Pre-registration for the second edition of the FIA F3 World Cup have opened today, 14 August, allowing teams and drivers to show their intent to race at the iconic Macau Grand Prix on 16-19 November.

The Formula 3 race at Macau has been the event’s blue riband contest since its first running in 1983, and following a hugely successful first edition as the FIA F3 World Cup last year, the best drivers and teams from around the world are once again invited to the Guia street circuit for the ultimate F3 shoot-out.

It was António Félix da Costa who became the first FIA F3 World Cup winner for Carlin in 2016 following a spectacular duel with fellow Macau veteran Felix Rosenqvist. It was a high speed, high intensity contest – something the 6.2-kilometre (3.8-mile) circuit in Macau seldom fails to deliver.

The Macau Grand Prix will look to build on its success in 2016, where almost 700,000 viewers (an increase of 1320% on 2015) tuned into the livestream of races from Macau on FIA-owned channels such as its Facebook page and FIA.com. This was in addition to the global television coverage that the famous event received.

Changes to improve safety on the circuit, as well as a restriction in the number of entries to a maximum of 28, aim to ensure that the FIA F3 World Cup continues to set the highest standards both in terms of safety and competition.

As in previous years, the event will be by invitation, with priority given to those drivers who have achieved the top positions in the 2017 FIA Formula 3 European Championship, as well as National F3 series which conform to the 2017 FIA Technical Regulations.

For 2017 the race format will remain unchanged, with a 40-minute practice session and a 40-minute qualifying session on both Thursday and Friday. There will be a ten-lap qualification race on Saturday followed by the 15-lap FIA F3 World Cup which will take place on the Sunday afternoon.

All pre-registration forms must be submitted no later than 31 August 2017.