Race Overview

A return to the Arezzi after a three-year hiatus, with special sponsorship from Haier, and a packed week featuring three races in a single event

Following a break of about two months since the previous race at Suzuka and about two weeks since the second joint test, Rounds 6 and 7—marking the midpoint of the season—were held at Fuji Speedway, along with Round 3, a replacement race for the Autopolis event whose final race had been canceled due to inclement weather.

Starting with this event, the team selected Giuliano Alesi as the driver for Car No. 9, as he had successfully completed the test program the team had planned during the joint test and collected a significant amount of data. This marked his return to Super Formula for the first time in three years. Additionally, Seita Nonaka, who qualified to compete based on the results of the official qualifying session held at Autopolis for Round 3, will drive Car No . 9 and will accompany the team going forward as a KCMG reserve driver.

In addition, as a spot sponsor for this event, we received support from “Haier”— the global market leader in large home appliances such as refrigerators, freezers, and washing machines—and set up a collaborative booth at the event. The booth featured home appliances sporting KCMG’s livery.With three races taking place in a single event, plus KCMG fielding a four-car lineup in the concurrently held KYOJO CUP, it was an extremely grueling race week for the team. Nevertheless, they took on the challenge at Fuji with full determination, aiming to make a comeback in the second half of the season.

The KCMG team battled through a grueling week featuring three races per event plus the concurrent KYOJO CUP

Round 6 — Qualifying

Round 6: Qualifying / Cloudy, Rain / Temperature 23°C, Wet Conditions

At 8:15 a.m., after the early morning fog had cleared, with an air temperature of 23 degrees and a track temperature of 26 degrees, Q1 Group A qualifying began under wet conditions—though the rain had already stopped and there was little water on the track. #8 Kenta Yamashita switched to new wet tires and returned to the track, attempting an attack lap on his second timed lap. However, he struggled with the challenging track conditions and was eliminated from Q1 in 9th place (1’34.933).

After a 5-minute break, Group B began at 8:30 a.m. Although the weather was improving and the track was gradually drying out, all cars—including #9 Giuliano Alesi, who was making his return to Super Formula—were on wet tires for their flying laps.Alesi returned to the track with two minutes remaining and posted a time of 1’34.720 on his second timed lap, but he finished 12th and failed to advance to Q2. The starting grid for Round 6 will see Yamashita in 18th place and Alesi in 23rd.

Round 7 — Qualifying

Round 7: Qualifying / Cloudy / Air Temperature: 26°C, Dry Conditions / Yamashita Secures 7th on the Grid, His Best Start of the Season

Following a 1-hour-and-35-minute break after the conclusion of Round 6 qualifying, Round 7 qualifying began at 10:35 a.m. By this time, the sun had come out and the track had dried off, with the air temperature rising to 26 degrees and the track temperature reaching 30 degrees. Yamashita, assigned to Group A, took to the track on new slick tires, but the session was red-flagged with less than 4 minutes remaining due to a stopped car on the track.At 10:46 a.m., with 3 minutes and 33 seconds remaining, the session resumed. On his second timed lap, he set a time of 1’23.973, securing third place and successfully advancing to Q2.

After a 5-minute break, Group B began at 10:55 a.m., five minutes later than originally scheduled. Arezzi, driving on new tires, launched his attack on the third timed lap, but was unable to fine-tune his setup and finished in 11th place (1’24.207), resulting in his elimination in Q1.

After a 10-minute break, Q2 began at 11:15 a.m. Having advanced past Q1 for the second time this season, Yamashita was looking to build momentum from there. He checked the condition of his car and the track using used tires, returned to the pits once, switched to new tires, and launched his attack on his fourth timed lap.Having sensed tangible engineering improvements since the recent joint test, Yamashita posted a time of 1:23.611—his best grid position of the season—to secure 7th place. On the starting grid for Round 7, Yamashita will start 7th and Arezzi 21st. This result marks a definite ray of hope for KCMG, which had been struggling since the start of the season.

Round 6 — Race

Round 6: Final / Cloudy, Rain / Temperature: 25°C / Dry & Wet

Although there were some sunny spells during the day, the sky clouded over again in the afternoon. Amid occasional light rain during the dummy grid, the race started at 4:15 p.m. under conditions of 25 degrees Celsius air temperature and 29 degrees Celsius track temperature.Yamashita, starting in 18th place, navigated through the chaos to pass two cars and move up to 16th, while Arezzi, who started in 23rd, also gained three positions to finish the opening lap in 20th.

Yamashita dropped three positions by the fourth lap, but caught up to #53 Burts on the home straight on the fifth lap to move up to 18th place.Alesi spent several laps targeting #22 Matsushita, who had passed him on the second lap. On the ninth lap, he moved to the inside at the Supra Corner and overtook him, regaining 20th place. Rain began to fall around the seventh lap, and although the window for tire changes opened after 10 laps, both teams opted to stay out for the time being due to the unstable conditions caused by light, intermittent rain.

