2025 Macau GP | FIA FR World Cup

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Following its 1st Free Practice session, the FR World Cup kicked off its first qualifying round in the afternoon. The early stages saw drivers warming up their tyres for their first flying laps, with R-ace GP leading the charge. Enzo Deligny set the first benchmark lap at 2’17.900, with teammates Jin Nakamura and Matteo de Palo following closely in second and third, respectively.

Théophile Naël was another driver to watch, placing second with a time of 2’17.980, just behind Deligny and splitting the R-ace GP trio. Freddie Slater, representing SJM Theodore Prema Racing, then emerged as the one to beat. Slater set a purple double sector and vaulted to provisional pole with a time of 2’16.887

A session marked by yellow and red flags

The session wasn’t without drama, as several yellow flags interrupted the flow. The first came when Kiyoshi Umegaki of Van Amersfoort Racing stopped on track with 27 minutes remaining. Fortunately, Umegaki managed to get the car off track and rejoin. A few minutes later, Enzo Yeh of PHM Racing encountered issues, but like Umegaki, he also rejoined the session.

With 19 minutes to go, almost all drivers pitted. Matteo de Palo received a technical check during this time, while the rest swapped to fresh tyres. A few minutes later, most drivers returned to the track for their out laps.

Red Flags disrupt the action

Naël, Deligny, and Slater quickly moved back to the top of the timesheets after the pit stops, but the session was soon interrupted by a red flag. Hiyu Yamakoshi of Evans GP crashed heavily into the barriers with 10 minutes left, halting the action while his car was cleared.

The session resumed briefly, but another red flag appeared after Reza Seewooruthun of Trident Motorsport crashed. With the clock ticking down and the session paused again, Slater and Deligny were forced to abort their flying laps.

Five minutes of flying laps

With only five minutes left, Slater, Deligny, and Naël had one final chance to battle for pole position. In the closing moments, Freddie Slater held on to secure the top spot, with Enzo Deligny finishing second. Mari Boya managed to snatch third.

The session ended with disappointment for Van Amersfoort Racing’s Kiyoshi Umegaki, who once again stopped on track, this time with suspension damage.