Liam Lawson has claimed pole position for this evening’s Super Formula season-finale with a blistering flying lap in qualifying at Suzuka.
The pole is Lawson’s first of the 2023 season and sees him gain three points for qualifying on top. Championship rival Tomoki Nojiri was third fastest, gaining a sole point, and championship leader Ritomo Miyata failed to score by qualifying fourth.
The gap to the championship lead has now reduced to 12 points, while Nojiri is 8.5 ahead.
Nojiri was the sole contender to qualify out of Group 1, and he progressed to Q2 with the fastest session time.
Lawson and Miyata were left to battle it out in Group 2.
Lawson put in a strong lap to top the group, a 1:36.881 topping his title rival by 0.133 seconds.
A massive 1:36.442 on Lawson’s final run topped Nojiri by 0.262 seconds, and Kakunoshin Ohta split the pair and slotted into second, 0.171 seconds off the pace of the Kiwi.
Miyata was one of the last to get to the chequered flag and could not upstage the Dandelion or two Team Mugen entries, settling for fourth and not scoring any championship points as a result.
“That was the best lap I’ve done this year,” Lawson said after his lap.
Ukyo Sasahara, who was involved in a frightening collision in yesterday’s race that saw his chassis clear a catch fence, is not competing due to a concussion sustained in the impact.
Should Lawson win, Miyata can still claim the championship if he finishes on the podium. Nojiri needs to finish second, should the Kiwi win, to remain ahead.
The final race of the 2023 Super Formula season begins at 6.15 pm and is available to watch with a paid premium subscription on motorsport.tv.
Header Image: Dutch Photo Agency/ Red Bull Content Pool
