Eventful race wraps up inaugural FR World Cup
SJM Theodore PREMA Racing faced a steep battle today as the 71st edition of the Macau Grand Prix went underway with its main race at the Guia Circuit. Having to start outside the top 5 with all three cars in yesterday's Qualifying Race, the team knew that it would have been a tough task to fight back, and some good chance was needed to secure a podium in today's race.
Dino Beganovic, Alex Dunne, and Freddie Slater put up a strong showing to gain back as many positions as they could and make the most out of a dicey situation. Slater fought for the podium for the whole race despite an early technical issue that compromised his car's performance. In the closing stages, faced with the chance to go for the podium, he dived on the outside of Lisboa with an incredibly bold move. Unfortunately, the 16-year-old British racer ended up in the barriers but showed a strong determination to go above and beyond in his pursuit of success.
Dunne ended up as the team’s highest-classified driver. The 19-year-old Irishman started from the 13th spot on the grid and made up several positions, going around a couple of melees and surviving early contact in a lap-1 pileup. In addition, he made some remarkable passes. Beganovic started from the 10th place, fought like a lion, and had his fair share of attrition and hard fighting. He eventually finished in the same spot he had started from. Both he and Dunne highlighted their fighting spirit, despite the unavoidable crash that set them on the back foot after Qualifying.
Despite not making it to the podium, SJM Theodore PREMA Racing is proud of the monumental effort provided by the team and drivers in a particularly tricky and weather-affected edition of the Grand Prix. Wrapping up a unique weekend, with highly-spectacular races and action, the team wishes to congratulate Ugo Ugochuckwu for winning the 2024 FR World Cup and cannot wait to come back in 2025.
Teddy Yip - Team President
"The Macau Grand Prix definitely showed us its most challenging face, with difficult conditions throughout the week, hard fighting, and tricky circumstances. Still, our drivers fully showed their resolve and fighting spirit in the race today. Freddie’s try for the podium is a testament to that spirit and I'm extremely proud of him, even if it did not pay off in the end. As a team, we always set out to win, but I’m leaving Macau energized and hopeful for next year."
#30 - Dino Beganovic
"We achieved P10 in the end. I'm obviously not super happy with that, but I definitely don't regret coming here. I had an amazing time here in Macau and I loved every second. I wish we had more racing laps to try to push the limit, but that's Macau and this time it was like this. Most of the weekend was compromised by qualifying, and we needed luck starting from the position we had. In the end, we had a great pace and we showed it, it was a blast and I can't thank the team enough."
#31 - Freddie Slater
"This 71st Macau Grand Prix was a hell of a ride. It's been wet for most of the weekend, and we got a bit of dry and loads of red flags. I think we did the best of what we could. In the end, it was all in, I just said, I'm not finishing fourth. I did it for myself and the team, I just sent it. If it paid off, it would have been mega, but it is what it is. Thank you to SJM Theodore PREMA Racing for all the work they have done and for giving me an amazing car. It's been a long week for them, early mornings, and late nights. I could have not done it without you."
#32 - Alex Dunne
"Naturally I'm not super happy, but in terms of what we were dealt with from the beginning of qualifying, I think we finished as high as possible and did the best we could have done in a racing situation. The team did a fantastic job, and the car was really good in all conditions, wet, dry, and in between. A lot of moving forward is thanks to that. On one hand, I'm disappointed, but I'm happy to have recovered and showed the pace."