Lindblad justified favoritism by winning F4 Race

British racer Arvid Lindblad has won the Macau Formula 4 (F4) Race, concluding the program of the first weekend of the local Grand Prix.

At the wheel of an F4 car from SJM Theodore PREMA Racing team, Lindblad confirmed the credentials earned in previous sessions, including a win in the early Sunday morning wet Qualification Race, leading to a win in the main race on Sunday evening.

It was the first time that Lindblad, who is a Red Bull Academy junior racer, raced in Macau and his position as favorite and his driving skills were well put to test in different and tricky conditions.

Starting from the Pole Position after the morning race win, Lindblad remained in control of the race, with only the local racer and two-time winner of the F4 event able to follow his pace.

A few interruptions caused by the Safety Car more than once regrouped the pack but Lindblad was perfectly in control, securing the win on the final 12-lap race.

After the race, the winner expressed gratitude for the experience and happiness with the double win in Macau, expressing a desire to return to the territory next year to race on the Formula 3 race.

Leong, after the race, also said he was happy with the result in a new car he had not raced before and that he was still adapting to. He said that he was also happy with the return of international racers, especially as the presence of the best racers of this category in Macau has proven his ability to compete with the best and learn from the experience.

Coming second to Lindblad during qualifying races, Freddie Slater had a less-than-ideal final race. Despite putting early pressure on Lindblad’s lead during the first few laps, his race performance took a downturn particularly on the braking point to Lisboa Bend, forcing the first to brake late and lock the wheels on at least two occasions.

With half the race to go and after the deployment of the Safety Car due to a crash at Faraway Hill, Slater had dropped to sixteenth position. He recovered to finish in ninth position overall, far from his true potential.

With Slater’s drop, Leong secured second place, and Rashid Al Dhaheri secured third place, maintaining these positions until the end.

Also recovering from several mishaps during the race was local racer Tiago Rodrigues, who made a great recovery to take the sixth position overall, one step away from the TOP 5 that he said was his aim in his Macau debut.

Still, the 16-year-old racer has left a good impression and certainly gained valuable experience over the weekend in Macau.

Tse wins Roadsport Challenge

Hong Kong driver Tse Ka Hing dominated the Macau Roadsport Challenge category of the Macau Grand Prix, winning the race on Sunday after taking the pole position on Saturday.

Tse comfortably controlled the race from start to finish, facing challenges only from competitors vying for second position onwards.

In the end, local racer Lam Kam San, coming from sixth on the grid, took second place on the podium, followed by Ivan Szeto who had started second.

Lam was the only Macau racer to secure a spot in the Top 10, which was predominantly filled with drivers from the neighboring region of Hong Kong.