New Zealander Liam Lawson will start on the second row of this evening’s race at Fuji after going fourth fastest in this afternoon’s qualifying run.
Yesterday’s race winner will have TGM Racing’s Toshiki Oyu for company while his Team Mugen teammate Tomoki Nojiri took pole over Ritomo Miyata.
Qualifying’s knockout format returned for the second race of the weekend after Race 1 saw a timed session to make up for Friday’s practice cancellation.
Lawson was put in Group B and went to work to set a best time of 1:22.021, topping the group over Sena Sakaguchi but just three one-hundredths of a second. His time was similar to that of Nojiri, who topped Group A.
Just seven minutes is all the drivers had to set a best lap in Q2, the session which determined the top 12’s grid for this afternoon’s race.
This allowed only one proper flying lap for the field, Lawson going faster than his Q1 time to set a 1:21.645, only .055 seconds off Oyu in third.
Nojiri’s pole-setting time blitzed the field, 1:21.196 being nearly four-tenths faster than Miyata.
Today’s 43-lap race begins at 5.30 pm and can be viewed with a paid subscription on either motorsport.tv or the SF go App.
Header Image: Team Mugen
