Makino Triumphs After Ota's Spin, de Vries Finishes 13th
Tadasuke Makino secured his second Super Formula victory of the season at Motegi, capitalising on a late spin by his Dandelion Racing teammate, Kakunoshin Ota, who was leading the race.
The Dandelion Racing duo appeared poised for a one-two finish heading into the final stages of the 37-lap encounter. Ota, having overtaken pole-sitter Kenta Yamashita (Kondo Racing) during the pit window on lap 10, held a slender advantage over Makino.
Makino, having moved from fifth on the grid to third on the opening lap, maintained a close distance to Yamashita before making his pit stop on lap 22. Yamashita followed suit on the next lap, emerging behind Makino as Ota, having pitted earlier, assumed the lead.
Ota initially held a commanding 11-second lead, but Makino began to close the gap at a rate of nearly two seconds per lap. He swiftly overtook fellow early-stopping driver Toshiki Oyu (Inging) in his pursuit of Ota.
Makino drew level with Ota with two laps remaining, setting the stage for a fierce battle for victory. Ota appeared to have the upper hand as Makino briefly went wide while attacking at the Turn 10 hairpin. However, on the following lap, Ota spun exiting the Turn 11 right-hander, stalling his car and bringing an abrupt end to his race. This incident denied Dandelion their first one-two finish since 2012.
While the initial assessment suggested a driver error, the team suspects that a throttle issue may have caused Ota's retirement.
Makino inherited the lead and ultimately triumphed, securing his second win in four races, finishing 1.6 seconds ahead of Yamashita.
Tomoki Nojiri (Team Mugen) completed the podium, maintaining his five-point lead in the championship standings over Makino with four races remaining.
Naoki Yamamoto (Nakajima Racing) claimed fourth, while Sho Tsuboi (TOMâS) recovered from eighth on the grid to finish fifth.
Nojiri, Yamamoto, and Tsuboi opted for relatively late pit stops, allowing them to overtake Oyu, who had pitted alongside Ota on lap 10.
Oyu ultimately held onto sixth position ahead of a recovering Ayumu Iwasa (Mugen), early stopper Kazuto Kotaka (Kondo), Nirei Fukuzumi (KCMG), and Ren Sato (Nakajima Racing).
Nyck de Vries, making his Super Formula debut, finished 13th for Team Impul, one position behind his Toyota World Endurance Championship teammate Kamui Kobayashi (KCMG).
Sena Sakaguchi (Inging) was the only retirement of the race, his car stopping on lap 17 without causing a safety car.
Super Formula Motegi - Race Results:
[Event Results Table]
This thrilling encounter at Motegi further intensified the Super Formula championship battle, setting the stage for a captivating climax to the season.
