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Bianchi wants to emulate grandfather

Frenchman Jules Bianchi is hoping to make some Macau Grand Prix history this weekend by following in the footsteps of his grandfather and winning on the famous streets

Mauro Bianchi triumphed in the 1966 Macau Grand Prix, driving an Alpine-Renault T66, and 42 years on, grandson Jules is now one of the leading contenders for victory.

Speaking on the day before first practice gets underway for the end-of-season blue riband event, Jules Bianchi admitted that his grandfather's exploits had brought an extra-special motivation in his quest to claim victory.

"I would really like to win at Macau because my grandfather won here more than 40 years ago," he told autosport.com. "It is really sentimental, you know. But I prefer not to think about the victory too much now, I will do my best and then we will see what happens."

The ART driver won the Masters of F3 at Zolder this year, and two Euro Series races en route to third place in the championship behind Nico Hulkenberg and Edoardo Mortara.

His form, and ART's status as one of the best F3 teams, means Bianchi is among the pre-event favourites for this weekend's race. However, he is keen to play down expectations - claiming his rookie status at Macau will leave him with some catching up to do.

"I think there are a lot of people who know the track really well, and there are a lot of good drivers, so I don't think I am the favourite for this race," he said. "I will work to finish first in the race and then we will see after that.

"For sure it is quite open, but there are some strong teams here. TOM'S are very good, but we have worked a lot for Macau after Hockenheim so we are well prepared. Let's see."

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