Subscribe

Sign up for free

  • Get quick access to your favorite articles

  • Manage alerts on breaking news and favorite drivers

  • Make your voice heard with article commenting.

Motorsport prime

Discover premium content
Subscribe

Edition

USA

Matsushita vows to “calm down” after Sugo recovery charge

Nobuharu Matsushita has vowed to “calm down” in future Super Formula races after a costly qualifying off left him just shy of a podium finish at Sugo.

Nobuharu Matsushita, B-Max Racing Team

Nobuharu Matsushita, B-Max Racing Team

Masahide Kamio

Ex-Formula 2 racer Matsushita enjoyed another strong showing at the wheel of B-Max Racing’s solo Honda-powered entry on Sunday, as he charged from 13th on the grid to finish fourth.

It followed a costly off at Horseback corner during Saturday's qualifying session for the 27-year-old, which resulted in him being eliminated in Q2 – costing him a shot at challenging for pole in the wet conditions and leaving him with a lot of work to do in the race.

Read Also:

But a quick start combined with an early stop on lap 10 of 53 allowed Matsushita to make amends, as he finished just behind poleman Yuhi Sekiguchi in fourth place.

“I had a good start, I passed four cars at the beginning,” Matsushita told Motorsport.com. “But my pace was a disaster, the balance was really bad.

“Then we decided to pit early because we were stuck behind Yamamoto and his pace was also slow. After that I was alone on track, pushing every lap. I was lapping in the 1m08s, the other guys were doing 1m09s, so I was gaining a second every lap. That’s how I overtook nine cars.

"I think I did the best I could do [from P13 on the grid]. But if I didn’t make a mistake in qualifying it would have been much easier.

“The car was ready for a top three in qualifying, so next time I need to do the job. I am strong in the opening lap and the race pace, that’s my strong point, so I just need to calm down and put everything together.”

Nobuharu Matsushita, B-Max Racing Team

Nobuharu Matsushita, B-Max Racing Team

Photo by: Masahide Kamio

While Matsushita finished on the podium in a rain-soaked, shortened Autopolis race, the Sugo round marked the first dry event he had tackled with new race engineer Yasuhiro Tasaka – who came on board following the Suzuka race.

“This was the first time to drive in the dry with [Tasuka],” said Matsushita. “We didn’t know what to do the ride height, the aero or anything.

“We tried a set-up in the morning [in second practice] and it was ok, so we didn’t really touch the car after that, apart from a couple of small changes.”

Matsushita added that his better-than-expected dry weather pace at Sugo has left him hungry to challenge for a first Super Formula victory in the remaining three races of the season.

“I really want to win a race,” he said. “I personally love Motegi, I’m good at big braking zones. It’s all about the set-up and putting the whole weekend together with no mistakes on my side.

"And then I’m confident the results should come automatically.”

Be part of Motorsport community

Join the conversation

Related video

Previous article Fukuzumi was "praying" for no trouble on way to first win
Next article Alesi: First SF Lights wins make up for subdued Sugo race

Top Comments

There are no comments at the moment. Would you like to write one?

Sign up for free

  • Get quick access to your favorite articles

  • Manage alerts on breaking news and favorite drivers

  • Make your voice heard with article commenting.

Motorsport prime

Discover premium content
Subscribe

Edition

USA