice sessions were held across the weekend: the first on Thursday morning, ahead of the first qualifying session, and the second a day later, ahead of the second qualifying session. Qualifying itself was also divided into two 40-minute sessions on Thursday and Friday, with the fastest time set by each driver from either session counting towards their final starting position for the qualification race.

The first practice session was held in clear and dry conditions. Prema Racing's Gabriele Minì was fastest with a time of 2:06.871s, four tenths ahead of Hitech's Luke Browning and Trident's 2019 winner Richard Verschoor. The MP Motorsport pair of Mari Boya and Dennis Hauger completed the top five, with ART's Nikola Tsolov, Carlin's two-time winner Dan Ticktum and the Hitechs of Isack Hadjar and Alex Dunne slotting into the top ten behind. The session was disrupted only once when ART's Laurens van Hoepen crashed at Lisboa at the 26-minute mark and brought out the red flags. Dunne also crashed at the same corner, but was able to get going again on his own, avoiding a stoppage.[11]

The first qualifying session was held on Thursday afternoon, in clear and dry conditions. After all but five cars had set laps, Jenzer's Charlie Wurz was fastest ahead of the MP pair of Marcus Armstrong and Boya, albeit with times almost 20 seconds slower than the practice pace. Prema and VAR had waited longer to leave the pits in hope of a clear track, but were unable to set laps before Campos's Sebastián Montoya crashed at Lisboa to bring out the red flags. Shortly after the resumption, Browning went into first place with a time of 2:07.668s as the first competitive lap times were put on the board. Minì was next to claim first place, 0.069s ahead of Browning, before another stoppage occurred. Trident's Ugo Ugochukwu had gone into the runoff at Lisboa, and took several minutes before he was able to reverse out and continue driving. A flurry of fast laps after the restart saw the order change, but after most of the field had got one lap in, Minì was back on top, leading Hauger and Armstrong. Browning had waited out this round of laps and was just about to start his next flying lap when the session was interrupted again. Carlin's Zane Maloney had hit the barriers and stopped his stricken car at turn 16. After 17 minutes of barrier repairs, the session was restarted with just under ten minutes left. Browning was able to get two laps in this time to claim provisional pole position with his 2:06.018s second lap. The Prema cars once again waited longer in the pits, but when they ultimately came out, Minì retook first place with a time of 2:05.521s as his teammate Dino Beganovic slotted into third. Hauger was fourth, ahead of Dunne and Hadjar. Armstrong was seventh, while both Tsolov and Campos's Oliver Goethe left it late to put in their last attempts, demoting Ticktum to tenth.[12]

The second practice session was held in clear, dry and slightly colder conditions than the day before. Prema was on top once again, albeit this time with Paul Aron clocking in a 2:06.327s lap. Browning continued his run of second places, this time only 0.029s behind. Boya, Dunne and Beganovic completed the top five, with Trident's Roman Staněk, Hadjar, Goethe, Campos's Pepe Martí and Wurz slotting in behind. This second session was disrupted more often than the first: Aron stopped at the Melco hairpin, causing a traffic jam and a red flag. Both Browning and VAR's Tommy Smith ran into the Lisboa run-off, causing two VSC periods, before Tsolov crashed at Faraway Hill. Thursday frontrunner Minì did not go out after this final interruption, explaining his absence from the top ten.[13]

The second qualifying session was held on Friday afternoon, in clear and dry conditions. Before any drivers could set laps, Tsolov crashed out in turn 17, heavily damaging his car and prompting a lengthy red flag. On the restart, Jenzer's Max Esterson entered the fast lane into the path of Martì, with the latter breaking his front wing and having to pit again right after. Boya was the first to lay down a lap of 2:07.530s, before he was beaten by multiple drivers, with Browning slotting into first place with a 2:06.827s lap. Traffic ruined multiple drivers' attempts, but Armstrong and Hauger were not among those and surpassed Browning's time. By now, Armstrong's time would have put him into second on the grid, with only Minì's time from the previous day faster. The whole field now pitted for new tyres, but once again no one would be able to set a time as Hadjar spun around on the formation lap. When Montoya then also stopped at the Melco hairpin, red flags were brought out again. Browning was among the first drivers to set a lap on the restart, slotting into first place and also surpassing Minì's time from Thursday with a 2:05.435s lap. Minì responded to close the gap to 0.006s, but shortly afterwards, Ugochukwu crashed and caused another interruption. The session was restarted with five minutes to go, setting up a final one-lap shootout, but that did not happen as Hadjar crashed and the session was ended early without anyone else setting a lap. Browning thereby claimed pole position by the closest margin in Macau Grand Prix history.[14]

Qualifying classification

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Each of the driver's fastest lap times from the two qualifying sessions are denoted in bold.

