Full Throttle

Marcus Ericsson kicked off his TOM’S team’s bid for a hat-trick of victories in the Macau Grand Prix in perfect fashion on Thursday morning when he led the way in the first free practice session.

The Swede, who won this year’s Japanese Formula 3 Championship, vied for the top position throughout the 30-minute session that took place ahead of this afternoon’s first qualifying session.

He eventually sealed the best time in the final minute of practice, to demote Signature’s Edoardo Mortara - who has returned to Macau to try and secure the victory that eluded him last season.

Although missing out on the top spot, Mortara was pleased with how the first session had gone, as he re-adjusted himself to both F3 and Macau following his season in the GP2 Series this year.

“It was a good start,” said Mortara, who finished at Macau second last year. “I didn’t do many laps, but I know I could have gone faster - as there was a yellow flag on my quickest lap and I had to back off. The car seems good and I know where I can make improvements.”

Carlin Motorsport duo Brendon Hartley and Daniel Ricciardo were third and fourth fastest, and reported no problems with their cars, while Prema Powerteam’s Stefano Coletti was fifth quickest ahead of ART’s Valtteri Bottas.

The session was red-flagged just before the halfway stage when Fortec Motorsport’s Victor Garcia crashed into the barriers at Fishermen’s Bend and his car rebounded into the middle of the track.

Other drivers to hit trouble were Jake Rosenzweig, who went off at the Melco Hairpin; Daniel McKenzie, who crashed into the tyre barriers at Lisboa Bend; and Daniel Zampieri who crashed at Police.