2025 Macau GP | FIA FR World Cup | Qualifying Race | Slater powers to victory, with Boya and Naël on the podium - Motorsport

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The 2025 FIA Formula Regional (FR) Qualification Race at the Macau GP began under the sunny skies of the Guia Circuit, setting the stage for a high-stakes 10-lap showdown. The warm and dry conditions created an ideal environment for what was anticipated to be a fiercely contested race. Drivers from across the globe, representing various nationalities and junior series, gathered for one of the most prestigious events in motorsport. The atmosphere was electric as the field lined up, ready to tackle the unforgiving, narrow streets of one of the world’s most challenging circuits.

De Palo penalised with Kucharczyk, Cuz and Garfias losing lap times

A significant talking point before the race was Matteo De Palo’s grid penalty. The R-ace GP driver was handed a three-place demotion after being found guilty of impeding multiple drivers during Qualifying 2. De Palo had blocked Freddie Slater and Rashid Al Dhaheri from SJM Theodore Prema Racing, as well as James Egozi from Saintéloc Racing. Although De Palo defended his actions, arguing that his blocking was necessary to avoid a Red Flag, the Stewards deemed his explanation unacceptable. As a result, the Italian was relegated further down the grid, adding an extra layer of drama to an already tightly contested lineup. Other drivers, including Tymek Kucharczyk, Charlie Wurz, and José Garfias, also saw their fastest lap times deleted for causing a Red Flag, further complicating the grid order.

Naël retains pole after impeding investigation; Slater challenges from P2

Despite the penalties affecting several drivers, KCMG Enya Pinnacle Motorsport’s Théophile Naël successfully held onto his pole position after an investigation into an alleged impeding incident with R-ace GP’s Enzo Deligny. The Stewards concluded that no further action was required, clearing Naël of any wrongdoing. He was joined on the front row by Freddie Slater who put in a stunning Qualifying 1 performance, while Evan Giltaire and Taito Kato from ART Grand Prix secured third and fourth positions, respectively. Just behind them, Enzo Deligny occupied P5, with Mari Boya, Naël’s teammate at KCMG, starting in P6. Newly crowned 2025 Eurocup-3 Champion, Mattia Colnaghi of PHM Racing, began the race in P7. The top rookie of the 2025 FRECA season, Rashid Al Dhaheri, also from SJM Theodore Prema Racing, was in P8.

Strong midfield and backmarker prospects

The midfield also featured a mix of experienced competitors and young talents with strong potential. Noah Størmsted of Trident Motorsport lined up in P9, while Saintéloc Racing’s James Egozi took the tenth spot. Tasanapol Inthraphuvasak of Trident Motorsport started in P11, followed by the penalised Matteo De Palo in P12. Enzo Yeh of PHM Racing and R-ace GP’s Jin Nakamura rounded out the top 14 in P13 and P14, respectively. ART Grand Prix’s José Garfias and Hiyu Yamakoshi of Evans GP completed Row 8 in P15 and P16.

At the back of the grid, Charlie Wurz from Evans GP started in P17, with Tymek Kucharczyk of Van Amersfoort Racing in P18. TOM’S Formula drivers Yuki Sano and Kiyoshi Umegaki started in P19 and P20, respectively. Saintéloc Racing’s Owen Tangavelou was in P21, while Kanato Le from TOM’S Formula started in P22. The final few positions were occupied by Charles Leong from SJM Theodore Prema Racing and Tokiya Suzuki, the 2025 Formula Regional Japanese Champion, in P23 and P24. Rounding out the grid were Reza Seewooruthun from Trident Motorsport in P25, Zhenrui Chi from Van Amersfoort Racing in P26, and Evans GP’s Oscar Wurz, who started from the very back in P27.

Slater claims early lead into Turn 1

As the 10-lap Qualification Race got underway at 16:15 local time, the drivers carefully navigated the formation lap. With warm ambient temperatures and an even warmer track, tyre management became crucial. As the lights went out, Slater made an excellent start, immediately overtaking Naël to claim the lead at Reservoir Bend. Naël struggled off the line and quickly dropped further down the order, allowing Giltaire and Boya to move past into P2 and P3, respectively.

Slater wasted no time in building a gap to Giltaire in P2, taking advantage of the clean air. By the end of the first lap, he had already opened up a 1.6-second advantage. Giltaire, however, had to contend with Boya, who applied constant pressure for the second spot. An incident at the back of the grid on the opening lap resulted in Oscar Wurz breaking his front suspension, forcing him to retire. The other drivers involved in the incident managed to continue their races without further issues.

Boya and Naël close in

By the second lap, Boya continued to challenge for P2, attempting to pass Giltaire into Lisboa. However, he could not find a way past. Naël, who had fallen to P4 after the start, was now closing in on Boya, reducing the gap to just 0.7 seconds. Meanwhile, Taito Kato, who had not enjoyed the same strong start as his ART Grand Prix teammate Giltaire, found himself battling for P5 with Deligny.

With seven laps to go, Boya once again tried to pass Giltaire into Lisboa, but the ART driver defended strongly. As the battle raged on, Slater took advantage of the distraction, further extending his lead. By lap six, the gap to Giltaire had grown to over four seconds. Colnaghi, running in P7, joined the battle for P5, closing in on Deligny, and reducing the gap to just 0.6 seconds.

Despite Boya’s valiant attempts, Slater remained unchallenged at the front, setting fastest lap after fastest lap. By lap five, he had extended his lead to over 5.4 seconds. Boya, in P2, had built a gap of over 1.1 seconds to Naël, who had passed Giltaire to move into P3. The battle for P5 continued between Kato and Deligny, with Colnaghi close behind in P7. Egozi, in P8, was followed by Strømsted in P9 and Al Dhaheri, who rounded out the top 10.

Slater extends lead; Naël settles into third

With each passing lap, Slater continued to build his lead, now comfortably over five seconds ahead of Boya. The latter held off Naël, who had fallen 1.1 seconds behind but enjoyed a comfortable gap of over two seconds to Giltaire in P4. In the midfield, Strømsted closed to within 0.4 seconds of Egozi in the battle for P8, while Al Dhaheri remained on the fringes with a gap of under 0.7 seconds.

Three laps from the end, Race Control issued a 10-second time penalty for Zhenrui Chi for a starting procedure infringement, dropping him from P24 to P26. Meanwhile, De Palo had moved up to P11, overtaking Tasanapol Inthraphuvasak, who was under constant pressure from José Garfias just 0.3 seconds behind. The Thai driver soon found himself losing further ground, dropping outside of the top 12.

Slater seals the win

Slater, maintaining his composure, cruised to an almost inevitable victory, crossing the line with a lead of over five seconds. Despite Naël setting the fastest lap with a time of 2:15.561, he was unable to challenge Boya for second. Boya secured P2, while Naël settled for P3. Giltaire and Kato completed the top five, with Deligny in P6. Colnaghi finished in P7, followed by Egozi in P8. Rashid Al Dhaheri claimed the final top-10 spot, securing P10.

Post-race investigations found that both Slater and Deligny had been speeding in the pit lane during the warm-up, leading to fines for both drivers. However, the race results were not affected.