British racer Arvid Lindblad from the SJM Theodore PREMA Racing team won the 12-lap Formula 4* race of the 70th Macau Grand Prix (MGP) yesterday, the second day of the two-weekend racing event.
The 16-year-old Red Bull Junior Team Athlete, who started on pole position, had to defend his place from teammate Freddie Slater during the opening lap, going into the Lisboa Bend and locking his brakes in the process. At that same bend, Japanese racer Miki Koyama from the Super License team hit a wall, prompting a first-lap safety car.
In the third lap, Slater went after Lindblad again, but fell back due to an issue with his car, but still managed to finish the race within the top 10.
By the seventh lap, Lindblad was still in the lead position followed by local racer and two-time MGP’s Formula 4 winner Charles Leong Hon Chio, who also raced for SJM Theodore PREMA Racing, and PREMA Racing team’s Rashid Al Dhaheri from the United Arab Emirates (UAE), in second and third place respectively
The race ended with the three drivers maintaining their positions, with Lindblad crossing the finish line clocking up 37:28.
During the post-race press conference, Lindblad said: “It’s been a really good week. I felt really comfortable in practice, and qualifying was really good”, adding that despite the difficult and wet conditions in the morning, he felt he had a good pace.
Lindblad noted that during in main race, he knew that it would be difficult during the start and restarts. “I tried as best as I could to manage them well. It was difficult, I definitely could have done a better job, but I managed to hold on”, he said.
Lindblad pointed out that he was delighted to win, noting that the Guia Circuit is “such a historical track, such an amazing place [and] amazing event”, as well as being his first street circuit, noting that he was “over the moon with the result”. The young racer hopes to come back and race again next year.
- (Additional reporting by MGPOC)
*Formula 4 is “an open-wheel racing car category intended for junior drivers. There is no global championship, but rather individual nations or regions can host their own championships in compliance with a universal set of rules and specifications”, according to Wikipedia.
British Racer Arvid Lindblad (No.23) races ahead of fellow teammate Freddie Slater during yesterday’s Formula 4 race.
Lindblad celebrates his F4 victory. – Photos: Rui Pastorin
