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Race report

Macau GP: Ilott passes Eriksson for qualifying race win

New Ferrari protege Callum Ilott took a stunning win in the Macau Grand Prix qualification race after passing Joel Eriksson with a brilliant move for the lead.

Callum Ilott, SJM Theodore Racing by Prema, Dallara Mercedes

Callum Ilott, SJM Theodore Racing by Prema, Dallara Mercedes

Alexander Trienitz

Callum Ilott, SJM Theodore Racing by Prema, Dallara Mercedes
Start action, Start action, Joel Eriksson, Motopark with VEB, Dallara Volkswagen leads
Sérgio Sette Câmara, Motopark with VEB, Dallara Volkswagen
Lando Norris, Carlin, Dallara Volkswagen
Mick Schumacher, SJM Theodore Racing by Prema, Dallara Mercedes
Alex Palou, ThreeBond Racing with Dorago Corse, Dallara Tomei
Guan Yu Zhou, SJM Theodore Racing by Prema, Dallara Mercedes
Maximilian Günther, SJM Theodore Racing by Prema, Dallara Mercedes
Sacha Fenestraz, Carlin, Dallara Volkswagen
Marino Sato, Motopark with VEB, Dallara Volkswagen

Ilott, who qualified third, got ahead of the slow-starting Lando Norris for second when the lights went out, and his Prema Powerteam Dallara-Mercedes was 1.127 seconds adrift of poleman Eriksson at the end of the opening lap.

The gap remained stable over the first three laps, but then Ilott homed in on the BMW junior’s Motopark Dallara-Volkswagen, and was in his slipstream at the end of the fifth lap of 10.

Ilott immediately tried a pass on the outside of Lisboa, but that didn’t work.

At the beginning of lap seven, Ilott had such momentum on Eriksson that he was able to spear down the inside at the flat-out Mandarin kink, the two drivers both showing superb judgement as they battled cleanly for the lead, and Eriksson immediately trying a repass in vain at Lisboa.

By the end of that lap, Ilott was already 2.480s to the good, and three laps later he crossed the finish line 7.957s in front.

“The first time I tried to pass Joel I didn’t time it right and I was on the wrong side,” said Ilott, “so the next time I thought I’d try to surprise him a bit and get him into Mandarin.

“I didn’t expect to pull away so quickly, but I was pushing. Then, when I saw the gap, I thought, ‘OK, I can relax a bit.’”

Eriksson, whose rear tyres were fading dramatically, spent the rest of the race fending off Motopark teammate Sergio Sette Camara.

The Brazilian was one of many to swamp Norris on the run to the Mandarin kink on the opening lap, and from ninth on the grid was already up to fifth by Lisboa.

Sette Camara passed Carlin’s Ferdinand Habsburg for fourth into Lisboa on lap two, and then slipstreamed past the Prema car of Maximilian Gunther for third after Mandarin on the sixth lap.

Norris battled his way up from his initial ninth position and passed Dan Ticktum’s Motopark machine for fifth on lap seven, but then a mysterious lack of pace – which his Carlin team could not explain immediately after the race – dropped him down again.

Ticktum, who set the fastest lap early in the race, was another driver going backwards in the closing stages, and he faded to eighth, one position behind Norris.

Habsburg repassed the struggling Norris to take fifth, while Pedro Piquet showed superb race pace in his Van Amersfoort Racing car after a disappointing second qualifying.

Once Piquet passed Yuhi Sekiguchi, he quickly caught the group in front and deposed Norris and Ticktum to take sixth.

Sekiguchi finished ninth for B-Max Racing, while Prema’s Guan Yu Zhou completed the top 10.

Mick Schumacher ran seventh early on, but locked up into Lisboa as he tried to pass Habsburg for sixth and took to the escape road, rejoining at the back of the field.

Race results:

 Pos.Driver TeamTime/Delay
 Callum Ilott Theodore Racing by Prema 22'18.077
 Joel Eriksson Motopark 7.957
 Sergio Sette Camara Motopark 8.643
 Maximilian Gunther Theodore Racing by Prema 9.798
 Ferdinand Habsburg Carlin 10.391
 Pedro Piquet Van Amersfoort Racing 10.821
 Lando Norris Carlin 11.966
 Dan Ticktum Motopark 12.657
 Yuhi Sekiguchi B-Max Racing Team 13.418
10   Guan Yu Zhou Theodore Racing by Prema 14.715
11   Kenta Yamashita B-Max Racing Team 15.505
12   Sacha Fenestraz Carlin 17.608
13   Ralf Aron Van Amersfoort Racing 19.371
14   Marino Sato Motopark 25.456
15   Sho Tsuboi TOM'S 26.614
16   Jehan Daruvala Carlin 30.412
17   Tadasuke Makino Motopark 32.173
18   Alex Palou ThreeBond Racing 32.606
19   Ritomo Miyata TOM'S 37.061
20   Mick Schumacher Theodore Racing by Prema 37.634
21   Devlin Defrancesco Carlin 51.177

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