MACAO, Nov. 16 (Xinhua) -- Antonio Fuoco delivered Ferrari's first FIA GT World Cup title on Sunday with a calm, controlled drive from pole position, completing a perfect weekend on Macao's Guia Circuit.
Starting from pole after having won Saturday's qualification race, Fuoco led all 16 laps of the main race in his 296 GT3 for AF Corse SRL. The Italian crossed the line 3.96 seconds ahead of BMW's Raffaele Marciello, with Porsche driver Laurin Heinrich finishing third to complete a three-manufacturer podium.
"It's really special to win Macao, especially after last year," said Fuoco. "We came back this year with one goal, and we delivered across the whole weekend. We got the qualifying, pole, and then a clean race yesterday and today. I think we managed everything really well."
Fuoco's victory served as redemption of sorts after the 2024 race, when he and Marciello ran wide while fighting for the lead at Lisboa Bend and fell down the order. This year, Fuoco avoided trouble and became the first driver to win the event for a non-German marque.
The race began with immediate drama. At Reservoir Bend, Alessio Picariello spun his Porsche into the barrier after light contact with Marciello, putting the Belgian out on the spot with damaged rear suspension.
Moments later, Ayhancan Guven was pushed into the tyre barriers at Lisboa by Heinrich after the Porsche driver had passed China's Ye Yifei for third.
Unable to avoid Guven's stranded car, Luca Engstler crashed heavily into the back of the Porsche, and Dorian Boccolacci collided with Engstler's Lamborghini, triggering an early safety car, while the stricken trio were removed from the circuit.
Racing resumed on lap four, and Fuoco immediately accelerated to neutralize BMW's straight-line speed advantage. Behind him, Marciello held off sustained pressure from Heinrich and Audi driver Joel Eriksson, who finished fourth.
Despite strong pace in the middle sector, the tight confines of the Guia Circuit meant neither Heinrich nor Eriksson had opportunities to pass Marciello, who repeatedly reset the gap on the track's long straights after the pits.
Ye finished fifth after losing places early, while Sheldon van der Linde climbed from 12th to sixth with one of the few clean overtakes of the day.
Further down the order, Christopher Haase and Laurens Vanthoor made steady progress, with Vanthoor recovering to ninth after a lock-up at Lisboa, while Benjamin Goethe rounded out the top 10.
Multiple Macao winner Edoardo Mortara was another who failed to see the chequered flag, after his Lamborghini slid into the tyres at the tight Melco hairpin following an apparent electrical shutdown. ■
