Macau Grand Prix
80s
1983
The Macau Grand Prix turns 30 and comes of age with Formula 3 launched for the first time. The race is won by a Brazilian driver named Ayrton Senna, who would soon become a legend and go on to win three Formula One world championships. Macau couldn't have wished for a better first F3 champion. Senna scorches a trail which many other illustrious drivers were to follow in the years to come.
1 Ayrton Senna (West Surrey Racing-Theodore/Ralt-Toyota RT3)
2 Roberto Guerrero (Eddie Jordan Racing-Thedore/Ralt-Toyota RT3)
3 Gerhard Berger (Trivellato Racing/Ralt-Alfa Romeo RT3)
84
The sponsorship battle of the tobacco giants - Marlboro v British American Tobacco - begins. A new race control tower is built opposite the new Mandarin Oriental Hotel. The Yacht Club Bend is from now on known as the Mandarin Oriental Bend. Dane John Nielsen wins.
1 John Nielsen (VW Motorsport/Ralt-VW RT3)
2 Stefan Johansso (Eddie Jordan Racing-Theodore/Ralt-Toyota RT3)
3 Mike Thackwell (David Price Racing/Ralt-VW RTe)
85
The distinctive green and white colours of Watsons Water Team make their first appearance. Brazilian Gugelmin follows in the footsteps of the great Senna and takes a flag-to-flag victory, handing Macau's motor-racing impresario Teddy Yip's Marlboro-backed Theodore team their second victory in three years. Watsons driver Jan Lammers finishes third.
1 Mauricio Gugelmin (West Surrey Racing-Theodore/Ralt-VW RT30)
2 Mike Thackwell (Eddie Jordan Racing-Theodore/Ralt-VW RT30)
3 Jan Lammers (Intersport/Ralt-VW RT30)
86
Having watched and learned on their debut the previous year, Watsons sign on reigning British F3 champion Andy Wallace. The bold move pays dividends as Wallace and Mauricio Gugelmin finish one-two.
1 Andy Wallace (Madgwick Motorsport/Reynard-VW 863)
2 Mauricio Gugelmin (West Surrey Racing/Ralt-VW RT30)
3 Jan Lammers (Murray Taylor Racing/Ralt VW RT30)
87
Typhoon Nina wreaks havoc but the show goes on, and the F3 is reduced to a single 20-lap race. Saturday is a washout and Martin Donnelly hangs on to his pole position clinched in the first qualifying session. Donnelly keeps his act together to win. McDonald's opens for the first time in Macau.
1 Martin Donnelly (Intersport/Ralt-TOMS Toyota RT31)
2 Jan Lammers (Intersport/Ralt-TOMS Toyota RT31)
3 Bernd Schneider (Schubel/Reynard-Speiss VW 873)
88
The race is awarded FIA F3 World Cup status. Watsons pulls out as a sponsor but tobacco giant Camel steps in. THere are two pile-ups at Lisboa corner, but Enrico Bertaggia stays clear of the crashes and becomes the first person to win the grand prix without finishing first in either heat.
1 Enrico Bertaggia (Forti Corse/Dallara-Alfa Romeo 388)
2 Damon Hill (Intersport/Ralt-Toyota RT32)
3 Otto Rensing (VW Motorsport/Reynard-VW 883)
89
The sons of racing legends Jackie Stewart and Jack Brabham - Paul and David respectively - turn up, as does a certain Michael Schumacher and Mika Hakkinen. David Brabham, son of three-time world champion Jack, wins thanks to a gear-box problem, ruling Schumacher, who had won the first leg, out of the second leg.
1 David Brabham (Bowman/Ralt-Speiss VW RT33)
2 Julian Bailey (Schubel/Reynard-VW893)
3 Christophe Bouchut (FTR Racing/Reynard-VW893)
90s
1990
It is possibly the finest race in Macau's history - Mika Hakkinen battling it out with Michael Schumacher on the tight streets. Hakkinen wins the first leg and only needs to finish the second leg behind his great rival, but with all the impetuosity of youth, he goes for a win and crashes out on the final lap after clipping Schumacher?s rear. An unhurt Hakkinen climbs out of his car clearly angry, and
flings his gloves on the track. Schumacher limps to the overall victory. Neither returns, going on to Formula One.
