Alesi's style 'impossible to compare' to TOM'S teammate Miyata

Stepping up to replace the now-retired Kazuki Nakajima on a full-time basis this year, Alesi has endured a tough 2022 campaign so far, with only one points finish in the opening three races of the season.

He kicked off with a 17th-place finish at Fuji Speedway, not helped by a penalty for colliding with Nirei Fukuzumi on the first lap, and then coming home eighth in the second race at the Toyota-owned track.

Last time out at Suzuka he was among many drivers to struggle in the wet, spinning at Spoon Curve en route to 15th place.

Miyata meanwhile came fifth and third in the two Fuji races, and despite not scoring at Suzuka sits fifth in the drivers' standings, with Alesi down in 17th.

However, Alesi's race engineer Kenta Odachi - who also runs the #37 TOM'S car that Miyata shares with Sacha Fenestraz in SUPER GT - was reluctant to directly compare the team's two drivers.

"It's difficult to compare Ritomo and Alesi," Odachi told Motorsport.com. "I think the difference between them is a little bit the car. But their styles are so different, it’s hard to compare anything with the set-up.

"They have completely different set-ups. Giuliano needs a lot more braking stability compared to Ritomo. He is so aggressive in the braking phase.

"Maybe it comes from F2, where the car is heavy and the brakes are not so good, and he puts too much pressure on the brakes, I think."

Alesi was handed his full-time TOM'S berth after standing for an absent Nakajima in five races last year, scoring a shock win in the wet at Autopolis in only his second Super Formula start.

But since then, his best result in the Japanese series has been eighth.

After Miyata converted a front-row grid slot into a first Super Formula podium at Fuji, Alesi denied he felt pressure to up his game.

"Ritomo is Ritomo and I’m me, two different cars," he told Motorsport.com. "We drive for the same team but it’s the mentality here in Japan for everyone to go in their own direction. I just focus on myself."

 

Odachi meanwhile was keen to take some of the blame for Alesi's subdued start to the season, pointing to some set-up mistakes that he felt responsible for.

"In qualifying for Round 2 [at Fuji], I made a mistake adjusting the car set-up for Q2, which was my mistake," he admitted.

"At Suzuka, I think I also made a mistake with the set-up, we changed it a lot and got a bit confused with the direction for practice and then in qualifying we went back to the baseline but without taking into account the conditions. So that was a tough for weekend for us."

On Alesi's chances this weekend at Autopolis, Odachi added: "If it’s wet, we have good data and set-up, but if it’s dry, it will be difficult.

"Giuliano has never driven the track in the dry so it could be a tough weekend. I hope it rains!"

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