Final qualifying classification
Pos No. Driver Team Q1 Time Rank Q2 Time Rank Gap Grid
1 11   Luke Browning Hitech Pulse-Eight 2:06.018 2 2:05.435 1 — 1
2 9   Gabriele Minì SJM Theodore Prema Racing 2:05.521 1 2:05.441 2 +0.006 2
3 8   Dino Beganovic SJM Theodore Prema Racing 2:06.131 3 2:05.518 3 +0.083 3
4 12   Isack Hadjar Hitech Pulse-Eight 2:06.364 6 2:05.557 4 +0.122 4
5 29   Marcus Armstrong MP Motorsport 2:06.714 7 2:05.732 5 +0.297 5
6 14   Alex Dunne Hitech Pulse-Eight 2:06.158 5 2:05.755 6 +0.320 6
7 17   Oliver Goethe Campos Racing 2:06.834 9 2:06.092 7 +0.657 7
8 27   Dennis Hauger MP Motorsport 2:06.135 4 2:06.643 14 +0.700 8
9 3   Ugo Ugochukwu Trident Motorsport 2:08.280 19 2:06.167 8 +0.732 9
10 28   Mari Boya MP Motorsport 2:07.946 17 2:06.192 9 +0.757 10
11 15   Pepe Martí Campos Racing 2:08.034 18 2:06.264 10 +0.811 11
12 1   Richard Verschoor Trident Motorsport 2:07.064 11 2:06.323 11 +0.888 12
13 25   Dan Ticktum Rodin Carlin 2:06.985 10 2:06.460 12 +1.025 13
14 10   Paul Aron SJM Theodore Prema Racing 2:07.108 12 2:06.475 13 +1.040 14
15 23   Nikola Tsolov ART Grand Prix 2:06.755 8 — 26 +1.320 15
16 24   Zane Maloney Rodin Carlin 2:07.834 16 2:06.789 15 +1.363 16
17 19   Sophia Flörsch Van Amersfoort Racing 2:08.966 24 2:06.912 16 +1.477 17
18 6   Charlie Wurz Jenzer Motorsport 2:07.353 13 2:07.219 17 +1.784 18
19 18   Noel León Van Amersfoort Racing 2:07.368 14 2:07.504 19 +1.933 19
20 2   Roman Staněk Trident Motorsport 2:07.570 15 2:07.433 18 +1.998 20
21 5   Max Esterson Jenzer Motorsport 2:08.429 21 2:07.507 20 +2.072 21
22 21   Laurens van Hoepen ART Grand Prix 2:08.651 22 2:07.540 21 +2.105 22
23 16   Sebastián Montoya Campos Racing 2:44.434 26 2:07.656 22 +2.221 23
24 22   Christian Mansell ART Grand Prix 2:08.329 20 2:08.049 23 +2.614 24
25 7   Matías Zagazeta Jenzer Motorsport 2:08.769 23 2:08.489 24 +3.054 25
26 20   Tommy Smith Van Amersfoort Racing 2:09.071 25 2:10.226 25 +3.636 26
Sources: [12][15][14][16]
Bold time indicates the faster of the two times that determined grid order.

Qualifying race

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2023 Macau Grand Prix
Qualifying Race
Race details
Date 18 November 2023 (2023-11-18)
Distance 10 laps, 61.20 km (38.03 mi)
Weather Dry and clear
Pole position
Driver
  •   Luke Browning
 Hitech Pulse-Eight
Time 2:05.435
Fastest lap
Driver   Luke Browning Hitech Pulse-Eight
Time 2:06.257 on lap 8
Podium
First
  •   Luke Browning
 Hitech Pulse-Eight
Second
Hitech Pulse-Eight
Third
  •   Gabriele Minì
 SJM Theodore Prema Racing

