Liam Lawson says he is not worried about losing the 2023 Super Formula title after the final race at Suzuka and praises his good discovery.
Round 9 of the 2023 All Japan Super Formula Championship was held on October 29th (Sunday) at Suzuka Circuit in Mie Prefecture, where Katsunoshin Ota won his first victory in the final race of his rookie year. Rio Miyata also won the drivers’ championship in his fourth year participating in Super Formula.
The Suzuka finale consisted of two races held over two days, Saturday and Sunday. The 22nd JAF Suzuka Grand Prix had Ukyo Sasahara (VANTELIN TEAM TOM’S) and Hiroki Otsu (TCS NAKAJIMA Racing) absent due to a crash on the 8th lap the previous day, leaving 20 participants remaining. Round 9 knockout qualifying began at 8:50am.
In Qualifying A, Tomoki Nojiri (TEAM MUGEN), who is aiming for his third consecutive driver’s title, broke through Q1 with the top time. In Qualifying B, the top finisher Ritomo Miyata (VANTELIN TEAM TOM’S) took 2nd place, and Liam Lawson (TEAM MUGEN), who was 3rd in the championship ranking, passed Q1 with the best time in Group B.
In Q2, which was contested by the top 6 people in each group for a total of 12 people, Lawson showed a brave time attack and took pole position, Ota was 2nd, Nojiri was 3rd, and Miyata took the season’s best in qualifying. 4th place ranking rider. Starting the final race of the season to decide the championship, his grid consisted of the top three drivers from the bottom, promising a very exciting and thrilling final race.
Round 9, 31 laps, started at the 5.8km Suzuka Circuit at 2:30 p.m., when the air temperature was 20 degrees and the track surface temperature was 29 degrees. Nojiri, who started third, was blocked by Lawson who got off to a slow start and was passed by Miyata, dropping him to fourth. At the beginning of the race, the top four cars were neck and neck, but after 10 laps during which tires could be changed, Miyata made his mandatory pit stop at the end of lap 12. The team worked quickly to get him back on track.
At the end of lap 13, Lawson entered the pits. He also returned to the course without making any mistakes, but was immediately involved in a fierce battle for position with Miyata. However, Lawson got past Miyata from inside at each corner and prevented Miyata from making a comeback. During that time, leader Ota entered the pits and was able to return to the course in the lead.
Nojiri stayed on the course until the end without changing tires, but his pace did not improve and he pitted on the 23rd lap. Although he was passed by Shinji Matsushita (B-MAX Racing TEAM) on the final lap after changing tires, Nojiri regained the lead at the chicane on lap 26 and moved up to 4th place. However, he was unable to catch Miyata in the lead and finished the race in 4th place.
The gap between Lawson and Ota in the lead was very narrow, but Ota held on until the end and took his first win on the final lap of his rookie year. As a result, Ota won the 9th round, Lawson came in 2nd place, and Miyata came in 3rd place. As a result of Round 9, Miyata won the long-awaited driver’s championship in his fourth year of participation in the series.
“I think it was a really great, great year.” “It was also a very tough season,” said Lawson, who finished second in the drivers’ championship. “I’m good friends with Nick Cassidy who raced in Super Formula in the past and I heard the same thing from him and he always told me that until the results showed up. It takes time.
“But please do your best! I thought (participating in Super Formula) was a big challenge for me, so I wanted to borrow as much help from everyone as possible to make it my own. Looking back on the season I think it was a really good season. It’s a shame that we didn’t win, but I think Miyata ran a consistently great race all year long.
“He was always on the podium. I am very honored to be able to compete with TEAM MUGEN for a year. I learned a lot in my preparation for F1 and it had a big influence on me. The growth I gained in Formula was also useful in F1. I think it connected. I’m very grateful,” summed up Lawson.
Full rankings and results are here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2023_Super_Formula_Championship
[Note: Story corresponds to press release]
