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Autosport

Macau GP: Williams junior Browning wins qualifying race

Browning, who is a member of the Williams Driver Academy, overcame the best efforts of front-row starter Gabriele Mini twice on the run down to Lisboa to set up his dominant run to the chequered flag. 

Off the original start, Browning got away well but Mini seized the opportunity of the slipstream to draft alongside his rival on the run to Mandarin and briefly swooped past into the lead. 

But the Theodore Prema driver could not hold his advantage for long as Browning surged back ahead on the run to Lisboa – quickly eking out an advantage to end the opening lap 1.8 seconds clear.

Browning's lead was wiped away at the end of the second lap though after the safety car was called out following a collision involving Dan Ticktum and Ugo Ugochukwu at Lisboa, with both cars ending up in the barriers.

Browning got away well for the restart at the beginning of lap five of 10, but Mini got the tow again and tried to find a way past as the duo snaked their way down to Lisboa. 

But as Browning held firm against Mini, it was Dunne, who had originally started sixth, who made the most of the restart opportunity to take the inside line against the cars ahead and grab second from Mini.

Alex Dunne, Hitech Pulse-Eight (Photo by: Macau GP)

From there, Browning was again able to open up an advantage as he ended the lap 1.4 seconds clear of Dunne.  

And although Dunne briefly appeared able to match the race leader’s times, even closing in by one tenth over the following two laps, Browning had everything under control and slowly edged clear over the remaining laps to win by 2.097s.

Mini had no response to the Hitech duo ahead of him as he steadily fell back, eventually finishing 2.3 seconds adrift to take third place, with his team-mate Dino Beganovic coming home right behind him to snatch fourth.

F2 driver Dennis Hauger eventually finished a lonely fifth, as he ended up 5.5 seconds adrift of the cars in front of him, with Mari Boya taking sixth and Paul Aron seventh.

Completing the top 10 were Pepe Marti, Isack Hadjar and Zane Maloney.

Macau GP - F3 qualifying race result

 
 Cla   Nº   Driver   Car / Engine   Laps   Time   Delay/Retirement 
1 11  Luke Browning Dallara/Mecachrome 10 26'52.318  
2 14  Alex Dunne Dallara/Mecachrome 10 26'54.415 2.097
3 9  Gabriele Minì Dallara/Mecachrome 10 26'56.759 4.441
4 8  Dino Beganovic Dallara/Mecachrome 10 26'57.657 5.339
5 27  Dennis Hauger Dallara/Mecachrome 10 27'03.254 10.936
6 28  Mari Boya Dallara/Mecachrome 10 27'05.400 13.082
7 10  Paul Aron Dallara/Mecachrome 10 27'06.195 13.877
8 15  Pepe Martí Dallara/Mecachrome 10 27'09.542 17.224
9 12  Isack Hadjar Dallara/Mecachrome 10 27'09.966 17.648
10 24  Zane Maloney Dallara/Mecachrome 10 27'11.938 19.620
11 6  Charlie Wurz Dallara/Mecachrome 10 27'13.264 20.946
12 1  R.Verschoor Dallara/Mecachrome 10 27'13.808 21.490
13 23  Nikola Tsolov Dallara/Mecachrome 10 27'14.708 22.390
14 21  L.Van Hoepen Dallara/Mecachrome 10 27'17.122 24.804
15 19  Sophia Flörsch Dallara/Mecachrome 10 27'17.823 25.505
16 5  Max Esterson Dallara/Mecachrome 10 27'18.502 26.184
17 18  Noel León Dallara/Mecachrome 10 27'18.928 26.610
18 16  S.Montoya Dallara/Mecachrome 10 27'19.853 27.535
19 2  Roman Staněk Dallara/Mecachrome 10 27'20.647 28.329
20 22  C.Mansell Dallara/Mecachrome 10 27'21.214 28.896
21 17  Oliver Goethe Dallara/Mecachrome 10 27'22.212 29.894
22 29  Marcus Armstrong Dallara/Mecachrome 10 27'22.833 30.515
23 20  Tom Smith Dallara/Mecachrome 10 27'27.226 34.908
24 7  Matías Zagazeta Dallara/Mecachrome 10 27'30.068 37.750
 
(10) 25  Dan Ticktum Dallara/Mecachrome 1 2'23.597 Retirement
(12) 3  Ugo Ugochukwu Dallara/Mecachrome 1 2'25.034 Retirement
 
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