'It is always difficult to race here but, in the end, I drove so hard, enjoyed my racing and won'

For once the world's most famous Formula Three race was won by a world famous driver, not a rising star. Formula One ace Takuma Sato joined the elite band who have raced to glory at the Macau Grand Prix when he won the 48th running of the race in blazing sunshine yesterday.

Michael and Ralf Schumacher, Ayrton Senna and David Coulthard have all won the blue riband race, but victory for them took place long before they became Formula One stars. Sato becomes Macau champion having already signed to drive for the Jordan F1 team next season.

Sato - the first Japanese winner of the Macau Grand Prix - admitted the pressure of winning was almost too much to bear and when he took the chequered flag, an enormous burden was lifted off his slender shoulders. Sato was already well known before he took to the starting grid and the Japanese sensation's start-to-finish victory on the 3.8-mile Guia circuit was testament to his sublime skills.

As an established racing star, Sato, second on the grid after Friday's final qualifying, attracted more attention than any other driver in the history of the race. Throngs of reporters and spectators followed Sato's every move and the former collegiate cycling champion was happy to sign autographs for his admirers, many who had come from Japan to watch him race, following his dominating victory.

'I am totally happy now,' said Sato, who pumped his fist and later jumped for joy at the victory ceremony after winning both legs of the race in his Dallara F301 Mugen Honda. 'The first leg was really difficult because it was red flagged as a result of accidents, but I really, really enjoyed it in the end.'

The 24-year-old Carlin Motorsport ace beat Frenchman Benoit Treluyer and Swedish pole setter Bjorn Wirdheim to the chequered flag in a relatively incident-free second leg.