The 10-lap qualifying race to set the main race's starting order commenced at 16.15 Macau Standard Time (UTC+08:00) on 18 November, after a slight 25-minute delay for barrier repairs following a crash in the preceding event. Conditions at the start were dry and clear, with the air temperature at 22 °C (71 °F).[17] Browning led Minì at the start, before the Italian used his slipstream to draw alongside approaching Mandarin. The pair rounded the bend with Minì on the outside looking set to get ahead of Browning, before the Brit got his car back in front and braked later into Lisboa to hold the lead. Browning then pulled away by over a second through the rest of the lap, while most of the midfield was disrupted by Armstrong and Jenzer's Matías Zagazeta colliding at the Melco hairpin. Both cars got going again, but the green running was short-lived, as Ugochukwu cut the corner into Lisboa on lap two and hit Ticktum's car to send both into the wall. A full course caution was called that turned into a safety car. Armstrong used the interruption to pit for repairs without losing a lap.

Racing resumed on lap five of ten. Browning restarted the race going into R corner, but slid slightly on his cold tyres to come under pressure by Minì. He weaved to break the tow as Mini got on his outside again, before Dunne got into his inside to make it three cars wide. Once again, Browning had the best braking phase into Lisboa to take the lead, with Dunne slotting into second. Browning then went onto a run of fastest laps to consolidate his lead, while the top four pulled away from Hauger in fifth, all of them with significant gaps building between each other. Hadjar dropped down behind Aron, Boya and Martì in this phase, before Boya overtook Aron for sixth on the final lap. Maloney completed the top ten, in front of Wurz, who held off reigning winner Verschoor's attacks throughout the final laps. Tsolov, van Hoepen and VAR's Sophia Flörsch made up the rest of the top fifteen drivers, ahead of Esterson, VAR's Noel León, Montoya, Staněk and ART's Christian Mansell. Goethe struggled throughout the race and finished 21st, while Armstrong recovered from his stoppage to come 22nd. Smith and Zagazeta were the last classified finishers.[18]

Qualifying race classification

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Final qualification race classification
Pos No. Driver Team Laps Time/Retired Grid
1 11   Luke Browning Hitech Pulse-Eight 10 26:52.318 1
2 14   Alex Dunne Hitech Pulse-Eight 10 +2.097 6
3 9   Gabriele Minì SJM Theodore Prema Racing 10 +4.441 2
4 8   Dino Beganovic SJM Theodore Prema Racing 10 +5.339 3
5 27   Dennis Hauger MP Motorsport 10 +10.936 8
6 28   Mari Boya MP Motorsport 10 +13.082 10
7 10   Paul Aron SJM Theodore Prema Racing 10 +13.877 14
8 15   Pepe Martí Campos Racing 10 +17.224 11
9 12   Isack Hadjar Hitech Pulse-Eight 10 +17.648 4
10 24   Zane Maloney Rodin Carlin 10 +19.620 16
11 6   Charlie Wurz Jenzer Motorsport 10 +20.946 18
12 1   Richard Verschoor Trident Motorsport 10 +21.490 12
13 23   Nikola Tsolov ART Grand Prix 10 +22.390 15
14 21   Laurens van Hoepen ART Grand Prix 10 +24.804 22
15 19   Sophia Flörsch Van Amersfoort Racing 10 +25.505 17
16 5   Max Esterson Jenzer Motorsport 10 +26.184 21
17 18   Noel León Van Amersfoort Racing 10 +26.610 19
18 16   Sebastián Montoya Campos Racing 10 +27.535 23
19 2   Roman Staněk Trident Motorsport 10 +28.329 20
20 22   Christian Mansell ART Grand Prix 10 +28.896 24
21 17   Oliver Goethe Campos Racing 10 +29.894 7
22 29   Marcus Armstrong MP Motorsport 10 +30.515 5
23 20   Tommy Smith Van Amersfoort Racing 10 +34.908 26
24 7   Matías Zagazeta Jenzer Motorsport 10 +37.750 25
Ret 25   Dan Ticktum Rodin Carlin 1 Accident 13
Ret 3   Ugo Ugochukwu Trident Motorsport 1 Accident 9
Fastest Lap: Luke Browning, 2:06.257, 108.4 mph (174.5 km/h), on lap 8
Sources: [18][17]

Main race

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The 15-lap race commenced at 15.30 Macau Standard Time (UTC+08:00) on 19 November. Conditions at the start were dry and clear, with the air temperature at 22 °C (71 °F).[19] Montoya stalled his car on the grid, but notified the flag marshals so everyone could avoid him. Browning held the lead at the start, while Minì overtook Dunne straight away for second. Dunne attempted to reclaim the position, but ran too wide and hit the outer wall of Lisboa. A quick VSC to retrieve his car ended before lap two began. On lap three, Beganovic was the next driver to try and overhaul Minì, but also crashed into Lisboa in a carbon copy of Dunne's move. Another VSC was the result, but it was withdrawn similarly quick. Montoya rejoined the race five laps down, while Hauger was putting pressure on Aron before finally making the move for third.

