Formula Nippon round two won by de Oliveira23/05/2010

First win for de Oliveira on his return to Formula Nippon

The second round of the Formula Nippon championship was held at the wet and rainy Twin Ring Motegi on Sunday 23 May. Joao Paulo de Oliveira (Mobil1 Team Impul), who has recently made a return to the series, started the event from pole position and led the race to clinch the win. It was de Oliveira’s second win in the series, his last being in August 2008.    

Saturday’s sessions saw de Oliveira set the fastest time in free practice, followed by good form in qualifying where he was able to obtain his second pole position in Formula Nippon. Two drivers, Andre Lotterer (Petronas Team Toms) and round 1 winner Takashi Kogure (Nakajima Racing) set the second fastest time, with a 0.019 second gap from the pole time. Lotterer set the time before Kogure so the German driver was given the second spot on the grid, with Kogure in third.   

Sunday was plagued with wet weather, as the rain began at noon, creating a wet warm-up session.  This did not affect de Oliveira as he led from the start, though Lotterer and Kogure lost positions. Koudai Tsukakoshi (HFDP Racing) started from fifth on the grid and gained two positions, however he did not have the pace to catch de Oliveira who established a big gap to the competition and dominated the race from pole to flag. Tsukakoshi finished second and Lotterer brought his car home third.   

Tyres were fantastic at the Twin Ring Motegi

“We made a decision to change set up a little just before the start of the race to add more down force, it was a good decision. The tyres were fantastic from start to finish and I was able to push hard on every lap. I am happy to win in my second race after my return to the series.”
Mobil1 Team Impul driver, Joao Paulo de Oliveira  

Congratulations to de Oliveira

“The race was dominated by de Oliveira and Mobil1 Team Impul, congratulations! From start to finish, the amount of the water on the track was constant but the track conditions were stable. We are happy that we were able to provide tyres that were consistent in their performance and wear.”
Bridgestone senior adviser, Yasuo Teranishi