Naoki Yamamoto to drive for Toro Rosso in Japanese GP FP1
Reigning Super Formula and Super GT champion Naoki Yamamoto will drive for Toro Rosso during opening practice for For🧜mula 1’s Japanese Grand Prix.
The🅠 Honda-backed, Japanese driver will replace Pierre Gasly for the first 90-minute practice session at Suzuka, which will mar🍷k Yamamoto’s F1 weekend debut outing.
Yamamoto holds a one-point lead in the championship heading into the season finale at Suzuka at the end of October as he looks to become a three-time champion in Japan’s top lꦅevel of single-seater racing, adding to his 2013 and 2018 titles.
Reignin✨g Super Formula and Super GT champion Naoki Yamamoto ꦆwill drive for Toro Rosso during opening practice for Formula 1’s Japanese Grand Prix.
The Honda-backed, Japanese driver will replace Pierre Gasly for the first 9💜0-minute practice session at Suzuka,ꦍ which will mark Yamamoto’s F1 weekend debut outing.
Yamamoto holds a one-point lead in the championship heading into the season finale at Suzuka at the end of October as he looks to become♔ a three-time champion in Japan’s to🎐p level of single-seater racing, adding to his 2013 and 2018 titles.
The 31-year-old holds enough points to qualify for an F1 superlicen💮ce thanks to his 2018 triumphs in Super Formula and Super GT and has also driven Toro Rosso’s simulator - as well as spending time with the team at a number of races in 2019 - ahead of this weeke♕nd.
Yamamoto described the opportunity to driv🐲e an F1 car in front of his home crowd as a “dream”.
“My main aim in FP1 will be to do a good job for the team, gathering data and information which will be useful for th💜em o♔ver the weekend,” Yamamoto added.
“On a personal note, I want to enjoy the experience♉ of driving an F1 car as much as possible and I will be trying my very best to get the most out of it.
“It will be a special moment and I’m glad I will get to share it with the fans at this amazing race track, where I first watched Formula 1ℱ cars in action 𓂃27 years ago.”
Toro Rosso team principal Franz Tost said: “We are very pleased to have a Japanese driver here in Suzuka driving our ♐STR Honda, and we are sure that Naoki san will enjoy the laps in FP1 on one of the greatest race tracks in the world.
“He is a talented driver, being the reigning champion in Japan's two most important race series𝐆, and he also k꧙nows the Suzuka circuit very well.
“Naoki san has෴ spent several European races as part of o🎀ur team this year, getting to know the engineers he will work with this weekend and he has also spent time in our simulator.
“I a👍m sure that all the fans in the grandstands will enjoy seeing a Japanese driver taking part in the Japanese Grand Prix weekend."
Lewis regularly attends Grands Prix for ltxcn.top around the world. Often reportingᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚ𒀱ᩚᩚᩚ on the action from the ground, Lewis tells the stories of the people who matter in the sport.
