The Macau Grand Prix began in 1954 as a treasure hunt around the streets of the city, quickly evolving into a proper motorsport competition. Production car races joined the programme in 1957 and were superseded by touring cars in 1972. In 1961, the title race adopted Formula Libre regulations. The motorcycle race was introduced in 1967, though that same year also saw the first fatality when double champion Dodjie Laurel was killed after losing control of his car.
The event remained semi-amateur until 1966, when Belgian driver Mauro Bianchi entered in an Alpine A220 and his victory brought greater professional attention. Promoter Teddy Yip was a central figure in elevating the Grand Prix's profile during the 1970s and 1980s.
In 1983, with Formula Pacific becoming obsolete, organisers converted the title race to Formula Three and received FIA sanctioning as the F3 World Cup. Yokohama was designated as the sole tyre supplier. Ayrton Senna won the first F3 Macau Grand Prix. This decision transformed the event into a global showcase for emerging single-seater talent.
From 1983 to 2019 and again in 2023, Formula Three machinery defined the Macau Grand Prix's prestige. The 1990 race provided one of the event's most memorable moments: Michael Schumacher and Mika Häkkinen were running first and second on the final lap when Häkkinen hit the back of Schumacher's car at the main straight after Mandarin Oriental Bend and crashed out. Schumacher continued with a damaged rear wing and won on aggregate time.
Other Formula One luminaries who won at Macau include David Coulthard, Ralf Schumacher, and Takuma Sato. Among later-generation winners, seven drivers who started Macau races in the 2010s went on to win Formula One Grands Prix: Valtteri Bottas (2011 winner), Carlos Sainz Jr. (2013), Max Verstappen, Esteban Ocon (both 2014), Charles Leclerc (2015), George Russell (2016), and Lando Norris (2017). However, the 1995 Macau Grand Prix remains the last edition won by a driver who subsequently won a Formula One race.
In 2019, Dallara F3 machinery replaced the open-formula field with equalised cars and engines for the first time. The COVID-19 pandemic forced a three-year interruption of international participation: the 2020, 2021, and 2022 title races were run under China's Formula 4 championship with exclusively local drivers.
The race weekend typically runs from Thursday to Sunday in the second or third week of November. The first two days are devoted to practice and qualifying, with all races held on Saturday and Sunday. The Macau Formula Grand Prix and the Guia Race for touring cars are the flagship events.
The Macau Motorcycle Grand Prix, introduced in 1967, runs on the same street circuit and has attracted world-class riders including MotoGP World Champion Kevin Schwantz and Superbike World Champion Carl Fogarty, as well as Isle of Man TT legends Michael Rutter, Robert Dunlop, and John McGuinness.
The Macau GT Cup, added in 2008, became the FIA GT World Cup from 2015 onward, contested by GT3-specification cars. The Guia Race for touring cars held world championship status as the final rounds of the FIA World Touring Car Championship from 2005 to 2014, and later as part of the World Touring Car Cup.
The 6.120 km Guia Circuit is a temporary street circuit characterised by fast straights and tight corners, with a minimum width of just seven metres. Formula Three cars could reach 275 km/h on the main straight. The circuit's demanding nature, hemmed by concrete walls and crash barriers throughout, gives the Macau Grand Prix a reputation as one of the most physically and technically challenging races in the world.
In May 2024, the FIA announced that Formula Regional machinery would replace the F3 World Cup from 2024 onwards. The switch was met with mixed reactions: some drivers and officials welcomed the lower costs and broader eligibility, while others, including former winner Andre Couto, expressed concern about the change in prestige. From 2024, the event became the FIA Formula Regional World Cup.
The Guia Circuit's unforgiving nature has resulted in 17 deaths across the event's history. Among the most significant: in 2018, Sophia Florsch suffered a spinal fracture when her Formula 3 car became airborne after contact near Lisboa corner and struck a photographers' bunker. She recovered and continued her racing career.
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