Naoki Yamamoto replaces Pierre Gasly for FP1 in Japan
Pierre Gasly will have to give up his seat to the Japanese driver Naoki Yamamoto during the first free practice session of the Japanese Grand Prix. The French driver will take back his steering wheel for the second practice session on Friday afternoon.
The Super Formula and GT Formula champion, Naoki Yamamoto, will take part in a free practice session with the Honda-powered Toro Rosso. The 31-year-old Japanese driver boasts an impressive track record, having secured seven wins in Super Formula and four wins in Super GT. He is also currently leading the 2019 Super Formula championship.
The choice of this driver is not trivial; Honda, who is the engine supplier for the Faenza team, hopes to be able to field a Japanese driver in F1 again in the short term. It should be noted that the last to participate in the championship was Kamui Kobayashi with Caterham in 2014.
Naoki Yamamoto’s goal will be to gather as much information as possible for the team; he had already helped the team by meeting with the engineers and spending time in the simulator.
Naoki was present in our team at several European races this year to meet the engineers he will be working with this weekend, and he has also spent time in our simulator. I am sure that all the fans in the stands will appreciate seeing a Japanese driver participate in the Japanese Grand Prix weekend. Recently stated Franz Tost, director of the Toro Rosso team.
If other drivers like Nobuharu Matsushita (currently in Formula 2) are trying to climb the ranks to reach Formula 1, Yamamoto’s appearance is an opportunity for engine manufacturer Honda to promote its national drivers.
« We also hope that seeing Yamamoto on the track will serve as an inspiration to young Japanese drivers so that, in the near future, we can once again have Japanese drivers participating in Formula 1. » said Katsuhide Moriyama, Chief Officer of Brand and Communication Operations at Honda.