The order at the top stabilized following that, before the race was disrupted on lap eight. Aron suffered a mechanical issue that resulted in him heavily hitting the wall in the Esses. His car snapped in half and slid down the track, while Martì and Wurz both suffered damage when trying to avoid the accident. Aron's chassis came to a halt in turn 14 and burst into flames. He was able to climb out, while the safety car was called. However, it quickly became apparent that extensive repair and cleanup would be needed, and so red flags were waved. This allowed the damaged cars to be repaired, but Wurz's damage was terminal. Armstrong, who had run off into Lisboa at the same time as Aron's accident, was also able to unlap himself.

After a stoppage of over an hour, the race was restarted with two laps behind the safety car setting up a four-lap shootout. Hauger had a strong restart, passing Minì for second through Mandarin. He challenged Browning for the lead into Lisboa, but the Brit covered the inside line to keep first place. He was denied another attempt at the lead when Tsolov crashed into the wall at Fisherman's Bend on lap 13, with the remaining two laps carried out under safety car conditions.[20]

Browning was thereby able to claim the win without any further challenge, a deserved victory after having already blitzed qualifying and managing restart after restart into Lisboa in both races to perfection. Speaking to the media, he called his win "the biggest achievement of [his] career to date" and called himself humbled to put his name on the list of Macau Grand Prix winners.[21] Second-placed man Hauger was amazed to have finished that high after only being called up to race nine days before the event.[22] After initially looking like a favourite to win the race, Minì could only manage third place, and was understandably disappointed. He told the media he was "a bit disappointed with P3, but it’s still [...] a good achievement".[23] The Spanish pair of Boya and Martì completed the top five, with Verschoor, Hadjar and Maloney slotting in behind. Goethe and van Hoepen both had remarkable climbs up the order to bring up the rear of the top ten. Flörsch, Staněk, Ticktum and Smith came home next, followed by Ugochukwu, Mansell and Zagazeta. Armstrong, León and Esterson were the final classified finishers, with Montoya also still running when the chequered flag was waved.

