How faster new F3 car has changed the face of Macau GP

The likes of Michael Schumacher, Ayrton Senna, Mika Hakkinen and Lewis Hamilton have all competed in Macau, but none of them will have gone as fast around the legendary Guia circuit as whoever wins this year's grand prix.

Much has been made of the switch to the FIA Formula 3 car this year even before its arrival in Macau.

It has torn purists and those who like a more modern take on motorsport apart. A single-make Formula 3 set-up is a first for a category that has historically offered chassis and engine manufacturers free rein within the regulations.

Watch the Macau Grand Prix - and the WTCR races and FIA GT World Cup - live on Autosport this weekend

But a switch to the new car with degrading tyres, DRS and a relatively equal playing field has had its benefits and produced some stunning racing.

This is how the FIA F3 car has already changed the face of the Macau Grand Prix.

The speeds

This is a contentious one. Because of the increased power-to-weight ratio of the new car, the track needed an upgraded homologation status this year.

That has led to a number of safety improvements around the track, which Autosport investigated in detail on its track walk.

• Macau GP qualification race report
• Vips wins, pile-up hampers some top contenders
  

All parties involved should be praised for the quest to improve safety. Never was it made more clear it was needed than last year when Sophia Florsch was launched into a terrifying airborne shunt at Lisboa where she ended up in the photographers' bunker.

As part of seven major changes to the track, the barrier has been moved in and the gap to the inside kerb reduced - which should help prevent accidents like the one that afflicted Florsch.

The speeds, now touching 185mph, are astounding, and have led to lap times tumbling.

A 2m04.997s from Juri Vips in qualifying is almost five seconds quicker than the fastest previous F3 lap around the island, recorded by Dan Ticktum last year.

Ticktum's current Carlin team-mate Logan Sargeant's 185mph top speed in qualifying two is 13mph quicker than Ralf Aron's session topping 172mph for Prema Racing in 2018.

The fact of the matter is, 13mph would make a difference in a crash. But the new car has allowed the FIA to bring a halo to Macau for the first time - incredibly important when cars can go airborne here - and also a strengthened chassis and the tub that surrounds the driver.

"I wouldn't say it's more dangerous. It's just harder" Juri Vips

Any accident anywhere near that 185mph marker on a street circuit has the potential for danger. Ticktum believes the speeds have gone too high, while there are others who like the fact that the car is quicker and think it adds to the spectacle and the pleasure of driving the track.

Qualification race winner Vips said: "I wouldn't say it's more dangerous. It's just harder.

"Safety-wise they made a lot of improvements from last year. I think the dangerous stuff that can happen they've tried to correct. I have no concerns over that."

It's a matter of opinion. But the extra safety features allowed by the new car offer significant gains in protecting the drivers and that definitely shouldn't be overlooked in the debate.

The front end

During the FIA Formula 3 season the aim is to run the car as low as possible at the front and drive airflow over the front of the car.

But in Macau it's difficult to run the car low because of the aggressive bumps the circuit features.

That means the teams that have gained an advantage this year with a good front-end package can be less effective because of a slight change in set-up philosophy.

"We have a lot of bottoming," explains ART Grand Prix's Mathieu Zangarelli.

"Once more we are limited by the number of planks we have, two on the front two on the rear, so we have to take care of that and that's why we raise the car. We have to adjust the ride height perfectly."

It means the order has been shaken up with the likes of MP Motorsport and Carlin both steering drivers into the top 10 in the qualification race despite struggling in the main championship at times this year.

Of course, the nature of Macau means the circuit rewards committed and talented drivers.

But the quest for a strong set-up in Macau is pitted with compromise and the team that gets it right could negate tyre degradation in the final race, something that hasn't been a problem with the old tyres but will affect the Pirellis.

Tyres

The change from the old F3 Hankooks to FIA F3 Pirellis was perhaps not top of the list of issues being discussed pre-event.

But while the Hankooks were capable of great exertion without dropping away, the Pirelli tyre on the new car offers thermal degradation and an actual loss of grip - sometimes in a matter of laps.

This obviously improves the spectacle but can aid lesser drivers if they are particularly gifted in getting the rubber into the correct window and extracting the maximum performance.

"You have bumps in some very awkward positions that give the track a sort of new characteristic, it feels like watching Austin in F1" Juri Vips

Luckily the drivers have reported the tyre is hanging on during sessions and not going away aggressively. It didn't affect Saturday's qualifying race, won by Hitech Grand Prix's Vips.

The medium tyre - a slightly revised compound introduced for this season - can be extremely difficult to keep alive, but the signs are good so far.

The situation was particularly important as the increased weight and added downforce of the new F3 car compared to the old F317 means more load is being placed through the tyre, increasing the likelihood of higher temperatures and more wear than the previous car.

The added weight has certainly made the car more sluggish at the top of the hill, but the drivers have reported their surprise at how enjoyable the car is to drive and how it remains nimble enough.

"Everything feels good, pleasantly surprised through the corners," said Ferrari junior Callum Ilott after driving the car for the first time on his fifth attempt at the event, while double winner Ticktum added: "The car itself around here simply is not quite as nice to drive because of the weight. However, it's better than I was expecting it to be."

• FIA F3 car arrives for 2019
• How new F3 from learned from F2's mistakes
  
• New F3 car really recognisable from GP3 - Hughes
  

The actual grip the tyre produces has also helped to shake up how the car is driven and how it feels in the driver's hands.

"It's way harder for sure because of the Pirelli tyres," Vips adds.

"First of all because of the overheating, but they are much more sensitive over the bumps so some of the braking zones and some of the high-speed corners here are in some very awkward positions.

"You have bumps in some very awkward positions that give the track a sort of new characteristic, it feels like watching Austin in F1 actually. It feels in a similar way.

"The cars are really fast and I think the race will be a big challenge."

DRS

We're back to the purist versus entertainment debate. An F3 car having a device to aid overtaking will have some fans of the old school furious, but it has occasionally added an extra layer to races in F3 this year - when it works.

It was switched off in the Macau qualification race due to what Autosport understands was a sensor issue, and it's for this reason it would have been better to trial the device in the practice sessions and introduce it fully next year after ironing out kinks.

The speeds are higher already, and slipstreaming on the straight is powerful even without DRS, so its significance is questionable.

Speaking after the first practice, Ticktum said: "It's kind of what I was expecting. In the races if you're anywhere near the second [gap where DRS is triggered], you're getting passed or you are passing.

"If someone is catching you, you'll have to be absolutely balls out through the mountain to make sure they aren't within a second. Because as soon as they are within a second, they will be coming past. Simple as that. It's going to be difficult to defend.

"I'm glad they didn't put DRS over the start/finish line because that would have been ridiculous, I'm glad someone has wised up to that. We'll see."

Any chance to see if Ticktum is indeed correct was halted by the fact that the device was disabled for the qualification race.

So the first time DRS will be seen in action at Macau will be in its Grand Prix. Whatever you think of it, you can't help but find that exciting.