Emily Cotty just misses out on top ten finish in chaotic first FIA Formula 4 World Cup in Macau

Emily Cotty just missed out on a top-ten finish in a chaotic inaugural FIA Formula 4 World Cup in Macau, on her first participation at the iconic street circuit.

Photo credits: Macau GP Organising Committee

Emily Cotty just missed out on a top-ten finish in chaotic inaugural FIA Formula 4 World Cup in Macau, on her first participation at the iconic street circuit.

Across both races, the Briton repeatedly had to navigate through incidents triggered by other drivers, but despite strong racecraft she ultimately missed out on a top-ten result.

For the first time, the FIA Formula 4 World Cup was held as part of the famous Macau Grand Prix — with Emily Cotty the sole female representative on the grid. The notoriously unforgiving street circuit immediately proved challenging for the drivers. A crash during Thursday practice left her without a representative time, putting her on the back foot for qualifying.

Although she was able to take part in the 40-minute extended qualifying session, she struggled for setup and couldn't find enough speed; the session was then interrupted four times by red flags and was eventually cut short. Cotty briefly went fastest in Sector 1 at one stage, but she could not sustain that speed over a full lap and lined up 16th for the qualifying race.

The start of the race was troubled from the outset. At the infamous Turn 3 (Lisboa), two drivers ended up in the tyre barriers. Race control was slow to deploy the safety car, leaving the field circulating at full racing speed while further incidents unfolded. On the uphill run mid-lap, another driver hit the wall and rebounded into a second car, with Trappa also suffering mechanical issues. By the time the safety car was finally deployed, Trappa, Rodrigues, Bearman, Nakamura-Berta and Wheldon had all retired.

Racing resumed with five laps to go. Cotty made excellent use of the slipstream on the run to Lisboa, overtaking Itsuki Sato and Man Hei Cheong. She closed the gap to Lee on the following lap and even briefly passed him — before her race came to an early end at Turn 14. Her car stopped next to a recovery opening, allowing marshals to clear the area quickly, and the race continued.

Photo credits: Macau GP Organising Committee

The drama continued until the chequered flag. On the final lap, Fionn McLaughlin clipped the inside wall at the Melco hairpin, forcing him out of second place. Several other cars picked up damage but were able to finish.

Cotty’s retirement meant she would start the feature race from 13th on the grid. This time, the incidents began even earlier: at the exit of Turn 2, Itsuki Sato lost control and collided with Shino Zhang, while Lee crashed at Lisboa, prompting an early safety car. Cotty successfully avoided the chaos but slipped back to 15th. Nakamura-Berta boxed for repairs but rejoined.

With eight laps remaining, the race restarted and the pattern continued: Muñoz stopped his car near Turn 4, though the race stayed green. Cotty gained a position and held a one-second margin to Wang; although she later closed the gap, she could not find a way through.

At the front, Caretti was pressuring the leader but crashed into the wall himself. The field avoided further contact, but the safety car was deployed once again with two and a half laps to go. The recovery proved too complex at the narrow section of track, meaning the race ended under yellow.

Emily Cotty crossed the finish line in 13th but was later promoted to 12th due to a penalty for McLaughlin. Despite showing encouraging pace at times, her potential went unrewarded in a weekend defined by incidents and interruptions.