Luke Browning won the Macau Grand Prix in a race which was badly disrupted by a huge crash for Paul Aron.
Williams junior driver Browning was the man to beat after claiming pole position in the second qualifying session. He then resisted Gabriele Mini through Saturday’s 10-lap qualifying race to ensure he started Sunday’s main event from the front.
Browning again held his advantage from pole position under fierce pressure on the long run to the first corner, Lisboa. While Mini kept second behind him, Dennis Hauger slipstreamed his way around Aron for second place.
But on the eighth lap the Prema driver suffered a huge crash as he lost control and swiped a barrier, tearing the rear axle and wing assembly from his car. A fire had already broken out at the torn rear of his Dallara as he skidded on into another barrier. Fortunately Aron was able to climb out before the conflagration took hold.
Race control hesitated over throwing the red flag at first, but eventually did, and a lengthy pause followed as marshals completed extensive repairs to the barriers.
The race finally resumed with five laps remaining. Browning executed a clean restart out of R Bend and Mini slipped back into the clutches of Hauger. The MP Motorsport driver came by him into second as the approached the first braking zone, and even had a look around the outside of Browning, but again he saw off the threat.
The drivers only got in two more laps of racing before Nikola Tsolov, no stranger to Macau’s barriers, crashed at the exit of Fishermen’s bend. With insufficient time remaining to clear his mangled car the remaining drivers followed the Safety Car until the chequered flag dropped at the end of lap 15.
Browning therefore claimed the win ahead of Hauger. Mini took third followed by Mari Boya and Josep Maria Marti.
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José Lopes da Silva
19th November 2023, 11:26
Drama and fierce racing in Macau, as good as ever.
Asd
19th November 2023, 12:32
Dominant performance by Browning, I was gutted by Alex Dunne’s quick DNF. He is surely a talent to watch.
Note: I just love the sound of those F3 cars and the on-boards are spectacular!
steve
19th November 2023, 13:50
“Browning again held his advantage from pole position under fierce pressure on the long run to the first corner, Lisboa. While Mini kept second behind him, Dennis Hauger slipstreamed his way around Aron for second place.”
some proof-reading wouldn’t hurt
Shimks (@shimks)
19th November 2023, 14:18
The fact that this site can cover Macau as well as Vegas with the little money they have because YOU don’t contribute makes me wonder what you’ve got to complain about.