Macau Grand Prix 2020 likely to be cancelled with no Formula 3

Macau Motorcycle Grand Prix will likely be canceled this year due to a lack of foreign drivers at the race. 

In a report by Inside Asian Gaming, Macau Motorcycle Grand Prix will probably be canceled this year because of the Covid-19 pandemic. 

 “The number of participants looks like it will be insufficient due to Macau’s 14-day quarantine measure, so it is highly possible that the Macau Motorcycle Grand Prix will be cancelled this year,” President of Macau’s Sports Bureau Pun Weng Kun said. 

The Macau Grand Prix has been confirmed to run from 19 to 22 November, with a significant change in plan due to COVID-19. 

Organisers said the flagship FIA F3 Championship will be cancelled and replaced by a new Formula 4 Macau Grand Prix, which is an open-wheel racing car category intended for junior drivers.

For the first time in 37 years, the Formula Three race will not be part of the Macau Grand Prix as organisers try to save this year’s annual showpiece event that has been ravaged by uncertainties caused by the coronavirus. 

Macau’s 14-day quarantine regulations in response to the pandemic crisis the largest obstacle for Formula Three teams – meaning that drivers from Europe or from as far as Brazil would want to quarantine for 2 weeks before they will race. Foreign nationals without a residence permit in Macau are barred from entering town since the pandemic outbreak broke earlier this year. 

In line with this, Pun said it is very likely that no foreign drivers would participate at the Grand Prix this year with drivers to come primarily from mainland China instead. 

Suncity Group, who has sponsored the Macau Grand Prix for the past six years, will no longer be title sponsors of the event.

The budget for the 2020 Grand Prix has also fallen by around MOP$20 million to MOP$250 million, with fewer tickets to be sold due to social distancing measures.