Freddie Slater’s Dominant Performance Secures Pole Position at Macau!
Freddie Slater has clinched the coveted pole position for the FIA FR World Cup at the 72nd Macau Grand Prix, following an impressive victory in the Qualification Race. This sets the stage for what promises to be an electrifying main event.
Slater, representing SJM Theodore Prema Racing, showcased exceptional skill, overtaking pole-sitter Théophile Naël right from the start. He then built a commanding lead, ultimately winning by a margin of over 5 seconds.
“The start was crucial, and I had a really good start,” Slater commented, highlighting the importance of the initial moments in such a high-stakes race. “From there on, you’re trying to manage the slipstream and see where to block people out and making sure they’re not getting a too good a run.”
He further explained the strategic challenges of the race, “Evan was alongside me as well [as Mari] so it was kind of two cars in the middle and it blocks the people behind out so it’s quite hard for them to attack with the slipstream. I looked in my mirror, Mari (Boya] was quite far away and I looked again and he was literally on my rear wing. The slipstream is pretty powerful here and always makes the racing good fun.”
When asked about the significance of winning the 72nd Macau Grand Prix, Slater’s ambition shone through: “You look at the history of who has won this race, it’s incredible. Those people have gone on to do amazing things, so hopefully to be one of those drivers on the list would be a dream come true. It’s always been a race I’ve looked up to, it’s a great race to be a part of, and hopefully we can get the job done tomorrow.”
The race also saw some intense battles further down the grid. Evan Giltaire initially held second place but was overtaken by Mari Boya, who secured the position at Lisboa on lap five. From sixth on the grid, Boya had nearly overtaken Slater in the opening corners, showcasing his aggressive racing style.
FIA Formula 3 driver Naël, despite a slower start, managed to secure third place, acknowledging his lack of recent seat time in FIA Formula Regional machinery. He then set a new FIA FR World Cup track record of 2 minutes 15.561 seconds, surpassing Ugo Ugochukwu’s previous record of 2 minutes 19.107 seconds.
Taito Kato finished fifth, making him the top rookie. Enzo Deligny, Mattia Colnaghi, James Egozi, Noah Strømsted, and Rashid Al Dhaheri completed the top 10.
Unfortunately, Oscar Wurz was forced to retire due to contact, while Tymek Kucharczyk faced setbacks in his Macau debut.
The main event, the 15-lap FIA FR World Cup, is scheduled to begin at 3:30 PM local time on Sunday. You can watch the action live on the FIA’s official YouTube channel.
But here’s where it gets controversial… Could Naël’s new track record indicate a potential upset in the main race? And this is the part most people miss… How much will the slipstream play a role in the final outcome?
What are your predictions for the main race? Share your thoughts in the comments below!