Red Bull junior and Hitech GP’s Juri Vips won the Qualifying Race in Macau GP ahead of Prema’s Robert Shwartzman and ART Grand Prix’s Christian Lundgaard.
It was a clean start from pole-sitter and Hitech GP’s Juri Vips in 2019 Macau GP as he led Prema’s Robert Shwartzman and ART Grand Prix’s Christian Lundgaard in the Top 3. There was a usual mayhem behind, with a crash at Lisboa causing a traffic jam.
Jenzer Motorsport’s Arjun Maini was tagged by Carlin’s Logan Sargeant going into Lisboa as the Indian – on the outside – was spun around after hitting the tyre barrier. Maini’s spin caught out HWA Racelab’s Jake Hughes and also Carlin’s Daniel Ticktum.
The former retired immediately while the latter was forced to pit for repairs. It also caused a huge traffic jam as everyone just behind Maini got stuck as a result. Campos Racing’s Enaam Ahmed retired as well but it was unclear, his cause for it.
The safety car was deployed with Vips leading Shwartzman, Lundgaard, Sauber Junior Team by Charouz’s Callum Ilott, MP Motorsport’s Richard Verschoor, Sargeant, ART’s Ferdinand Habsburg, Trident’s Alessio Lorandi, David Beckmann and Sauber’s David Schumacher in the Top 10.
It took couple of laps to clear the cars as Vips continued to lead once Macau GP was green again. There was a change for seventh, though, with Lorandi clearing Habsburg at ease as a pit stop for Schumacher helped Campos’ Leonardo Pulcini to 10th.
The race was well-settled then with only Verschoor making a move on Ilott to take fourth as it was Red Bull junior Vips at the front to win the Macau GP Qualifying Race with Shwartzman second and Lundgaard completing the podium positions.
The Estonian is to start the Sunday’s main race on pole with Shwartzman alongside him as Lundgaard will lead the second row with Verschoor alongside in fourth. Behind, Sauber’s Ilott ended up fifth with Sargeant in sixth ahead of Habsburg.
The Top 10 was rounded our by Beckmann and Pulcini as HWA Racelab’s Keyvan Andres missed by less than a second. There wasn’t any more big dramas after Lap 1 troubles with only Carlin’s Felipe Drugovich crashing at Lisboa with a lap to go.
The first lap melee though was worst for the Prema duo Marcus Armstrong and Frederick Vesti, who dropped down the order as they were stuck behind Maini. In the end, they could only manage 17th and 18th respectively, from where they will start.
Position 11-27: Andres, Lukas Dunner, Charles Leoang, Enzo Fittipaldi, Sebastian Fernandez, Yuki Tsunoda, Armstrong, Vesti, Andreas Estner, Liam Lawson, Sophia Floersch, Max Fewtrell, Oliver Caldwell, Alessio Deledda, Schumacher, Durgovich (two laps down), Ticktum (two laps down). DNF: Maini, Hughes, Ahmed.
Here’s how Macau GP Q2 panned out