Rookie driver demonstrates strong wet-weather pace as the team takes valuable lessons from a challenging opening weekend

Motegi, Japan (Tuesday, 7 April 2026) TEAM GOH, led by Representative Kazuhiro Ikeda and Team Director Misato Haga, contested Rounds 1 and 2 of the 2026 All-Japan Super Formula Championship season opener at Mobility Resort Motegi in Tochigi, Japan, from 3-5 April, with rookie driver Charlie Wurz. Entering the weekend with a new line-up and a single-car programme powered by TOYOTA for the first time, the team ran the TOYOTA/TRD01F developed by TGR-D (TOYOTA GAZOO Racing Development).

Across the weekend, including Friday’s free practice sessions, the team faced difficult conditions and a number of challenges, while also showing clear signs of potential and progress. Despite a demanding opening event, valuable experience and useful data were gathered to build on ahead of the next round at Autopolis.

Round 1 on Saturday was heavily affected by rain, which began falling around late morning after qualifying and showed no sign of easing by the time the race was due to start. The race got underway behind the Safety Car in wet conditions and, after a red-flag interruption, ran to the maximum time permitted under the event regulations, with the chequered flag falling after 23 laps. With only two green-flag laps completed out of the 23, opportunities were extremely limited, but Wurz still delivered bold overtaking moves on his Super Formula debut. After starting 19th on the grid, he took the chequered flag in 15th place, with the team encouraged by the car’s competitiveness in the wet.

Sunday’s Round 2 presented a different set of challenges. The mandatory tyre change was completed at the earliest possible pit window, although the team was unfortunate to lose time due to an external factor during the stop. While there were still areas to improve in both the race start — Wurz’s first in Super Formula competition — and in overall set-up execution, the pace shown in the second half of the race was a positive sign. Just as importantly, the team was able to gather useful data and information that should contribute to future development.

Qualifying proved difficult on both days, particularly in terms of set-up fine-tuning and tyre warm-up. Even so, the lessons learned across the opening weekend have given the team a clearer direction heading into the next round at Autopolis, where TEAM GOH will aim to convert its early promise into stronger overall performance.

Driver Comment – Charlie Wurz
“Saturday’s Race 1 was extremely difficult because the conditions were so wet and visibility was very poor, but I’m glad the race went ahead and I think race control made the right call. We only had a couple of short periods of proper racing, but I was able to make my first overtakes in Super Formula and our pace in the wet looked strong, which was a big positive.

Sunday was more difficult overall. We missed the chance to start a second lap in qualifying by seven seconds, and in those cold conditions that extra lap would have been very important for tyre temperature. We tried a few different things for Race 2 and not everything worked, but that is part of the learning process. Even so, we made progress as a team, collected a lot of useful data and built a strong foundation for the next round. We still haven’t shown our full potential, so hopefully we can surprise a few people next time.”

Team Director Comment – Misato Haga
“As this was my first Super Formula event, it was an extremely valuable and eye-opening experience for me, and a race weekend from which I learned a great deal. I am sincerely grateful to have joined the team as Team Director in time for the opening round of the season.

While we were not yet in a position to challenge at the front, our direction is clear. We will continue to build step by step, with the immediate target of finishing inside the top six in our Q1 group, progressing to Q2 and putting ourselves in a position to fight further up the order. The season has only just begun, and I am confident there is much more to come from this team. We will keep pushing, keep learning and keep improving, and we hope everyone will continue to follow our progress in the rounds ahead.

Although the opening weekend exposed clear areas for improvement — particularly in qualifying execution, tyre warm-up, start procedure and set-up precision — it also provided important encouragement in terms of wet-weather competitiveness, race pace and the data collected across both days. TEAM GOH will now take those lessons forward and continue its push for stronger results at the next round of the 2026 Super Formula Championship at Autopolis.”

Engineer Comment
“Looking back at Saturday qualifying, we believe we slightly missed the tyre warm-up procedure. We followed the same process as on Friday, but with track temperatures more than 10 degrees lower, we were unable to bring the tyres in properly, which left us too far down the order. In Race 1, the wet conditions made it difficult to draw firm conclusions, but we were still able to make a few overtakes and there were signs of reasonable pace within the pack.

For Sunday, we kept the same basic set-up direction that had shown relatively good balance on Friday and reviewed the tyre warm-up approach, but we were still unable to extract the grip we expected in qualifying. In Race 2, we did not maximise the start and then lost further time in the pit stop. Even so, once we were able to push, the pace improved and we closed quickly on car No. 9, although dirty air, tyre overheating and the lack of a tyre-life advantage made overtaking difficult. The key positives were the performance we showed on Friday when the conditions came together, and our pace in Sunday’s race before catching car No. 9. Looking ahead, our focus is on improving start execution and refining the set-up more precisely.”

Gotemba, Japan (Friday, 3 April 2026) —TEAM GOH has confirmed the appointment of experienced Japanese motorsport figure Misato Haga as Team Director for its 2026 Super Formula campaign.

Haga brings more than 20 years of experience across both European and Japanese racing, having held senior roles in categories ranging from Formula 3 and GP2 to SUPER GT. Her appointment comes as TEAM GOH prepares for a new chapter in Super Formula with Toyota power and rising talent Charlie Wurz.

The appointment also carries a personal dimension, with Haga having previously crossed paths with Charlie’s father, former Formula 1 driver Alexander Wurz, during her time working in Europe.