1 Michael Schumacher (WTS Racing/Reynard-Speiss VW 903)
2 Mika Salo (Alan Docking Racing/Ralt-Mugen Honda RT34)
3 Eddie Irvine (West Surrey Racing-Theodore/Ralt-Mugen Honda RT34)
91
Two hot-shot Brazilians make an appearance - reigning British F3 champion Rubens Barrichello
and European Formula 3000 champion Christian Fittipaldi, nephew of the great Emerson. But it is
pragmatic Scot David Coulthard who wins, letting Jordi Gene through in the second leg and sitting behind him to grab the overall title.
1 David Coulthard (Paul Stewart racing/Ralt-Mugen Honda RT35)
2 Jordi Gene (West Surrey Racing/Ralt-Mugen Honda RT35)
3 Christian Fittipaldi (Edenbridge Racing-Theodore/Reynard-Mugen Honda 913)
92
It is the final appearance for struggling Team Theodore who back Barrichello. After 36 years of high entertainment ? the parties at his home were legendary - it was to be Teddy Yip's curtain call at grand prix. Swede Rickard Rydell wins and it is the end of an ear.
1 Rickard Rydell (Toyota Team TOMS/TOM'S-Toyota O32F)
2 Pedro Lamy (WTS Racing/Reynard-Speiss Opel 923)
3 Jacques Villeneuve (Toyota Team TOM'S/TOM'S-Toyota 032F)
93
The face of Macau changes with a new ferry terminal on reclaimed land beside the reservoir. The start of the race is moved several hundred metres down the track, resulting in a longer run to the infamous Lisboa corner. But the accidents continue. Two novice bikers die as a spate of accidents, more than 20, make it a terrible week. Two more people are gunned down in a triad killing outside a hotel. German Jorg Muller wins.
1 Jorg Muller (RSM Marko/Dallara-Fiat 393)
2 Tom Kristensen (Toyota Team TOM'S/TOM'S Toyota 033F)
3 Kelvin Burt (Paul Stewart Racing/Dallara-Mugen Honda 393)
94
West Surrey Racing's Dick Bennett says any success will be dedicated to Senna, who died earlier in the year. But German Sascha Maassen, driving for WTS Racing, denies Bennett, West Surrey and Kelvin Burt.
1 Sascha Maassen (WTS Racing/Dallara-Opel F394)
2 Kelvin Burt (West Surrey Racing/Dallara-Mugen Honda F394)
3 Jan Magnussen (Paul Stewart Racing/Dallara-Mugen Honda F394)
95
For the first time all the cars on the grid are from one manufacturer - Dallara. Ralf Schumacher adds to his family's racing legacy by winning the race, which is marred by a massive 14-car pile-up at the start of the second leg.
1 Ralf Schumacher (Opel Team WTS/Dallara-Spiess Opel F395)
2 Jarno Trulli (KMS Racing/Dallara-Spiess Opel F395)
3 Pedro de la Rosa (TOM's Racing Team/Dallara-TOM's Toyota F395)
96
Englishman Ralph Firman keeps his cool to win in controversial circumstances - the race is red-flagged on the last lap and the results taken from the end of the previous lap, leaving Jarno Trulli an unhappy man.
1 Ralph Firman (Paul Stewart Racing/Dallara-Mugen Honda F396)
2 Max Angelelli (Bertram Schaefer Racing/Dallara-Spiess Opel F396
3 Jarno Trulli (KMS Benetton Formula/Dallara-Spiess Opel F396)
97
Frenchman Soheil Ayari wins in his patched-up car, which barely survives a 250kmh crash in qualifying. He becomes the first non-current F3 driver of the modern era to win the race.
