Sacha Fenestraz won a topsy-turvy opening Super Formula race of the weekend at Suzuka after a gamble to stay out on slicks amid a late rain shower paid off handsomely.
TOM’S driver Fenestraz was one of a handful of runners not to come into the pits amid a chaotic finish to the race, as multiple incidents brought out the safety car and split the pack between those that made a late switch to wets and those that stayed out.
In the end, the rain didn’t come down hard enough to warrant the change, and the top six places were filled out by drivers that stayed out on slicks.
Fenestraz leapt from seventh to first as the six cars ahead bailed into the pits after the safety car was called for a second time when Igor Fraga crashed and Tomoki Nojiri beached his car in the gravel in the increasingly treacherous conditions.
After the final restart on lap 28 of 31, the Argentine driver led from Luke Browning and Toshiki Oyu and was never challenged at the head of the field.
It marked Fenestraz’s third win in Super Formula, and his second since his return to the series from Formula E, while TOM’S picked up its first win at Suzuka in three years.
Nobuharu Matsushita, DELiGHTWORKS RACING
Photo by: Masahide Kamio
Joining Fenestraz on the podium were the two drivers that took the final restart in fourth and fifth places respectively, Nobuharu Matsushita and Sho Tsuboi.
Matsushita made quick work of Oyu for third at the restart and then passed Browning later around the lap to grab second.
At the scene of his one and only Super Formula win in 2022, Matsushita fell just seven tenths shy of Fenestraz at the finish, giving the brand-new Delightworks Racing its first podium finish in only its third start.
Tsuboi likewise was able to clear both Browning and Oyu in the space of a lap to move into third in the second of the TOM’S cars, although he was unable to challenge Matsushita.
Browning had to settle for fourth for Kondo Racing, matching his best finish from the opening weekend of the series at Motegi, while Cerumo/Inging driver Oyu was demoted another place by Team Goh rookie Charlie Wurz, who scored his first points in fifth.
Finishing seventh was best of the wet tyre runners, points leader Kakunoshin Ohta.
The Dandelion Racing driver had taken the lead at the previous restart as his main title rival and polesitter Ayumu Iwasa, who had commanded the race up until that point, slipped all the way to fifth before the safety car was called again.
Ayumu Iwasa, TEAM MUGEN AUTOBACS
Photo by: Masahide Kamio
Ohta had started the race from 12th after a mistake in Q2, but was up to seventh by the time he pitted as soon as the window opened on lap eight.
Setting a series of fastest laps in clear air, he looked on course to challenge Iwasa before a major crash for Seita Nonaka (KCMG) at 130R on lap 18 brought out the safety car, prompting all the frontrunners to pit – allowing Iwasa to retain the lead.
Ohta immediately passed Iwasa at the subsequent restart, but after pitting for wets he slipped to eighth and could only make up one place on the similarly wet-shod Roman Stanek (Buzz MK Racing), who had taken wets the lap prior.
He ended up 46 seconds off the lead, lapping 17-18 seconds off the pace as the track started to dry out again.
Behind Stanek, two more wet tyre runners, Zak O’Sullivan (Team Impul) and Nirei Fukuzumi (Rookie Racing), who ran second and third behind Ohta before their final stops, completed the scorers.
Iwasa, who had led the race by as much as eight seconds at one stage, finished outside the points in 13th.
Super Formula Suzuka – Race 1 result
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– The Autosport.com Team
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