With the return of the FIA Formula 3 World Cup and FIA GT World Cup to Macau just days away (November 16-19), here are some key event facts.

Ayrton Senna made history in 1983 when he became the first driver in a Formula 3 car to win the Macau Grand Prix following the event’s switch from Formula Pacific to F3 regulations for the 30th edition of the race.

BMW is preparing to unleash its M4 GT3 on the Guia Circuit for the first time. Augusto Farfus, the 2018 FIA GT World Cup winner, and Macau rookie Sheldon van der Line are its drivers.

Charlie Wurz and Sebastián Montoya are the sons of ex-Formula One racers Alex Wurz and Juan Pablo Montoya. They are set to make their debuts in the FIA Formula 3 World Cup.

David Weian Chen will take multi-tasking to a new level in Macau next week. As well as driving a Harmony Racing Ferrari 488 GT3 Evo 2020 in the 2023 FIA GT World Cup, Weian Chen is the squad’s team principal.

Edoardo Mortara has claimed seven Guia Circuit victories. He was a back-to-back F3 winner between 2009 and ’10 and then demonstrated his versatility by winning the FIA GT World Cup in 2017 (pictured below).

Ferrari returns to Macau in 2023 for its first appearance since 2017 when Felix Rosenqvist, the F3 winner in 2014 and 2015, drove a 488 run by American outfit Scuderia Corsa.

Gabriele Minì is one of three drivers carrying the famous Theodore Racing colours in the 70th Macau Grand Prix. Paul Aron and Dino Beganovic, who is being mentored by 1992 Macau F3 winner Rickard Rydell, complete the SJM Theodore Prema Racing challenge. Theodore Racing was established by former Macau racer and staunch event supporter, the late Teddy Yip.

Home success was celebrated when André Couto clinched victory in the 2000 Macau Grand Prix. His performance remains one of the greatest achievements by a Macanese racer in the event's long and illustrious history.

In 1972, Hong Kong’s talented all-rounder John MacDonald added victory in the touring car-based Guia Race to his Macau Motorcycle Grand Prix success in 1969, which came four years after he won the main Macau Grand Prix.

Jüri Vips’ lap time of 2m06.317s, set in 2019, is the current F3 lap record on the Guia Circuit (pictured below).

Kévin Estre brings significant pedigree to the HubAuto Racing FIA GT World Cup effort. The French Porsche driver is the FIA WEC LMGTE Pro champion for 2023 and a 24 Hours of Le Mans class winner.

Laurens Vanthoor famously won the red-flagged 2016 FIA GT World Cup sliding on the roof of his R8 LMS.

MP Motorsport, which guided Richard Verschoor to Macau F3 glory in 2019, is bidding for a second FIA Formula 3 World Cup victory in succession. Macau returnee Marcus Armstrong, the IndyCar Rookie of the Year, forms part of the Dutch team’s 2023 attack.

No driver has won the FIA Formula 3 World Cup more than two times, but Briton Dan Ticktum – the winner in 2017 and 2018 – is in contention to do just that with the Rodin Carlin squad this year.

October 31 is a very significant date in the history of the Macau Grand Prix. Back in 1954, Eddie Carvalho won the inaugural edition driving a Triumph TR 2.

Porsche has yet to win the FIA GT World Cup but can count on an all-star line-up as it bids to end its victory drought in 2023 with Earl Bamber, Kévin Estre and Laurens Vanthoor among its drivers.

Qualifying for the FIA Formula 3 World Cup is split into two sessions, one 40-minute session on Thursday and a further 40-minute session on Friday with the combined results setting the grid for Saturday’s Qualification Race.

Raffaele Marciello, who heads the Mercedes-AMG challenge at the 70th Macau Grand Prix, is the most recent winner of the FIA GT World Cup, a feat he achieved in 2019 (pictured below).

Schumacher brothers Michael and Ralf are both Macau Grand Prix winners. Michael won the 1990 event with Ralf taking top honours in 1995.

Takuma Sato, who graduated to Formula One, gave Japan its first Macau Grand Prix victory in 2001.

Ugo Ugochukwu is the youngest driver in the F3 field. The 16-year-old Trident Motorsport driver from America doesn’t turn 17 until next April.

Victory for Martin Redfern in 1960 was particularly notable as it was the first Macau Grand Prix to appear on the international calendar and following regulations published by the FIA for sports and grand touring cars. The event received official FIA recognition in 1976.

Women had never raced a single-seater on the streets of Macau until Diana Poon’s appearance in the 1976 event. Germany’s Sophia Flörsch is a contender for honours in this year’s FIA Formula 3 World Cup.

Xtreme weather conditions resulting from Typhoon Nina restricted track activity during the 1987 Macau Grand Prix, which was won by ex-Lotus Formula One driver Martin Donnelly.

Years of Portuguese governance of Macau is reflected in many of the Guia Circuit’s corner names. Donna Maria Bend, for example, is named after one of Portugal’s 19th century queens.

Zane Maloney will make history when he becomes the first driver from Barbados to take part in the FIA Formula 3 World Cup. Maloney has finished on the FIA Formula 2 podium in 2023.