EMILY COTTY Battles Through Carnage in Inaugural F4 World Cup Macau Debut

November 20, 2025

• EMILY COTTY made history as the sole female driver in the inaugural FIA Formula 4 World Cup at Macau, immediately facing the circuit’s notorious reputation when a Thursday practice crash left her without a qualifying time. Despite struggling with setup in the red flag-interrupted qualifying session, she briefly topped Sector 1 times before ultimately starting 16th—proving she had the pace but just needed the pieces to fall into place.
• The qualifying race turned into absolute carnage with multiple retirements before the safety car was even deployed, but COTTY showed exactly the kind of skills we love to see. She made smart use of slipstream opportunities to overtake Itsuki Sato and Man Hei Cheong, then closed on Lee and even briefly passed him before mechanical issues ended her charge at Turn 14—just when she was building momentum toward a potential top-ten finish.
• Starting the feature race from 13th after her retirement, COTTY again had to navigate early chaos when Sato and Zhang collided and Lee crashed at Lisboa. She skillfully avoided the incidents but got shuffled back to 15th in the process. With eight laps to go, she fought back to gain positions and held off Wang’s pressure, showing the defensive skills that separate good drivers from great ones, though she couldn’t find a way through for more places.
• Despite the weekend’s endless interruptions and incidents, COTTY crossed the line 13th and was promoted to 12th after McLaughlin’s penalty—a result that hardly reflects her actual performance level. She consistently showed encouraging pace and smart decision-making in treacherous conditions, proving she belongs on this stage. While the top-ten finish slipped away, her calm under pressure suggests we’ll see her fighting at the front when the chaos settles and the setup clicks.

chicago street circuit, fia formula 4, macau grand prix, world cup