SJM Theodore PREMA Racing saw a promising and exciting day turn into disappointment today at the 72nd Macau Grand Prix. The team fought for the win in the opening half of the FIA FR World Cup main race, with a stunning overall display, but ended up with a triple DNF.
Freddie Slater started from pole position following his commanding win in the Qualification Race, and while he briefly lost the lead, he stormed back to the front with an amazing outside move. Then, he opened up a large gap, setting the fastest laps of the race, until a safety-car situation recompacted the pack. At the following restart, his closest competitor used his slipstream to regain the lead. Unfortunately, while trying to stay as close as possible to prepare for a counter-attack, Slater clipped the outside wall at the last corner and was forced to retire.
The following restart was equally costly for Rashid Al Dhaheri and Charles Leong, who were both involved in contact and had to retire from the race.
While the mighty Macau Grand Prix didn't provide the team with the results it deserved, SJM Theodore PREMA Racing is thankful to its three drivers for their amazing skills and hard-fighting spirit, to all the team for the incredible work all week, and to its partners for the outstanding support, as it already looks forward to edition number 73 next year.
Teddy Yip Jr. - Team President
"I'm gutted and I don't need to explain why, but I'd really like to thank this team. They have all worked incredibly hard just to get us here. Having three cars and three drivers with the pace that we had all week is a testament to everyone's skill set, hard work, and dedication, and I'm really grateful for that. I'm so disappointed for everyone, but I'm aware that with this kind of team effort, and the support of our amazing and passionate partners, our time will certainly come."
Freddie Slater - Driver, car 11
"Gutted to end up that way. Until that safety car, we were in full control. I tried to maximize after that, but we didn't have the straight-line speed that we needed into T3, which cost us a bit. Then I kind of risked too much in that lap and crashed, and that was the end of my race. We had an amazing two and a half years together with the team, and I'm very sad it has come to an end. It's been an absolute pleasure to be a part of this team, SJM Theodore PREMA Racing in Macau and PREMA Racing back in Europe. You made me a better driver, and it has been a pleasure to meet everybody and make new friends. I hope to be back one day."
Rashid Al Dhaheri - Driver, car 12
"Macau wasn't what we expected this year. There is definitely a lot of learning that I had; it's always in tough weekends that you improve yourself the most. Generally, it was a great year with the team. Now I will start focusing on what's next. I'm very happy to have been part of the family, and you'll never know in the future."
Charles Leong - Driver, car 31
"I was able to make a good recovery up to P15 before the incident, and I was still catching the cars in front. I got clipped by another car and hit the wall. That's racing. What's good is that I was picking up the pace and making good moves, finally putting everything together. There were good positives to take. I look forward to the future; we know how to prepare now, and also have a better understanding of everything."