2011 Macau Grand Prix

The 2011 Macau Grand Prix Formula Three was the 58th Macau Grand Prix race to be held, and was held on the streets of Macau on 20 November 2011. It was the 29th edition for Formula Three cars, and was supported by the 2011 Guia Race of Macau. The race weekend also formed the final two rounds of the inaugural FIA Formula 3 International Trophy, which had been won prior to Macau by Formula 3 Euro Series champion Roberto Merhi. The race itself was made up of two races: a ten-lap qualifying race that decided the starting grid for the fifteen-lap main race.

For the first time, the Grand Prix was won by a Spanish driver, as Prema Powerteam's Daniel Juncadella took victory from sixth position on the grid. Juncadella's victory was also the first for an Italian team since Forti Corse won the 1988 race with Enrico Bertaggia. Second place was claimed by Felipe Nasr for Carlin, with the podium completed by Qualification Race winner Marco Wittmann for Signature. The Grand Prix itself was a race of attrition, as only 13 of the race's 29 starters were running at the conclusion of the race.

The Macau Grand Prix is a Formula Three race considered to be a stepping stone to higher motor racing categories such as Formula One and is Macau's most prestigious international sporting event. The 2011 Macau Grand Prix was the fifty-eighth running of the event and the twenty-ninth time the race was held to Formula Three regulations. It took place on the 6.2-kilometre (3.9 mi) twenty-two turn Guia Circuit on 20 November 2011 with three preceding days of practice and qualifying.

In order to compete in Macau, drivers had to compete in an FIA-regulated championship meeting during the calendar year, in either the FIA Formula 3 International Trophy or one of the domestic championships, with these drivers given priority in receiving an invitation to the meeting. Within the 30-car grid of the event, each of the major Formula Three series were represented by their respective champion. Roberto Merhi, the Euro Series and FIA International Trophy champion, was joined in Macau by British champion Felipe Nasr, German series winner Richie Stanaway and Japanese champion Yuhi Sekiguchi, who was a late addition to the entry list after an injured wrist ruled out Michael Ho.

Four drivers from the GP3 Series, including champion Valtteri Bottas, also made a return to Formula Three for the event, and Eurocup Formula Renault 2.0 runner-up Carlos Sainz Jr. was also part of the field, having competed in the Euro Series in its season-closing round at the Hockenheimring order to compete at Macau. Bottas raced at the British Formula Three meeting at Donington Park in September to prepare for Macau, while his fellow GP3 Series competitors Alexander Sims and Mitch Evans sealed their eligibility by taking part in the series' season-ending round at the Silverstone Circuit the month after.

Marco Wittmann set the fastest time for Signature in the 45-minute first free practice session that was held prior to the first qualifying session, setting a lap time almost two seconds quicker than anyone else on a drying Guia circuit. His closest challenger was Prema Powerteam's Daniel Juncadella ahead of Mücke Motorsport's Yuhi Sekiguchi, the other Prema car of Roberto Merhi, and Lucas Foresti completed the top five for Fortec Motorsport ahead of Carlin trio of Kevin Magnussen, Felipe Nasr and Carlos Huertas. Owing to the wet conditions, the session was stopped on two occasions; the stationary cars of Hironobu Yasuda and Evans at the Melco hairpin caused the first red flag almost 20 minutes into the session, with Felix Rosenqvist the cause of the second stoppage as he took avoiding action to stop himself running into.a line of stationary vehicles at the same turn.

"I want to finish this race after last year. I want to make sure I get through to the final, and try to win this Macau GP. I think we have the potential, the team has done a good job and I think I am very competitive and very confident. In any conditions I am going to be really quick, and I am confident in myself. It has been a difficult weekend for me. In the first qualifying I was P1 but I had an accident with [Felix] Rosenqvist and because of that accident I had a seven-place grid penalty. Then this morning I had a crash in San Francisco, and because of that crash I wasn't pushing so hard in this corner. I was taking care every time. But I was P1 in qualifying and all the time I was battling with Marco [Wittmann]. He did a good job to improve on my best time and put me down to P2, but it has been all year like this, and it is nice to come here again to be P1 and P2."

The qualifying period was split into two sessions; the first was held on Thursday afternoon and ran for 30 minutes with the second held on Friday afternoon and was similarly timed to the previous day's session. The fastest time set by each driver from either session counted towards his final starting position for the qualification race. The first qualifying session saw Merhi on top, again with a margin of over 1.5 seconds to the field. However, his session came to an early end in deteriorating track conditions as he misjudged his braking for Lisboa corner and ran into the back of Rosenqvist, ending the session for both drivers. Wittmann ended up second ahead of Nasr, Juncadella and Sims. Sekiguchi finished the session in sixth place ahead of top-placed rookie Hannes van Asseldonk and António Félix da Costa with William Buller and Rosenqvist rounding out the top ten. Following them were Foresti, Kimiya Sato with Richie Stanaway and Magnussen provisionally lining up on row seven. Daniel Abt, who held the lead of the Grand Prix before crashing out in 2010, was next ahead of Jazeman Jaafar, Marko Asmer, Laurens Vanthoor and Jimmy Eriksson. Adderly Fong ended the session in 20th, ahead of Carlos Muñoz, Huertas, Hideki Yamauchi, Carlos Sainz Jr., Hywel Lloyd, Evans, Valtteri Bottas, Pietro Fantin, Richard Bradley and Yasuda. After qualifying, numerous penalties were handed out. For earlier free practice incidents, Magnussen and Rosenqvist were sent to the back of the field. Rosenqvist was also given a three-place grid penalty for illegally crossing the pit lane exit line, along with session pacesetter Merhi, Asmer and Signature teammates Vanthoor, Muñoz and Sainz. Yasuda was given a six-place grid drop for crossing the line on two occasions. Merhi was then given another grid penalty for running into Rosenqvist, taking his total drop for the qualification race to ten places. Prior to second qualifying, Merhi, Rosenqvist and van Asseldonk – whose original penalty had not been announced – had their penalties rescinded.