Why Ayumu Iwasa's Super Formula season could hinge on Autopolis
Despite only scoring two points at Suzuka, both Iwasa and his Team Mugen engineer Tomo Koike remain optimistic for the season to come...
All photos: JRP
It would be fair to say that ninth place wasn’t what Red Bull junior driver Ayumu Iwasa had in mind for his Super Formula debut earlier this month at Suzuka.
Considering that he was taking over the Team Mugen car that came so close to winning the previous year’s title with Liam Lawson, with a near identical crew, Iwasa’s meagre points haul at Suzuka fell a long way short of expectations. A repeat next time out at Autopolis, where Iwasa should be stronger on paper, could be fatal to his title ambitions - and any Formula 1 ambitions he may be harbouring.
Perhaps expecting Iwasa to emulate his predecessor Lawson’s win on debut was a bit much to hope for, especially with teammate Tomoki Nojiri looking to be back on top form after his shaky start to the 2023 campaign that was brought on by the change to the SF23 aero package. But certainly, pre-season testing form suggested that at least a place on the podium for Iwasa was possible, all other things being equal.