Champion Aidan Wright is pragmatic following a troubled outing in the Formula Masters China Series’ end-of-season invitational at the Macau Grand Prix (9-10 November).
The Cairns-domiciled 19-year old notched up 11 podium finishes – including six race wins – to narrowly seal the inaugural Formula Masters China title in the final points-scoring race of 2013 at the Shanghai International Circuit (25-27 October).
With the pressure off, newly-crowned Champion Wright’s pace was predictably blistering yet consistent during free practice and victory looked probable.
However, the Meritus GP contender was soon brought back down to earth, becoming one of several unfortunate victims of the uncompromising Guia circuit during qualifying.
A graze with the wall at Turn 10 prevented Wright from recording a lap time and he subsequently started Sunday’s race from the final row of the grid, dashing all hopes of challenging for the victory around the fast and narrow street track.
The heavens opened during the build-up to the final Formula Masters China encounter of the season, saturating the circuit and reducing the grip levels to such an extent that the race was started under the Safety Car.
The pack was unleashed at full racing speed after three laps and Wright commenced an admirable and determined fight back through the field that saw him pick off seven drivers and achieve a respectable ninth place at the flag.
“From the people and the food, to the 6.2km Guia circuit, Macau was amazing,” said Wright. “It really did live up to expectations and every lap was terrifyingly exciting. Words cannot explain how incredible it feels for a driver to conquer such a fast, tight and demanding circuit and, while I didn’t feature highly in the final result, I’m still satisfied with my performance. Sure, it wasn’t what we had hoped for but you have to take the rough with the smooth and my qualifying run was where it all went wrong.
“After a lot of confusion in the pits, I drove out as fast as I could, hoping to get a quick lap in before any incidents occurred. Unfortunately, I was the incident. I warmed the tyres and brakes as normal, but grazed the wall at Turn 10 and that was it. The perfect lap can come undone in the blink of an eye in Macau. I was more or less happy with making up seven positions in as many laps, even though I was aiming for the podium – I showed some great pace in practice, but the wet conditions didn’t help my cause. But I know I’ll be back to claim the Macau Grand Prix title one day!”
For more information on Aidan Wright and his racing activities, please visit the official www.aidanwrightracing.com website, ‘like’ his Facebook page or follow @aidanwright_94 on Twitter.