Vergne to Macau despite F1 test

The Frenchman will travel straight from the F1 young drivers test in Abu Dhabi, where the Red Bull junior will be testing the Toro Rosso F1 car.

"I'm obviously very happy to be going to Macau, I wasn't sure how it would work out with the F1 young driver tests," said Vergne. "I might still miss first practice but I'm confident that we will be okay.

"It's the biggest race of the season for me, the track looks amazing and every F3 driver I have spoken to says it's the best track in the world. I really want to win it, and I think we have a good chance."

Carlin is taking a four driver line-up to Macau, with F3 Euro Series race-winner Antonio Felix da Costa - who has raced for Carlin in GP3 - moving across from Motopark Academy to join regulars Vergne, James Calado and Jazeman Jaafar.

All four are rookies at the famous street circuit, but team boss Trevor Carlin does not see this as a hindrance.

"We're looking forward to our annual trip to Macau, which is always a highlight of the season," he said. "We've got a great driver line-up - they're all Macau F3 rookies but we believe they're talented enough to be able to target an outright victory on their first attempt.

"We are always competitive in Macau, but like the city the race is also a casino, we just need the dice to roll our way."