Suzuka – Race 2: Makino gives Dandelion Racing a double, Iwasa leads the championship

• And two for Dandelion Racing! The Japanese team based in Kameoka secured a second victory in two races this weekend, with Tadasuke Makino's success this Sunday at Suzuka, the day after his teammate Kakunoshin Ohta's victory in the opening round of the 2025 season. Third in the last campaign in Super Formula, the 27-year-old driver takes his third success in the discipline, the first on the Suzuka circuit.
• Starting in 5th place, Tadasuke Makino climbed to 3rd place from the first corner thanks to a great start. The Japanese then tried to play the patience card on his strategy, while Kakunoshin Ohta and Tomoki Nojiri (Team Mugen) stopped on the first lap. Although Tadasuke Makino stopped on the 20th lap and was overtaken by his teammate at the exit of the pits, the n°5 quickly regained the upper hand on the sister car before taking the lead after all his opponents had pitted. The winner of the day resisted until the end, arriving under Safety Car after the collision between Zak O'Sullivan and Kazuto Kotaka.
• If Dandelion Racing had a clean sweep with two wins in two races, the Japanese team could have claimed much better in this second race… because Kakunoshin Ohta, second on the finish line, was finally classified 12th after the application of a five-second penalty. The Japanese was penalized for having gained a position outside the track limits at the chicane while trying to overtake Ayumu Iwasa (Team Mugen), the two even going as far as contact in the braking zone. With the finish under Safety Car, the winner of the first race on Saturday was ejected from the points.
• Result: Sho Tsuboi (Team TOM'S) inherited 2nd place ahead of Ayumu Iwasa (Team Mugen), who took his second podium in two races. Like the day before, Tomoki Nojiri (Team Mugen) was unable to convert his pole position into victory and finished just off the podium, in 4th place. Starting 11th, Sacah Fenestraz was unable to make it into the Top 10: the Franco-Argentine finished in 16th place.
• In the championship, thanks to his two podiums in two races and his two first rows, Ayumu Iwasa takes the lead in the Drivers' standings at the end of this first meeting. The protégé of the clan Red Bull scored 30 points at Suzuka, seven more than defending champion Sho Tsuboi (23 points). Kakunoshin Ohta completes the top three with 3 points, including a win on Saturday. With two wins in as many races this weekend, Dandelion Racing logically leads the Teams' championship with 22 points ahead of Team Mugen (41 points).

Super Formula – Suzuka
Race 2 – Ranking

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