1 Soheil Ayari (Graft Racing/Dallara-Spiess Opel F397)
2 Patrice Gay (Graft Racing/Dallara-Spiess Opel F396)
3 Enrique Bernoldi (Promatecme/Dallara-Renault F397)
98
Scot Peter Dumbreck edges out Ricardo Mauricio by 0.002 of a second. The paperthin result is the closest finish in the history of F3 racing in Macau.
1 Peter Dumbreck (TOM'S/Dallara-TOM'S Toyota F398)
2 Ricardo Mauricio (Paul Stewart Racing/Dallara-Mugen Honda F398)
3 Enrique Bernoldi (Promatecme/Dallara-RS Renault F398)
99
Darren Manning beats fellow-Briton Jenson Button in another close finish - by 30 seconds. One month later, Macau follows Hong Kong and becomes a special administrative region of China. The final race under Portuguese rule is over.
1 Darren Manning (TOM'S Racing Team/Dallara-TOM'S Toyota F399)
2 Jensen Button (Promatecme/Dallara-Sodemo Renault F399)
3 Daisuke Itoh (Speed Skill/Dallara-Mugen Honda F399)
00s
2000
It is appropriate that home-grown Andre Couto wins the first race in a new era. Two Asians - Japan's Takuma Sato and Indian Narain Karthikeyan - occupy the front row on the grid, but Couto rises to the occasion.
1 Andre Couto (Opel Team BSR/Dallara-Spiess Opel F399)
2 Paulo Montin (Target Racing/Dallara Spiess-Opel F399)
3 Ryo Fukuda (Ryo Fukuda/Dallara Sodemo Renault F399)
01
Takuma Sat becomes the first Japanese to win. Returning as the British F3 champion and already
with an F1 contract with Jordan in his pocket for 2002, Sato does not have to risk his reputation at this unforgiving track. But Sato sizzles and wins in both legs.
1Takuma Sato (Carlin Motorsport/Dallara-Mugen Honda F301)
2 Benoit Treluyer (Dome Project/Dallara-Mugen Honda F301)
3 Bjorn Wirdheim (Prema Powerteam/Dallara-Spiess Opel F301)
03
Lewis Hamilton, Nico Rosberg and Nelson Piquet Jnr make egg tarts before the race. But it is French rookie Nicolas Lapierre who avoids getting egg all over his face by winning.
1 Nicolas Lapierre (Signature Plus/Dallara-Sodemo Renault F302)
2 Fabio Carbone (Signature Plus/Dallara-Sodemo Renault F302)
3 Katsuyuki Hiaranaka (Prema Powerteam? Dallara-Spiess Opel F302)
04
Alexandre Premat makes it a hat-trick fo France in a new format - for the first time since 1983, instead of t aggregate time of two, 15-lap he counting, the first race, run on Saturday, establishes the grid f the Sunday decider. The star o show is Lewis Hamilton and he looks set to win until colliding with Nico Rosberg early in the final race.
1 Alexandre Premat (ASMFormula3/Dallara Mercedes-HWA)
2 Robert Kubica (Manor Motorsport/Dallara Mercedes-HWA)
3 Lucas di Grassi (Hitech Racing/ Dallara-Sodemo Renault)
05 The death of veteran French rider Bruno Bonhuil in the motorcycle showpiece casts a pall over the weekend as Brazil's Lucas di Grassi relegates Robert Kubica to the bridesmaid's role for the second successive year.
1 Lucas di Grassi (Manor Motoersport/Dallara Mercedes-HWA)
2 Robert Kubica (Carlin Motorsport/Dallara Honda-Mugen/NB)
3 Sebastian Vettel (ASM Formule 3/Dallara Mercedes-HWA)
06
Composed Englishman Mike Conway survives a 'heart-stopping moment' when he grazes a wall to win the showpiece after starting seventh on the grid. It is lucky seven for Conway.
1 Mike Conway (Raikkonen-Robertson Racing/Dallara Mercedes-HWA)
2 Richard Antinucci (ASM Formule 3/Dallara Mercedes-HWA)
3 Adrian Sutil (TOM'S/Dallara Toyota TOM?S)
