Toshiki Oyu reflects on "quite a wild" Super Formula Round 10 at Fuji
In Super Formula, Toshiki Oyu has a reputation as one of the faster drivers, but also for inconsistency. The Hokkaido native ended last season with a mixed bag of results, remarking to DIVEBOMB that his “performance was not enough” and that he had to “get results” this year.
Despite being overshadowed by his teammate for the opening few rounds, Oyu has seen relative success since, with two front row starts and top-six finishes in half of the ten races so far this season, the most recent of which was a fourth-place finish in Round 10 at Fuji.
Oyu was interviewed by DIVEBOMB following an eventful and chaotic Round 10.
“Yeah, it was a very aggressive race with a lot of attacks. It was a very exciting and big race for everybody. We did our best compared to the races in the past and even compared to the race on Saturday.
“I think our race pace was really good, probably our best so far. We could’ve been in the fight for the win. It was just that the situations didn't allow for that, but really a very good day today nonetheless. It was quite a wild race.”
Oyu’s fourth place finish, from fifth on the grid, was not as straightforward as it might look on paper. On the opening lap, he was challenging Zak O’Sullivan for third but went wide into the grass and dropped to tenth.
“I started in 5th, then at the start dropped to several positions, to 10th or so, and then was able to finish in 4th. At the start, at the first corner, there was contact. Let's say that Zak kind of pushed me out. I went off the racetrack and dropped to 10th. After that, I had a struggle to get back to position.
While trying to get back up the order, Oyu was involved in a battle for eighth with Yuto Nomura on Lap 5. The two made contact exiting Turn 1, which resulted in Nomura’s suspension being damaged, taking the rookie out of the race and earning Oyu a black and white flag.
“From the beginning, I made sure that I gave enough space. I gave one car’s width of space to Nomura. We were racing side by side. I was a bit behind. He was already in the curve. He had enough space there.
“It was a very bumpy curve, and it was such a tight battle between us. We were maybe one centimetre or less apart. Because of the bump and all that, it damaged his car. I think Nomura's suspension was broken because of the bumpy line.”
After struggling to slice back up the field, he and the team opted for an aggressive undercut, pitting at the end of lap 12. The strategy saw him initially overtake Kakunoshin Ohta for a net second before making contact with the championship leader. The incident had him spin around and lose some of the positions he gained from the strategy.
“Our pit-in strategy was very good because I was able to undercut. That was very good. Then I came out and was able to overtake Kakunoshin. We had contact again. I spun and dropped positions again.”
The rest of the race was chaotic and shuffled the order quite a bit. At the end of the last of three Safety Car periods, Oyu was fifth. When the race resumed on Lap 32, Oyu made some brave moves in the opening few corners and jumped up to third. However, he could not keep a charging O’Sullivan at bay and dropped down to fourth by the end of the race.
“There was a time when I was in 3rd position, and I dropped to 4th. Then there was a lot happening in front of me as well. At the end of all that, I ended up in the 4th position at the end of the race. It was a crazy race.”
The next round on the calendar is the season finale, Rounds 11 and 12 at Suzuka. It’s the circuit where he grabbed his maiden win as a rookie for Nakajima Racing and Honda, but has only seen moderate success since switching to Toyota, owing to Honda’s dominance at the circuit.
“At Suzuka, Honda's engines are more powerful. I think that's what that weekend will be about. We, the Toyotas, are having a hard time. But we are getting better and better. To be honest. I haven't been able to get good results so far. I want to keep up the good work.”
Comments