Misato Haga, Team Director, said:

“During my time racing in Europe, where I was involved in F3, F2 and Formula 1, I had the opportunity to meet Alexander Wurz when he was competing in F1. We shared the same ambitions and dreams at that time. When I was approached by TEAM GOH and learned that Charlie would be the driver, I felt a strong sense of connection – almost as if it was meant to be.”
“I am honoured to take on the role of Team Director for TEAM GOH in Super Formula. While the responsibility is significant, I am fully committed to this new challenge and to moving the team forward using the experience I have gained throughout my career. I hope everyone will support us throughout the upcoming season.”

Profile: Misato Haga

Misato Haga began her career in her twenties in sponsorship and motorsport management before relocating to Europe. There, she was involved in Formula 3 (European F3) and GP2, managing multi-car operations and contributing to projects aimed at reaching Formula 1.
After returning to Japan, she moved into SUPER GT, where she took on team management roles. In 2008, she led MOLA as Team Director in the GT300 class, guiding the team to the series title.
Following a period away from motorsport, Haga returned in 2021 after a 13-year absence, founding Yogibo Racing. As Team Principal and Team Director of Yogibo Drago CORSE, she re-established herself in the SUPER GT GT300 class.
She currently serves as Entrant Representative and Team Director of CARGUY MKS RACING in SUPER GT GT300, continuing to play an active role at the forefront of Japanese motorsport.

Gotemba, Japan (Friday, 19 December 2025) —TEAM GOH (Team Principal: Kazuhiro Ikeda) has confirmed that Austrian driver Charlie Wurz will race for the team in the 2026 All-Japan Super Formula Championship. Wurz took part in the official combined and rookie test held at Suzuka Circuit from 10 to 12 December.

Comment from Team Principal Kazuhiro Ikeda

“We are pleased to be entering next season together with Charlie Wurz. Last week’s test also served as the shakedown for our new car, which had to be assembled within a two-week period starting on 25 November, and we were able to complete all of the planned running without any issues.

For Charlie, it was a demanding three days, as it was his first time at the circuit and his first experience with the car. However, he worked diligently and proactively throughout the test, and his progress from session to session was clearly evident. Communication with the team has also been incredibly positive.

While there is still a considerable amount of work to be done ahead of the late-February pre-season test and the opening round, we will continue our preparations by building on our experience while actively incorporating new knowledge.”

Comment from Driver Charlie Wurz

“I am hugely grateful to TEAM GOH and TOYOTA GAZOO Racing for the opportunity to race in Super Formula in 2026. I tested the car at Suzuka, and it is every bit as impressive as drivers say. It is a privilege to join such a legendary motorsport name as TEAM GOH as they begin this new chapter, and I will give it my very best.”

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This season Rookie of the Year was definitely with TEAM GOH, but was yet to be decided between Sato and Miyake.   The result would be carried over to the final round, although Sato’s third place in Round 9 gave him 11 points taking his points tally to 25 for the season.  It meant that in round 10 Miyake was trailing Sato by 7 points giving Ren Sato the Rookie of the Year title.

The final two rounds, 9 and 10, of the 2022 All-Japan Super Formula Championship were held on Saturday and Sunday, 29^th and 30^th October, at the Suzuka Circuit in Mie Prefecture.

In the tenth and final round of the season on Sunday the mission was to get the No. 55 car through Q1 so dynamic changes were made to the car’s set-up.  As as result Miyake secured 8^th place on the grid, but it turned into a defensive race and he was unable to increase his previous day’s pace.

Miyake was able to defend his 8^th position and finished his first Super Formula season with three points.

Atsushi Miyake, #55 Driver

“On Saturday night we worked hard to solve the issues we had before the final race on Sunday.  Having reviewed everything, including my driving, with the team I was able to get through Q1 as I wanted to start at the front for the final race in Round 10 on Sunday.  I made it to Q2 and would start the race from eighth, not as far ahead as I wanted to be, but better than yesterday.  Having had a bad start in my last few races I had an idea regarding the cause, so last night the mechanics had a late night reviewing and checking all the data, the clutch, etc., so we got off to quite a good start.  However, when it came to the race I had difficulty driving well, which was the complete opposite to yesterday; my plan had been to move forward from my 8^th place, but I finished up having to defend”

“Makino was chasing me towards the end of the race, but, assisted by the radio information from the team and by using the OTS, I was able to defend well.  I think I’ve made progress in these areas from the experience I’ve gained throughout the season.  I would like to thank all those involved with us this season and all the fans who have supported us.”

Masashi Yamamoto, Team Director

“Qualifying for Miyake had been an issue so we made some radical changes to the set-up for Round 10.  It all turned out to be positive and Miyake progressed through Q1 to qualify eigth.  For Round 10 we made further changes for the race from the previous days’ set-up, but the direction we chose didn’t work as we ended up with bad understeer on the front and low drivability.  I felt really sorry for the driver.

But Miyake managed to hold on despite these problems finishing in 8^th place and scoring some points so I was happy for him and his team.  We want to build a better team for next year which means we still have a lot of work to do.”

Shintaro Okajima, #55 Engineer

“Our mission for Round 10 qualifying was to make sure we could get the car through Q1, and Miyake drove well so we progressed to Q2 and started the race from 8^th position which is within the points.  I believe that overall our qualifying session was as an improvement on the previous day’s Round 9.  However, there were issues with the car’s set-up for the race and I regret we were unable to improve our 8^th place starting position due to a drop in performance on the base set-up used for Saturday’s race.”

“Strategically the only option we had was to make an early pit stop.  I think if the car’s performance had been a little higher we could have adopted a different strategy.  Next season the car will be different, so at the moment I don’t know whether we will be able to utilise any of our experience from this year, but I hope we can build a better future.”