In the season opener at Super Formula Suzuka, Mugen driver Nojiri clinched victory in a flawless performance, starting from third on the grid and swiftly overtaking surprise pole-sitter Sena Sakaguchi and Kakunoshin Ota at the first corner. Nojiri maintained a comfortable lead throughout the 31-lap race, securing his position unchallenged.
Kenta Yamashita of Kondo Racing and Naoki Yamamoto of Nakajima Racing rounded out the podium, capitalizing on early pitstops to advance their positions. Notably, both front-row starters, Sakaguchi and Ota, lost ground off the start, with Sakaguchi slipping to third and Ota dropping to seventh.
Despite an early safety car restart, Nojiri retained his lead, opting for a pit stop on lap 13 and rejoining the race ahead of Yamashita and Yamamoto. Meanwhile, Ren Sato, who initially held second place, lost ground during his stop on lap 15, allowing Ota and Nirei Fukuzumi to move ahead.
The race order remained unchanged at the front, with Nojiri securing his 12th career victory ahead of Yamashita and Yamamoto, who achieved his best dry race finish since 2020 after returning from neck injuries.
Ota recovered from his poor start to finish fourth, followed by Sato and Fukuzumi. Sakaguchi slipped to seventh after a delayed pitstop, while the top ten was completed by Nobuharu Matsushita, Ayumu Iwasa, and Tadasuke Makino.
Iwasa claimed the top rookie spot, showcasing an impressive performance after a late pit stop. Among the newcomers, Iori Kimura finished 12th, while Juju Noda crossed the line in 17th. Unfortunately, reigning Formula 2 champion Theo Pourchaire endured a challenging debut, finishing 18th following an off-track excursion at Turn 7 that necessitated a front wing change during his pit stop.
The race saw early retirements for Yuji Kunimoto and Kazuto Kotaka due to a collision at the Esses on lap 2, while Kamui Kobayashi exited late in the race due to mechanical issues.
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