On the home straight of Lap 12, Yamashita passed #37 Fenestraz and pitted at the end of Lap 14 while running in 16th place. After a tire change, he rejoined the race in 20th place (the highest-placed driver among those who had completed their tire changes). All cars had completed their tire changes by the final lap. Yamashita, who struggled throughout the race with car balance and was unable to increase his race pace as he had hoped, finished in 14th place.

Arezzi, who had moved up to 11th place thanks to other cars pitting, pitted at the end of Lap 22. He quickly completed his tire change and rejoined the race in 21st place. In the late stages of the race, he skillfully used the OTS to battle with #97 Stannack, and it looked as though Arezzi might come out on top, but he spun out in the final corner on Lap 40 and crossed the finish line in 18th place.

Round 3 — Race (Autopolis Replacement Race)

Race 3: Final / Cloudy / Temperature 29°C, dry

It was a Sunday when the rain from the previous night had stopped and blue sky was visible through the clouds, but humidity remained high and wet patches lingered on the track. The starting grid for Round 3—a sprint race with no mandatory tire change—had been determined back in April at Autopolis: Yamashita started from 14th, while Nonaka, who had no prior track time and was jumping straight into the car after a reconnaissance lap, started from 15th.At 10:05 a.m., the race began under conditions of 29°C air temperature and 34°C track temperature, but a multi-car crash occurred at Turn 1 immediately after the start. Although the two KCMG cars were not directly involved, they lost positions while trying to avoid the chaos, with Yamashita dropping to 21st and Nonaka to 18th. A safety car (SC) was deployed immediately.

The safety car period lasted a long time as the field was reorganized, and the race finally restarted after nine laps. Yamashita, who was running in 21st place, made a bold charge by making full use of OTS, passing the car in front one after another—including #50 Nomura and #14 Fukuzumi on the home straight, #10 Juju at Dunlop Corner, and Nonaka on the home straight—to jump up to 17th place.Meanwhile, Nonaka also passed Juju on the home straight. Amid the intense action, he allowed Yamashita—who was closing in right behind him—to take the lead but managed to hold onto 18th place.

On Lap 11, a car came to a stop on the track, prompting the second Safety Car deployment of the day; the race restarted at the end of Lap 14. Yamashita picked up the pace even further, passing a car with mechanical issues on Lap 17, then executing a brilliant pass on Burts on the home straight on Lap 18 and on #4 Sasahara on the home straight on Lap 21, climbing up to 14th place.Although Nonaka was passed by two cars on Lap 15 and one on Lap 16, he overtook a car with mechanical trouble on Lap 17 and engaged in a thrilling battle with #19 O’Sullivan. On Lap 21, he seized a brief opening in the final corner to overtake Fukumizu and move up to 19th place.He allowed one car to pass him at Turn 1 on the final lap and crossed the finish line in 20th place, but he maintained his focus and saw the race through to the end.

In the race, Yamashita finished 14th and Nonaka 20th; however, due to penalties imposed on other cars afterward, their positions each moved up one spot, and they ultimately finished the race with Yamashita in 13th place and Nonaka in 18th.

Round 7 — Race

Round 7: Final / Cloudy / Temperature 29°C, Dry / Yamashita Scores Points for the First Time Since Round 2

About three and a half hours after the conclusion of the third race of the morning, the formation lap for Race 7—the final race of the event—began at 3:35 p.m. The air temperature was 29 degrees Celsius, and the track temperature was 36 degrees Celsius. However, the start was delayed due to an incident in which another car’s gearbox cracked.Once the oil on the track had been cleared, the race began under a Safety Car (SC) at 4:20 p.m. After five laps, the SC pulled into the pit lane, and the actual race began. Yamashita, who started in 7th place, allowed one car to pass him and dropped to 8th. Arezzi, who started in 20th place due to the retirement of a car experiencing trouble, passed driver #28 Rito Kobayashi at Turn 1 and moved up to 19th place.

After 10 laps, the window for tire changes opened, but the two KCMG cars initially opted to stay out. At the end of Lap 20, Arezzi’s car—which had been circulating while showing early signs of mechanical trouble—suffered a sudden malfunction, forcing him to make an emergency pit stop and return to the garage.The team worked frantically to repair the car and sent it back out onto the track four laps behind, but determined that the issue had not been resolved. Prioritizing safety above all else, they called him into the pits again after three laps and made the heartbreaking decision to retire him from the race.

Meanwhile, Yamashita, who continued to drive tenaciously, moved up to third place as a result of other cars pitting. At the end of Lap 26, he made his routine tire change and rejoined the race in 15th place. All cars had completed their tire changes by the end of Lap 28. From there, Yamashita—who was running in 13th place—launched a fierce charge.He executed spectacular overtakes on #3 Browning on the home straight on Lap 29, on Matsushita at the Supra Corner on Lap 34, and on #38 Sakaguchi on the home straight on Lap 40, finally climbing up to 10th place—within the points. He crossed the finish line in that position, earning valuable championship points for the first time since Round 2.

Results

KCMG Fuji Event Results

Race 6: Final (Saturday / 41 laps)

Race 3: Final (Sunday Morning / Autopolis Replacement Race, 25 Laps)

Race 7: Final (Sunday afternoon / 41 laps)

Driver Comments

Driver Comments