18 June: Weather: Fine  Temperature: 28℃　Track Conditions: Dry, 44℃

・Qualifying – P21(1’05.736)

22 May: Weather: Fine  Temperature: 30℃　Track Conditions: Dry, 43℃

・Race – P18

Round 5 of the 2022 All-Japan Super Formula Championship was held on Sunday, 19^th June. The 53-lap race held at SUGO saw TEAM GOH’s Atsushi Miyake take the chequered flag in 18^th place after a poor qualifying session meant he would start from the back of the grid. Despite being a rookie, he has gained a total of 18 points in the first half of this season and will be aiming for a more consistent performance in the second half.

◆Atsushi Miyake, Driver

“On Saturday morning in FP1 I wasn’t in a very good position, so I tried to improve both my driving and the set-up for Q1, but it didn’t really help, and I ended up at the back in qualifying. We changed the settings for the long run in the race which proved easy to drive, however, SUGO is a very narrow circuit and due to the turbulence from the cars in front of me, I often lost downforce so I couldn’t improve my position. I think the fact we qualified last was the reason for our defeat this time around.”

“Looking back on the first half of the season I finished on the podium at Autopolis and gained 18 points from five races, but despite the ups there were downs both at Suzuka and here in SUGO. The next round at Fuji, my second visit after the season opener, will be significant as rankings are important, but I want to work even harder in the second half of the season in order to achieve more consistent results and compete at a higher level.”

◆Masashi Yamamoto, Team Director

“We bought a car here to SUGO which we felt would suit Miyake’s driving style and it wasn’t far off, but the changing conditions for qualifying caused problems which resulted in giving Miyake difficulties with car set-up. During the race, a car in front of Miyake caused turbulence which gave him aero problems so he couldn’t really push hard, but despite this Miyake said his car was very drivable. We discussed qualifying and how it is key to race position and the fact that you need to be in front.”

“Sascha Fenestraz, who excelled today, was behind Miyake after the pit-stop and was unable to overtake for the entire race. That’s the biggest difficulty here in SUGO, it’s a narrow circuit and you have to qualify well in order to lead the race; as a rookie Team Director this is something I’ve learned.”

“As a team we got to understand the drivers and what they wanted from their cars in the first half of the season. Now we are trying new things and hoping the second half of the season will bring us a turnaround in the points standings. Even though our drivers are rookies, I’m hoping we can get on the podium and even aim for a win.”

◆Shintaro Okajima, Engineer

“We didn’t bring a good set-up here to SUGO which meant we weren’t able to solve the problems before qualifying. However, the qualifying session for our No. 53 sister car was relatively good, so we used their data for reference for FP2 on Sunday morning. We reviewed the aero balance and the mechanical set-up and it greatly improved the problems we had incurred on the first day so we went into the race without making any major changes. Kamui Kobayashi was in front of Miyake during the race which meant he incurred a lot of turbulence. However, when he wasn’t in the bad air the performance of the car was high and I received some good feedback from Miyake on how he felt in the car. This means we have found a good race set-up here in SUGO, but we still had some issues with our performance in the qualifying short runs.”

“The first half of the season was full of ups and down for Miyake in the No. 55 car. As a rookie to get on the podium in his fourth race must have been a good confidence boost for him, but we still need more podiums in the second half of the season to win the championship. We will now review the good and bad points from the first half of the season in order to prepare for the second half.”

18 June: Weather: Fine  Temperature: 28℃　Track Conditions: Dry, 44℃

・Qualifying – P11 (1’05.535)

19 June: Weather: Fine  Temperature: 30℃　Track Conditions: Dry, 43℃

・Race – P16

Sunday, 19^th June, saw Sportsland SUGO, in Miyagi Prefecture, host Round 5 of the 2022 All-Japan Super Formula Championship. Ren Sato, at the wheel of TEAM GOH’s No. 53 car, started the race from 10^th, one place higher than his qualifying position due to a grid penalty served on another competitor. Having finished the 53-lap race in 16^th position, he now heads into the second half of the season with a total of five points.

◆Ren Sato, Driver

“I had very good pace in sectors 1 and 2 in my first qualifying attempt in SUGO, but I made a mistake in sector 3 which left me with a disappointing result. In Sunday’s race I kept pushing, but towards the end I overdid it, spun, and finished in 16^th place.”

“Looking back on the first half of the season, my qualifying at the opening round in Fuji was good, but then my performance dropped away. However, here in SUGO my qualifying performance improved, and I felt I had made a step forward.  Also at each race my starts are

getting better, so returning to Fuji next month, where I got a front row start at the opening round, I want to qualify up front, get a good start and aim for the podium.”

◆Masashi Yamamoto, Team Director

“We have made it clear right through the last four rounds, from Fuji, through Suzuka and Autopolis to here at Sugo that we wanted to produce a car that suited Ren’s driving style as well as the car’s performance.  Our direction was right, but there were things we hadn’t finished in the 90-minute FP1 session. However, we got through Q1 and in Q2 Ren showed his amazing speed with some aggressive driving in sectors 1 and 2 and although he unfortunately went off the track in sector 3, he showed us hope, and we were able to prove here in SUGO we are going in the right direction. As Team Director I regret the fact the race went in a conservative direction, but once again Ren has taught me we have to be aggressive, and in our next race in Fuji I want to keep pushing hard.”

“As a team we got to understand the drivers and what they wanted from their cars in the first half of the season. Now we are trying new things and hoping the second half of the season will bring us a turnaround in the points standings. Even though our drivers are rookies, I’m hoping we can get on the podium and even aim for a win.”

◆Ryan Dingle, Engineer

“The car I brought here to Sugo had a different set-up and the adjustments were completed well before qualifying. I think we competed quite well in qualifying although Ren lost his rhythm and made a mistake in sector 3 which resulted in an unexpected position. I think Ren made a good start in the race, but two safety car incidents in the first 10 laps meant we had to decide whether to stay out or box (pit).  I chose to box because I thought there was a good chance there would be another safety car incident. Initially Ren was unable to drive at his own pace, but as the new tyres kicked in, and determined to finish in the points, and I think I pushed him too hard which caused him to spin, and for that I am very sorry.  It was the second time this season I’ve made a mistake in choosing the wrong strategy which means I have a lot of work to do in the upcoming races.”

“Our next round this season takes us back to Fuji. We will bring a car with a good set-up and try from the start of qualifying to be as far ahead as possible in order to have a good race.”