Nick Cassidy, Felix Rosenqvist and Maximilian Gunther

Nick Cassidy, Felix Rosenqvist and Maximilian Gunther

An historical name of the Macau Grand Prix since its early days, Theodore Racing returns once more to its birthplace to try to break its own record of eight wins at the Macau Grand Prix. The intention was announced by team Principal Teddy Yip Jr during an event to present their new partnership sponsor BBIN.

“This year we return to defend our title with the aim of achieving back-to-back victories and securing a record of nine Macau GP victories,” he said.

Commenting on the trust he has in the driver lineup to accomplish such a task, Yip said: “These are the three most prepared guys on the circuit this weekend. I’m sure of that!”

The team’s managing director, David Kennedy, highlighted the “fantastic success this season [of] winning the Formula Ford Championship, the F3 [European] championship and the GP2 championship,” adding that winning in Macau this year would be “the icing on the cake.”

Team head and reigning champion Felix Rosenqvist questioned the constant change of cars and championships that he had this season and how that could affect his performance.

“This year I have been driving a lot of different cars in different championships so I think I’m used to going back and forth,” he said. “I already did a couple of days of testing with the team before coming here to test the new tyres so I think I have already got back the speed and with my experience of F3 and the Macau circuit, I’m really confident that I’ll be up to the speed.”

Rosenqvist finds the circuit an enjoyable but challenging one. He said: “For us drivers, it is a challenge both technically and [because] you need a lot of courage to be quick at the track. There are a lot of risks involved. It’s something very special to come here. It is really a favorite for all the drivers.”

Debuting in Macau will be the first runner up of this year’s European F3 championship Maximilian Gunther. “I think will be a great weekend for all of us. For me it’s the first time driving here at this street circuit and I’m looking forward to it,” added Gunther to his teammate’s sentiments.

Completing the trio of Theodore’s racers will be the experienced Nick Cassidy. Racing for the third time on the Guia Circuit, the driver yesterday highlighted how “narrow and fast” the circuit is, making it a “unique” race without an equal in the rest of the season.

“You just need to look at the drivers that have passed to Theodore’s alone to see how big this is. In ten years’ time people will be talking about the racers that raced here in 2016, so this is pretty special.”  RM