by Alex Johnston
The FIA Formula 3 World Cup is back! Names from Formula 3, Formula 2, Formula E & IndyCar are among those preparing to take to the Guia Circuit in Macau for the first time since 2019 and we couldn't be more excited! Let's take a dive into who are the key drivers to watch here! I could have picked so many of these drivers as my ones to watch!
Alex Dunne
Irish teenager Dunne ended the main single seater season with a runners up spot in the GB3 Championship after a late charge to challenge eventual winner Callum Voisin and tested F3 cars for the first time at the end of season testing in Imola.
Dunne seems to have slotted in seamlessly whenever he's changed categories, could be F3 be no exception to that as the takes to the Guia Circuit? It'll be a major test as he sits in 2023 race winning Hitech Grand Prix car.
Richard Verschoor
Three time Formula 2 race winner Verschoor is the last driver to have won at Macau in an F3 car, back in 2019 with MP Motorsport. A symbol of consistency in F2, he's eighth in the standings going to Abu Dhabi.
Trident have afforded Verschoor the opportunity to defend his title, so it'll be interesting to see if he can make good on the faith the Italian team have shown in him.
Dan Ticktum
At 24, two time winner in Macau Ticktum returns to Guia in search of a hattrick of wins in what will be his fifth entry to the race.
Currently racing in Formula E for the ERT Formula E Team who have replaced NIO 333 Racing, he brings a wealth of experience to the Rodin Carlin team he'll represent. The majority of Formula E circuits are quite narrow, could that be an advantage to Ticktum?
Zane Maloney
Yet another Formula 2 driver who wants a crack at Macau. Barbadian driver Maloney is an interesting choice for Carlin as he's one of a few here who have won races on a street circuit, having won in Monaco in the FRECA series.
He's with Carlin who he drives for in F2, could familiarity with street circuits and the team around him boost his chances of a win?
Dino Beganovic
Ferrari Driver Academy star Beganovic is rapid. He's spent the year with PREMA in F3, hauling his car to an impressive sixth place in his rookie season.
Since the season ended he's impressed in testing, sharing fastest sessions with 2024 PREMA(and Macau GP) teammate, Gabriele Mini, what a boost to his confidence a strong result in Macau would be for his 2024 title hopes,
Marcus Armstrong
Arguably the biggest name driver to enter Macau is current IndyCar star, Marcus Armstrong. IndyCar's 'Rookie of the Year' in 2023 as he lined up for Chip Ganassi Racing alongside huge names Scott Dixon, Alex Palou and Marcus Ericsson, only missed the oval races as he took an impressive 20th place finish overall and has been signed for another year.
He's sampled Macau twice previously, finishing eighth on both occasions for Theodore Racing by PREMA, but will return for another go with MP Motorsport. He's never raced the current iteration of F3 car but should be take to it like a duck to water, he'll be fighting at the head of the field.
📸 Image credits: NTT IndyCar Series, PREMA Racing, Formula Motorsport Limited, GB3 Championship, Richard Verschoor.
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