Engel Wins FIA GT World Cup Main Race in Macau
Mercedes-AMG continues to set records, claiming its ninth GT3 victory at the Macau Circuit, while Maro Engel celebrates his fourth win on the iconic Guia Circuit.
The absence of Marciello was not a problem for Mercedes-AMG in Macau. Factory driver Maro Engel secured victory in the 2024 FIA GT World Cup Main Race, which took place under challenging conditions after rain prior to the start, beginning the race from fourth position on the grid.
On his path to triumph, the German driver overtook the WRT BMW of Dries Vanthoor and capitalized on a late collision between Antonio Fuoco and qualifying race winner Raffaele Marciello in the closing stages of the 15-lap race.
The race, which started under the safety car due to poor weather conditions, was intense from the very beginning. The climax came with two laps to go when a battle for the lead erupted among Marciello, Fuoco, and Engel.
Fuoco made a bold move, overtaking Marciello at the end of the 13th lap in his AF Corse Ferrari to take the lead. However, his time at the front was short-lived, as contact with Marciello at the Lisboa corner soon sent both cars down the escape road, eliminating them from contention.
The Swiss driver, attempting to sneak inside in his Toro Racing BMW, was unable to slow down in time for the corner and hit the rear of the Ferrari. This allowed Engel to slip through in his #130 Team GMR AMG GT3 and take the lead with just two laps remaining.
Before the finish, further complications arose when Engel was handed a five-second penalty for his maneuver against Vanthoor, which led to WRT dropping out of the race after hitting the barriers. Nevertheless, in clear air, Engel was able to extend his lead to over 10 seconds from Augusto Farfus in the closing moments and secure the victory.
“It’s simply unbelievable!” he shared his emotions. “I’m over the moon and proud to have taken my fourth win in Macau. This was definitely one of the toughest weekends we’ve had here.”
Although it wasn’t the victory that BMW had dreamed of before the race, with Marciello and Vanthoor locking out the front row, the German brand still managed to achieve a double podium. Augusto Farfus finished second in his Team KRC M4 after a quiet outing, finishing a few seconds ahead of Sheldon van der Linde from WRT.
Off the podium, the pairs of Absolute Racing Porsches driven by Alessio Picariello and Laurens Vanthoor finished fourth and fifth, respectively, ahead of the first Audi and Lamborghini. Christopher Haase took sixth place in his #33 Phantom Global R8, while Edoardo Mortara finished seventh in his Theodore Racing Huracan.
Following the incident at Lisboa, Antonio Fuoco crossed the line in a frustrating ninth place, while Marciello was classified 18th, a lap down after abandoning his car.
