Formula 3 CEO Bruno Michel has insisted it was "completely impossible" for the series to race at this year's Macau Grand Prix and has explained why Formula Regional is the series to fill the void.
F3 cars had raced around the Guia street circuit on 38 separate occasions before this year's edition on 17 November, but there will be no return for the machinery in the near future.
On why F3 has moved away from the event, Michel explained: "This year, with the fact we are producing a new car, we have to get the engines back quite early for Mecachrome to work on the engines and modify them for next year's car, so it was impossible to go to Macau because of the logistics, completely impossible."
The evolving shape of F3 competition has also played against its presence in Macau. The formation of FIA F3 in 2019, resulting from a merger of GP3 and the FIA Formula 3 European Championship, was the latest act in unifying sub-Formula 2 junior series.
But due to disruption caused by the COVID pandemic, the Macau GP has only been contested by FIA F3 machinery in 2019 and 2023, with three editions held for the Chinese F4 series.
"Macau used to be a Formula 3 World Cup. Why? Because there were Formula 3 championships all over the world and it was good because they would all come in to race together in Macau," remarked Michel.
"Now, there is only one FIA F3 championship, so it means Macau would be more or less another round of the F3 championship - it would be outside the championship, because the regulations are not exactly the same because the event is not exactly the same.
"But the interest of having F3 was a little bit less than it used to be."
Instead, Formula Regional - a step below F3 on the single-seater ladder - will hold its World Cup event at the venue during the 71st Macau Grand Prix.
But it will remain that way for the foreseeable future given the numerous FR championships around the world, creating a true one-off World Cup.
"Formula Regional, where they have several championships around the world, does make more sense for Macau to have because it is going to be a real-world championship of drivers coming from different Formula Regional championships," added Michel.
"So that's also the logic behind it.
"After that, for sure, in the future we will review it and see if we continue like this but for me, it makes sense like that."
The Formula Regional European Championship began in 2019 and was merged with Formula Renault Eurocup for 2021. Its 2023 champion Andrea Kimi Antonelli is set to graduate to F1 with Mercedes next season.
