Suzuka: Chaos in Japan in Super Formula
It was in a very eventful race, neutralized four times under the Safety Car regime, that Nick Cassidy claimed victory in the inaugural round of Super Formula.
The first round of the 2019 Super Formula season did not spare the Nakajima Racing team, which, despite locking out the front row in qualifying, saw its race turn into a complete disaster. While pole-sitter Tadasuke Makino managed to control the race ahead of his teammate, the collision between Tristan Charpentier and Ryo Harakawa at the famous 130R corner at Suzuka changed the course of the race.
Having stopped well before everyone else, Nick Cassidy found himself miraculously in the lead even though the New Zealander had only qualified 12th in his Tom’s with a Toyota engine. He would later lose the lead to Kobayashi, who had not yet made his mandatory stop.
グリッドウォークが終わりまして。。
そろそろ緊張のレーススタートです💨#nakajimaracing #tcs #sformula #NRSF #sf19 #suzuka2and4 #グリッドウォーク #まもなくレーススタート pic.twitter.com/IqYNSMvECe— NAKAJIMA RACING (@nakajimaracing) April 21, 2019
A little later in the race, Harisson Newey, son of the famous Red Bull Racing engineer, and Kazuki Nakajima pushed their cars too hard and ended their races in the first Wegner. Kamui Kobayashi tried to create a gap with Cassidy, but a third Safety Car ended all his efforts following the mechanical problem of the Spanish driver Axel Palou, who was also in contention for the win. While the KCMG driver was regaining a considerable lead, a puncture in Spoon ended the race for rookie Tadasuke Makino, causing the abandonment of the second Nakajima Racing car but especially the deployment of the fourth Safety Car. Kobayashi did not seize the opportunity to pit, ruining all his chances of winning his first Super Formula race.
It is therefore Nick Cassidy, runner-up in the discipline in 2018, who wins this first race. The podium is completed by Naoki Yamamoto, who has already won 5 times on the Suzuka circuit, and by Kenta Yamashita in his Kondo powered by a Toyota engine.
P1 today in @SUPER_FORMULA !
Thanks to Toyota, TOM’S, Vantelin and all of our supporters! I appreciate all the messages 😃🙏🏼… #ChampagneShowers 🍾🚿 #Sformula pic.twitter.com/CjTwtWqqx8— Nick Cassidy (@NickCassidy_) April 21, 2019
It is also worth highlighting the good performance of the great prospect, Sho Tsuboi, who managed to secure fifth place in his first race. His teammate Ishiura was less fortunate, with a retirement due to a mechanical issue at the beginning of the race.
The two Red Bull protégés, Lucas Auer and Dan Ticktum, also delivered a strong performance, completing the points zone with a 7th and 8th place respectively. The Briton is one of the most watched drivers in this championship and will undoubtedly be compared to another driver from the Austrian firm, Pierre Gasly, who also moved to Japan in 2017.
Hectic race here in Suzuka. I got from P16 to P8. The whole weekend was less than ideal due to some set up struggles, but I fought the best I could to make up places in the race. (1/2) #SuperFormula #SF19 #SFormula
📸 Taku Nagami pic.twitter.com/4Tpm2Ejsky
— Dan Ticktum (@DanTicktum) April 21, 2019
