Spaniard wins mayhem-filled race

Spain reigned for the first time in the 58 years of the Macau Grand Prix. But it was Daniel Juncadella who emerged as the unlikely champion and not his more illustrious teammate and compatriot Roberto Merhi as the Formula Three showpiece brought the curtain down on a weekend of thrills and spills.

'I can't believe I have won it,' said Juncadella, who emerged unscathed after front runners were eliminated in a crash-filled spectacle. 'I am extremely lucky to win. It is incredible and unbelievable.'

Juncadella made the most of the fortune that smiled on him in the form of the safety car, which came out midway through the 15-lap race.

Marco Wittmann had a 2.7-second lead at that stage. But with the safety car out on the track, it gave the rest of the chasing field an unexpected bonus as they were allowed to close in on the German.

'When the second safety car came out, I knew I had my chance,' said Juncadella, who was in fourth place at the time.

Wittmann, who had begun in pole position, could only watch aghast as the others accelerated past him and by the time he had recovered, he had fallen back to fifth place.

'This is really disappointing for me and the team. We had dominated throughout the weekend and we were unlucky,' said Wittmann, who was hoping to follow in the footsteps of his illustrious countrymen, Michael and Ralf Schumacher, by winning the Macau race.