Race classification

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Final race classification
Pos No. Driver Team Laps Time/Retired Grid
1 11   Luke Browning Hitech Pulse-Eight 15 1:35:08.337 1
2 27   Dennis Hauger MP Motorsport 15 +0.347 5
3 9   Gabriele Minì SJM Theodore Prema Racing 15 +0.699 3
4 28   Mari Boya MP Motorsport 15 +1.038 6
5 15   Pepe Martí Campos Racing 15 +1.309 8
6 1   Richard Verschoor Trident Motorsport 15 +1.759 12
7 12   Isack Hadjar Hitech Pulse-Eight 15 +2.349 9
8 24   Zane Maloney Rodin Carlin 15 +2.538 10
9 17   Oliver Goethe Campos Racing 15 +2.820 21
10 21   Laurens van Hoepen ART Grand Prix 15 +3.008 14
11 19   Sophia Flörsch Van Amersfoort Racing 15 +3.398 15
12 2   Roman Staněk Trident Motorsport 15 +3.969 19
13 25   Dan Ticktum Rodin Carlin 15 +4.731 25
14 20   Tommy Smith Van Amersfoort Racing 15 +5.012 23
15 3   Ugo Ugochukwu Trident Motorsport 15 +5.130 26
16 22   Christian Mansell ART Grand Prix 15 +5.479 20
17 7   Matías Zagazeta Jenzer Motorsport 15 +5.731 24
18 29   Marcus Armstrong MP Motorsport 15 +6.861 22
19 18   Noel León Van Amersfoort Racing 15 +7.640 17
20 5   Max Esterson Jenzer Motorsport 15 +13.221 16
Ret 23   Nikola Tsolov ART Grand Prix 11 Accident 13
NC† 16   Sebastián Montoya Campos Racing 10 + 5 laps 18
Ret 6   Charlie Wurz Jenzer Motorsport 9 Accident damage 11
Ret 10   Paul Aron SJM Theodore Prema Racing 7 Accident 7
Ret 8   Dino Beganovic SJM Theodore Prema Racing 2 Accident 4
Ret 14   Alex Dunne Hitech Pulse-Eight 0 Accident 2
Fastest Lap: Luke Browning, 2:06.647, 108.1 mph (173.9 km/h), on lap 7
Sources: [19]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Carino, JP (7 December 2007). "The Macau Grand Prix – A look back through time". AutoIndustriya.com. Archived from the original on 16 November 2017. Retrieved 15 November 2017.
  2. ^ "Macau Grand Prix". Macao Government Tourism Office. Archived from the original on 11 February 2018. Retrieved 28 October 2018.
  3. ^ Wood, Ida (4 November 2020). "Charles Leong leads 17-car F4 entry list for Macau GP". Formula Scout. Retrieved 24 October 2023.
  4. ^ Wood, Ida (19 August 2021). "Formula 3 drops off 2021 Macau Grand Prix bill". Formula Scout. Retrieved 24 October 2023.
  5. ^ Wood, Ida (20 November 2022). "Andy Chang wins the 2022 Macau Grand Prix". Formula Scout. Retrieved 24 October 2023.
  6. ^ Wood, Ida (5 June 2023). "Formula 3 confirmed to return to Macau for this year's grand prix". Formula Scout. Retrieved 24 October 2023.
  7. ^ "70th Macau Grand Prix Tickets to go on sale | Macau Grand Prix". www.macau.grandprix.gov.mo. Retrieved 24 October 2023.
  8. ^ "Formula 3". FIAFormula3® - The Official F3® Website. Retrieved 24 October 2023.
  9. ^ "70th Macau Grand Prix Formula 3 Macau Grand Prix - FIA F3 World Cup Provisional Entry List" (PDF).
  10. ^ "PHM Racing rules out competing in Macau's FIA F3 World Cup". Formula Scout. 6 September 2023.
  11. ^ Wood, Ida (16 November 2023). "Mini and Browning stun in opening Macau GP practice session". Formula Scout. Retrieved 16 November 2023.
  12. ^ a b Wood, Ida (16 November 2023). "Mini leads Browning again in first qualifying session for Macau GP". Formula Scout. Retrieved 16 November 2023.
  13. ^ Wood, Ida (17 November 2023). "Aron causes red flags then goes fastest in FP2 at Macau GP". Formula Scout. Retrieved 17 November 2023.
  14. ^ a b Wood, Ida (17 November 2023). "Browning pips Mini to Macau pole in thrilling second qualifying session". Formula Scout. Retrieved 17 November 2023.
  15. ^ "Formula 3 Macau Grand Prix - Qualifying 1 - Provisional Classification" (PDF). Macau Grand Prix. 16 November 2023. Retrieved 16 November 2023.
  16. ^ "Formula 3 Macau Grand Prix - Qualifying 2 - Provisional Classification" (PDF). Macau Grand Prix. 17 November 2023. Retrieved 17 November 2023.
  17. ^ a b "Formula 3 Macau Grand Prix - Qualifying Race - Official Final Classification" (PDF). Macau Grand Prix. 18 November 2023. Retrieved 18 November 2023.
  18. ^ a b Wood, Ida (18 November 2023). "Browning wins the Macau GP qualification race in a Hitech 1-2". Formula Scout. Retrieved 18 November 2023.
  19. ^ a b "Formula 3 Macau Grand Prix - Race - Official Final Classification" (PDF). Macau Grand Prix. 19 November 2023. Retrieved 19 November 2023.
  20. ^ Lopez, Alejandro Alonso (19 November 2023). "Luke Browning triumphs in an incident-filled 2023 Macau Grand Prix". Formula Scout. Retrieved 19 November 2023.
  21. ^ Lopez, Alejandro Alonso (19 November 2023). "'I was so ready; it wasn't difficult to jump back in' - How Browning handled Macau's big restart". Formula Scout. Retrieved 19 November 2023.
  22. ^ Lopez, Alejandro Alonso (19 November 2023). "How Hauger went from home to second at the Macau GP in one week". Formula Scout. Retrieved 19 November 2023.
  23. ^ Lopez, Alejandro Alonso (19 November 2023). "Mini: Touching "six or seven times the walls" not enough for Macau win". Formula Scout. Retrieved 19 November 2023.
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