Juju Noda: “Riding in France would be good for my career”

Why did you decide to go to the United States?

I had several options in Europe, but my father and I decided to go to the USA. And this for several reasons, including Covid-19 and the fact that my sponsor, Rokit, was positive about me riding there. Jay Howard was also very happy to have me on his team. When you're a professional, you don't just ride for yourself. The United States is the place I need to be this year.

Too bad, we would have liked to see you in F4 France…

Unfortunately, this will not be the case in 2021. In 2020, we considered this option, but the regulations prohibited drivers of my age from registering. My car in Denmark was however similar to that used by F4 France until 2019, so I would have been able to drive the Mygale F4 in France.

Juju Noda will take on the American challenge by racing in @F4Championship in 2021. She will join @FollowJHDD with the support from @Rokit.

Looking forward to it! #NODARacing #JujuNoda #Juju10 # JN10 pic.twitter.com/NIjTQs3o6b

— NODA Racing (@NODA_Racing) January 18, 2021

In nine events divided into three meetings, you won three pole positions out of three, two fastest laps in the race and one victory. How do you judge your debut in Europe?

I had no idea if I would perform well or not. It was a bit of an unknown, but I believed in myself and focused on what I was capable of doing. Thanks to all my hours of work, I managed to achieve good results. I am very satisfied with what I did.

Have you identified areas for improvement as a priority? 

Above all, I saw how difficult it was to succeed in a sport dominated by men. After winning the first race of the season, for my debut in the championship, I saw how the boys reacted. Clearly, they were particularly keen not to lose to me. But ultimately, the tests carried out on several European circuits were even more useful to me. I really enjoyed Le Castellet, with its high speed sections.

In which aspects do you think you have progressed the most?

Mainly on the mental and technical aspects of driving. I also think I am more confident on a wet track after having struggled in testing in these conditions. It really rains very often in Denmark!

Isn't it too difficult when you come from Japan to acclimatize to Europe?

In terms of motor racing, it's not that different. What was complicated was being in a country where English is not the main language. You can't understand everything, especially if you don't have friends around who want to help you.

Should we see your 2021 program as the first step towards a career in the United States or can we imagine a return to Europe?

We can see it like that. I'm keeping an open mind for 2022 but I'm obviously very interested in returning to Europe. Like I said, it's important to be where I need to be. I want to ride everywhere, as long as it helps me improve, it serves my career, and the people around me in this project are happy.

Could we see you in Formula Regional by Alpine in 2022, when you will be 16?

I would love to drive fast cars like this. Driving in France would definitely be a good thing for my career. And the Regional Formula by Alpine is a very competitive series.

What are your long-term goals?

La Formula 1,IndyCar, Formula E et Le Mans. Honestly, I wish I could do them all someday. I am still very young and I know that the road is still very, very long.