Marciello Marches On
Raffaelle Marciello finished his Mercedes AMG career in dominant fashion – and his efforts were rightly recognised with emotion from his now previous employer.
Not a bad last week 😁 pic.twitter.com/nz7TeiQSX8
— Raffaele Marciello (@Team_RMarciello) November 19, 2023
This moment 💔🥺
Thank you @Team_RMarciello for this last unforgettable memory together.#GrazieLello pic.twitter.com/HGUyn3sag8
— Mercedes-AMG Motorsport (@amgmotorsport) November 19, 2023
Engel’s run ruined
Maro Engel’s strong run at the FIA GT World Cup was ruined by a broken paddle shifter. The German looked much the most likely threat to now double winner Raffaelle Marciello before pitting as the race went back to green flag running after the #52 Harmony Racing Ferrari 488 GT3 came to blows with the armco.
Not the way we wanted to end the weekend 😬
Unfortunately I was stuck in 2nd gear at the restart as it seems the shift paddle failed.
Obviously dissapointing to lose P2 and any chance to fight for the lead but these freak things happen sometimes in motorsports and we move on. 1/2 pic.twitter.com/DyjstoDiWJ— Maro Engel (@MaroEngel) November 19, 2023
Macau GP
British racer Luke Browning took a hugely impressive win in the main event of the weekend, the Macau GP for F3 machinery.
The Cheshire man scored a dominant victory fending off a number of high-pressure moments.
There were plenty of familiar faces involved in the F3 paddock with two second-generation racers from the WEC’s past.
Oliver Goethe, son of ex-GTE Am racer Roald and now a Red Bull Junior, had a spirited run to a top-ten finish which included a very impressive double overtake up the inside out of the daunting Mandarin Corner.
Goethe’s driver coach, ex-WEC GTE Am Champion Stuart Hall was on-site too and keeping a close watch on his young charge.
Charlie Wurz, son of Toyota Gazoo Racing’s Alex Wurz (who was also on-site) had looked set for a very strong run, challenging for a top five finish before becoming an innocent victim of a big accident for Estonian racer Paul Aron, who lost control and made heavy contact with the barriers, the impact tearing out the rear axle of his Dallara and leaving the car to skate to a halt the rear fully ablaze.
Wurz hit the wall in avoidance, making it back to the pits as the race was red-flagged but unable to join the restart as a result of gearbox damage suffered in the impact.
Finally, ex-LMP2 racer Sophia Floersch was back once again for a second return visit since her monster crash in 2018. She showed absolutely no sign whatsoever of nerves at a circuit that many would have returned to after such an accident. She was rewarded with a fighting 11th-place finish for her efforts!
Macau on demand
Missed the Main Race on Sunday? The full broadcast is available to stream on-demand on the FIA YouTube channel:
