Mixed emotions for the BMW M Motorsport teams and drivers after the FIA GT World Cup in Macau (CHN). Throughout much of the weekend, the pace of the four BMW M4 GT3s on the Guia Circuit was very strong, culminating in a one-two finish for Raffaele Marciello (SUI) and Dries Vanthoor (BEL) in Saturday’s qualification race. Consequently, the duo started the main race from the front row. However, under very challenging conditions due to the rain, they were unable to capitalise on the strengths of their cars. Both were eliminated following incidents. This time, it was Augusto Farfus (BRA) and Sheldon van der Linde (RSA) who celebrated on the podium, finishing second and third, respectively.
Overall, despite the two podium finishes, the disappointment over the missed victory in the main race prevailed due to the course of events on Sunday. Marciello and Vanthoor initially defended first and second places, but it quickly became clear that other cars coped better with the wet conditions than the BMW M4 GT3, whose performance had already been reduced compared to the competition after qualifying on Friday. Vanthoor came under pressure from the eventual winner Maro Engel (GER, Mercedes), who hit him in the rear during an overtaking attempt and pushed him into the barriers. As a result, Vanthoor’s race was over. Marciello fought with Antonio Fuoco (ITA, Ferrari) for the lead. Both cars engaged in a tough duel, which ended with a slight collision and a slide into the runoff area for both.
Due to the incidents, Farfus and van der Linde advanced from starting positions five and six to the front and were able to celebrate on the podium. Farfus reached the podium last year, finishing third, and for van der Linde, it was his first podium at his second Macau start. The weekend was also special for the South African for another reason. He competed in a special design in the style of Chinese Manhua comics, developed by BMW M Motorsport together with Premium Technology Partner Shell. It featured a dragon and van der Linde as an animated character. This character was also available on-site as merchandise for guests and fans.
Comments on the FIA GT World Cup:
Andreas Roos (Head of BMW M Motorsport): “We have shown that we had four incredibly strong cars at the start – with top teams and great support. Occupying the front row and having all four cars in the top-six showcased our strong performance. There was an adjustment to the balance of performance for the BMW M4 GT3 before the qualification race, but we still managed to defend our very good starting positions and win the race. In the main race, it became clear that our car was not the fastest and we fell back. Unfortunately, there was also an incident between Maro Engel and Dries Vanthoor, which in our view was not appropriately penalised, resulting in Dries’ race ending prematurely while he was in third place. Of course, it’s a great result to have two cars on the podium with Augusto Farfus and Sheldon van der Linde. But when you compete here, you want to win the race. And I believe we had arguably the strongest line-up, but not the chance to win.”
Augusto Farfus (#89 BMW M4 GT3, Team KRC, 2nd place main race, 5th place qualification race): “Macau is always a surprise package. I drove for a new team, a team from Macau, which makes me very proud. BMW M Motorsport has supported us as a small team very well, which is great. We worked closely together, and now I’m back on the podium. This weekend was probably the toughest I’ve had in Macau, with all kinds of weather conditions and situations. The weather played a big role this time. A dry race would certainly have produced a different result but I am very satisfied with what I have achieved.”
Sheldon van der Linde (#31 BMW M4 GT3, Team WRT, 3rd place main race, 6th place qualification race): “This is my first podium in Macau. Of course, it’s a special feeling, especially after I was third last year and lost the podium in the last five laps due to a tyre puncture so it feels good, even if it was somewhat unexpected before the race. When you start from sixth place, you don’t really expect to make up three positions in Macau. I had a lot of pressure from behind with the two Porsches, which were flying in the rain. It was very difficult to keep them behind me. But I knew if I got out of the Melco corner well, they couldn’t attack. I’m very proud to stand on the podium here. It’s a nice reward for all the work we’ve done over the past two years, which hasn’t really been rewarded yet.”
Raffaele Marciello (#1 BMW M4 GT3, TORO Racing powered by MCG, DNF main race, 1st place qualification race): “The weekend started very well, we were in the best position. It’s a shame how the main race went. Unfortunately, we had the worst conditions for our car today, but we were only two laps away from victory. I lost the lead in the last corner against the Ferrari, but tried to counter immediately. Of course, I was late, but he also changed line under braking, and then I had no more space. I put everything on one card, but unfortunately, it didn’t work out today.”
Dries Vanthoor (#32 BMW M4 GT3, Team WRT, DNF main race, 2nd place qualification race): “It was a very good Friday and a very good Saturday. We finished the qualification race in second after even leading. But today I am very disappointed. If you push another car off, you should not be able to win the race. For me it is a no-go what happened today – but it is what it is, it happened. We had good fun and showed that BMW is competitive and showed a good fight, but unfortunately, there are some things out of our control.”
