Yamamoto Leads the Pack in Fuji Super Formula Test’s Opening Day

Friday’s Fuji Super Formula test saw Yamamoto rise to the top, uniquely clocking in below 1m22s in four hours of track activity. He posted a time of 1m21.897s, edging out the competition by 0.112s.

At 10 am, when the pitlane opened, the track still bore signs of dampness, but it didn’t take long for the circuit to dry entirely. Despite this, the day’s speediest times were recorded during the afternoon session’s final ten minutes, with drivers employing the OTS aid on their vehicles.

Kakunoshin Ohta initially surpassed Liam Lawson’s prior record with a 1m22.442s, but Yamamoto subsequently set a new standard, outpacing the Dandelion driver by over half a second.

Yamamoto’s time remained unbeaten as the session drew to a close. Ohta’s teammate Makino emerged as Yamamoto’s nearest competitor, clocking a time of 1m22.009s, which secured him second place.

Nakajima Racing’s Ren Sato rounded out the top three with a 1m22.193s run. After a retirement from Sugo due to floor damage, TGM driver Toshiki Oyu secured an all-Honda top four.

Newly signed TOM’S driver Ukyo Sasahara, replacing Giuliano Alesi, finished a strong fifth, narrowly outpacing his teammate and championship frontrunner Ritomo Miyata.

Rookie Racing’s Kazuya Oshima, buoyed by a promising Sugo outcome, finished seventh fastest. Following him were Sho Tsuboi for Inging, Kenta Yamashita for Kondo, and Ohta, whose time earned him the tenth spot.

With the exception of Yuhi Sekiguchi of Impul, who triggered the day’s sole red flag after his car halted during the morning session, the entire 22-car field finished within one second of each other.

Sekiguchi ended just ahead of Mugen’s Tomoki Nojiri, who wrapped up a challenging day in 21st place, timing 1m22.984s.

Despite posting the quickest morning session time without any OTS assistance, Nojiri’s teammate and Red Bull junior Lawson finished 12th-fastest.

Afternoon and morning session times are as follows:

Afternoon Session Times:

1. Naoki Yamamoto – TCS NAKAJIMA RACING – 1’21”897
2. Tadasuke Makino – DOCOMO TEAM DANDELION RACING – 1’22”009
3. Ren Sato – TCS NAKAJIMA RACING – 1’22”193
4. Toshiki Oyu – TGM Grand Prix – 1’22”229
5. Ukyo Sasahara – VANTELIN TEAM TOM’S – 1’22”244
   … (additional times as per the original text)

Morning Session Times:

1. Liam Lawson – TEAM MUGEN – 1’22”919
2. Sho Tsuboi – P.MU/CERUMO・INGING – 1’22”946
3. Ren Sato – TCS NAKAJIMA RACING – 1’23”094
4. Toshiki Oyu – TGM Grand Prix – 1’23”142
5. Tomoki Nojiri – TEAM MUGEN – 1’23”181
   … (additional times as per the original text)

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More about Fuji Super Formula Test

• Super Formula Official Website
• Fuji Speedway Official Site
• Naoki Yamamoto Career Statistics
• Overview of the Super Formula Championship