UpdateF1 >> Formula 1 News > Edoardo Mortara wins Macau

First 'Star of Tomorrow' winner

The Macau Grand Prix is the most prestigious event and the jewel in the crown of the Formula Three calendar.

For the first time in recent years the three major European champions are present; British Champion Daniel Ricciardo, Euroseries Champion Jules Bianchi and Japanese Champion Marcus Ericsson. Also joining the grid is German Champion Laurens Vanthoor.

For the last two years the Toyota Team TOM’S drivers have won, meaning that their lead driver Ericsson and team-mate Takuto Iguchi automatically starts as the pre race favourites.

The first practise session on Thursday went the way as expected, with Marcus Ericsson clocking the fastest time, to put him 0.549 faster than GP2 regular Eduardo Mortara who has dropped back down to Formula Three and rejoined Signature for one race. Brendon Hartley was third for Carlin ahead of his team-mate Ricciardo who in fourth was the highest British series racer. Euroseries Champion Bianchi was only ninth for ART Grand Prix

Ericsson maintained his advantage in first qualifying, this time it was closer as he was only 0.037 seconds clear of Ricciardo in second. Mortara and Hartley were third and fourth, after spending much of the session fighting over top spot before late laps by Ericsson and Riccardo. Bianchi again struggled was again off the pace down in fifteenth place.

In final practise on Friday Ericsson was topped for the first time. This time it was Mortara who was fastest 0.413 seconds faster than the very consistent Ricciardo, with an impressive lap that was underneath the circuit's official lap record set in 2008. Third went to Euroseries Rookie of the Year Valtteri Bottas who earlier this year won the Masters of Formula Three for ART. Hartley was fourth ahead of Ericsson who was only fifth. Bianchi was again off the pace in tenth.

Ericsson returned to the top in second qualifying to clinch pole position despite a late scare. He had just set his fastest time when he had a slide in to the barriers and dislodged his rear wing. He was saved by a red flag moments later meaning nobody else had time to beat him. Euroseries racer Jean-Karl Vernay was the shock of the session as he finished second for Signature. The second row of the grid was Bottas and Mortara with a trio of champions behind, Ricciardo fifth, Vanthoor sixth for Signature and Bianchi finally finding some pace in seventh.

Saturday’s action was the qualifying race, which featured all thirty drivers starting in the order they ended up after qualifying in a mini thirty minute race, to decide the grid for the main Macau Grand Prix on Sunday.

The race was won by Vernay who now has pole position for the main event on Sunday.

He took the lead from pole man Ericsson, but the Swede struck back instantly.

After the first of two safety car periods due to Jake Rosenzweig of Fortec crashing on the opening lap, Vernay again passed Ericsson and this time the Swede could not come back.

Another first lap incident put paid to Bianchi’s chances, as he clipped the left rear wheel of Mortara’s car while battling for third place. He was able to recover for repairs and eventually finished twenty first.

Vernay pulled away, while Ericsson was forced to concentrate on maintaining his second place with Mortara right behind.

Ericsson was able to hold off Mortara until the second safety car appeared, when British driver Wayne Boyd crashed his Hitech car.

Formula One test driver for Red Bull and Toro Rosso, Brendon Hartley, was another big name driver to hit problems he was battling with Prema Stefano Coletti over eighth place when the Carlin driver hit him up the back, running the chances for both drivers. Coletti finished twenty second and Hartley twenty fourth.

The race finished under safety car with Vernay winning, Ericsson second and Mortara third.

Bottas was fourth, Vanthoor fifth, Ricciardo sixth, Sam Bird seventh for ART, Iguchi eighth, Roberto Merhi ninth for Manor and Mika Maki completing the top ten for Hitech.

Sunday morning warm up was topped by Mortara; he was 0.051 seconds clear of Ericsson. Coletti was third just 0.093 seconds off the pace. Ricciardo was the next best champion in fourth; Bianchi was sixteenth one place ahead of Vanthoor in seventeenth.

After topping the Sunday morning warm up, Mortara followed it up with a battling but eventually comfortable win in the main event.

He took advantage straight after the green light powering from third past front row men Ericsson and Vernay into the lead.

Disaster stuck for British Champion Ricciardo moments latter as he ran into a wall and was clipped by several other cars, forcing the retirement of Ricciardo and seven other drivers, including Brendon Hartley, and causing an inevitable safety car period.

After the safety car Vernay was the man of the move, slipstreaming straight past his Signature team-mate and into the lead.

It looked as if Vernay has done enough to win, but late in the race he made a mistake allowing Mortara to get in his slipstream down the main straight and make a fairly routine pass.

After that it was Mortara’s race to lose, Vernay spent a lap snapping at his heels, but the he had used up his tyres defending earlier in the race, and it was easy for Mortara to pull away.

Behind the top two, fifth placed Bird was moving up, he started seventh and gained two places early and was by this point seven tenths of a second faster than fourth placed Ericsson, eventually catching and passing the pre race favourite.

Bottas was next up the road for Bird in third place, but it appeared that Bottas had too much of an advantage, that was until the last lap when the Finn slowed dramatically and Bird passed to complete the podium.

Bottas managed to limp across the line, but not before Ericsson had gone past to take fourth place, with the Finn finally coming home fifth.

Another last lap casualty was Roberto Merhi who was running sixth, and would have had a chance to pass Bottas for fifth, if he has not had a spin and dropped to seventeenth.

His sixth place went to Iguchi as he was followed a cross the line by Renger Van Der Zande of Riakkonen Robertson Racing in seventh place, Maki in eighth, The brother of last years winner, Yuji Kunimoto of Now Racing in ninth with Bianchi recovering from a qualification race crash to finish tenth. Vanthoor finished thirteenth.

By taking victory, Edoardo Mortara becomes the first, of hopefully many, UpdateF1 Star of Tomorrow drivers to claim victory in the Macau Grand Prix, after appearning at number eight in 2008.

Written: Sun, 22 Nov 2009 10:27:40