Dennis Hauger grabs podium position with MP Motorsport in Macau
The prestigious Macau Grand Prix was back for its 70th time this year. The always surprising street circuit provided another exciting spectacle in 2023, with multiple safety cars, a red flag, and exciting on-track battles. Dennis Hauger had already grabbed a podium spot during the race by securing third place, but he took the second position during the race's final restart.
The last edition in 2019 was won by MP Motorsport, with Dutch driver Richard Verschoor. Due to COVID, this year's Formula 3 race took place for the first time since 2019. MP Motorsport entered with current Formula 3 driver Mari Boya, MP Formula 2 driver Dennis Hauger, and Indycar driver Marcus Armstrong.
The Dutch MP Motorsport team had a difficult qualifying but recovered during the main race and showed great pace. The main race on Sunday was stopped for a while due to a tough crash which ended in a flaming car. At that time, Norwegian Dennis Hauger was driving in third place. With five laps to go, the race restarted behind the safety car. Immediately during the restart, Hauger took the second position and very briefly the lead of the race but could not keep it in a direct fight with Browning, and ended up in second place. Due to a crash, the race finished behind the safety car.
It was Mari Boya's debut on the track and left a good impression. He qualified 10th for the Qualifying Race on Saturday, where he finished sixth and took fourth position during the main race. Marcus Armstrong had a more difficult weekend and had to start the main race from P22. Due to an incident in the closing stages, he finished in P18..
The Macau Grand Prix is part of the FIA Formula 3 World Cup, the race is a stand-alone event and is not part of the FIA Formula 3 season in which MP Motorsport competes annually with 3 cars.