Conway took the lead after a multi-car accident between Kobayashi, Paul di Resta and Marko Asmer on the first lap of the race and held it to claim the first victory for a British driver in the Macau Grand Prix since Darren Manning in the 1999 edition.

Sutil, Richard Antinucci, his American compatriot Charlie Kimball, Vettel, Marko Asmer and Kamui Kobayashi followed in positions five through ten.

Though he entered the pit lane for a car and brake check after going off the circuit, Antinucci was seventh, Streit took eighth and Kimball ninth.

Di Resta, tenth, had car handling difficulties, punctured his right-front tyre by driving over debris at the Melco hairpin and locked his brakes.

Ikeda, Yelmer Buurman, Jonathan Kennard, Rodríguez, Ho, Máximo Cortés, Ávila, Winslow, Cheong, Lei and Merszei completed the provisional grid order.

Soon after, Sutil ended the session two minutes early for not noticing a warning flag alterting drivers of the slippery track surface at Fisherman's Bend and striking a wall.

[11][12] The second thirty-minute practice session began with the provisional pole sitter Asmer drawing attention when he went wide at San Francisco Bend and collided with a barrier exiting the corner.

Buemi then damaged his car's front-left corner by driving straight into a wall at Police Bend, and the session was stopped with ten minutes remaining when Oshima drifted into a barrier at R-Bend.

Grosjean, Jakes, Sutil, Nakajima, Vettel, Carbone, Tsukakoshi and fellow Japanese Kobayashi were in positions three through ten.

In the second qualifying session, Winslow and Kobayashi ran wide at the escape roads at San Francisco Bend and Lisboa corner respectively, resulting in localised yellow flags being waved and drivers being unable from setting a timed lap.

When the session resumed, Hirate improved on Asmer's time to take pole position until Kobayashi claimed it with a 2 minutes, 13.449 seconds lap.

[15] Di Resta qualified sixth and avoided damage to his car by minor contact with the R-Bend barrier.

Behind them the rest of the field consisted of Tsukakoshi, Conway, Carbone, Engel, Sutil, Jelley, Buemi, Ikoda, Jakes, Oshima, Kennard, Jarvis, Buurman, Cortés, Rodríguez, Massironi, Winslow, Ávila, Ho, Cheong, Lei and Merszei.

[17] Ho received the same penalty, and Oshima was demoted ten starting places due to an engine change.

[1] Hirate collided with the exit barrier at San Francisco Bend during the formation lap, damaging his car's front-right suspension.

Hirate's pit crew worked quickly to allow him to start, but his steering angle was skewed to the left, and he had to hold it on the straight to control his car under braking.

[20][21][22] Grosjean stalled on the grid, causing all drivers behind him to swerve wildly in order to avoid ramming into his stranded vehicle.

[18] On lap three, Kobayashi was pulling away at the front of the field, and Tsukakoshi was passed by fellow Japanese Hirate at Lisboa corner for third place.

[18][19] Di Resta set the race's fastest lap and held it until Conway took it with a time of 2 minutes, 13.457 seconds and came close enough to challenge Tsukakoshi while Antinucci passed Kimball.

Consequently, race officials waved yellow flags for the final lap to warn drivers of the wreckage and little action occurred.

[21] The rest of the finishing order was Buemi, Jelley, Ikeda, Grosjean, Oshima, Massironi, Cortés, Winslow, Jakes, Rodríguez, Carbone, Ho, Ávila, Cheong, Lei and Merszei.

[9] Di Resta drove faster than he had in any of the previous sessions, setting a new weekend best lap time of 2 minutes, 12.905 seconds.

Cortés also retired after a crash, Kimball collided with the Fisherman's Bend Armco wall, and Carbone made a pit stop to replace a punctured tyre.

[24][26] Meanwhile, Conway pushed hard enough on the sixth lap to lightly hit a wall with his front-right wheel at the San Francisco Bend turn, but he escaped with no significant damage.

[27][28] Yellow flags were briefly required at the second Lisboa turn after Ikeda slid wide and allowed Jelley to pass him, but they were quickly withdrawn as the leaders entered the area.

Hirate slowed due to brake pressure issues and dropped to fourth on the following lap when Sutil outdragged him.

[24][26][27][29] On the final lap, Streit was 200 m (660 ft) behind Vettel and attempted an overtake to the inside at Lisboa corner but both retired after colliding.

[26] Jelley, Winslow, Asmer, Massironi, Jarvis, Kennard, Rodríguez, Ikeda, Kobayashi, Ho, Kimball, Cheong, Vettel, Streit, Merszei, Lei and Hirate were the final classified finishers.