After battling through three intense races, the Fuji event marks a sign of progress. Using the challenges and gains as fuel, we aim for even greater heights.

In the two-day official test held at Fuji Speedway prior to this event, numerous challenges were highlighted, including overall grip issues and time losses during braking and cornering. Stanek reflected, "We couldn't maximize the car's potential," indicating that the results were far from satisfactory for us. However, the team faced these challenges head-on, using the data gathered from the test to improve as we approached the event. On the first day of the event, Friday, rain persisted from morning until evening, leading to wet conditions, and the afternoon session ended with a red flag, limiting our running time for adjustments. In the morning session, Stanek reported a "strange feeling in the steering" and pitted for investigation. The time taken to identify and repair the issue limited us to just six laps.

Following the insufficient laps during the official test, not being able to accumulate data during this valuable session was a significant setback.

To break this trend, we quickly identified the cause of the steering trouble during the interval and made swift repairs. Although the issues were resolved for the afternoon session, poor weather prevented us from completing ten laps, and the rain intensified towards the end, resulting in another red flag. Despite not being able to complete sufficient laps in the limited running time, we recorded a time of 1:35.060, placing us 13th. More importantly, we felt a good balance in wet conditions, providing us with a solid sense of confidence. Stanek remarked, "I think we showed a pretty good pace today. I believe we can definitely aim for Q2 and push for points." However, with no opportunities to run in dry conditions, we needed to further refine our setup, considering the ongoing challenges from the official test. As unpredictable weather was expected over the weekend, we focused on improving based on the limited data and preparing for qualifying and the race.

On this day, light rain continued from the morning, and a wet declaration was issued at 8:05 AM. However, as the session for Round 6 qualifying approached, the fog gradually lifted, and the session started on time. Due to the wet conditions that caused water splashes, the attack was conducted on rain tires. Stanek, who participated in Q1 Group A, recorded a time of 1:34.241 on his sixth lap. Managing to secure a spot in Q2 in 6th place, Stanek, confident in the wet setup, displayed speed. After changing to new tires on the third lap, he marked a time of 1:32.663 on the fifth lap, briefly taking the top position. Although his rivals later improved their times, he ultimately secured 5th place, achieving the best grid position for the team since entering Super Formula, significantly boosting the morale of the entire team heading into the race.

After the Round 7 qualifying, the Round 6 race commenced in the afternoon. Although conditions were improving, the sky was still overcast, and light rain fell again before the start, creating a challenging situation. With a temperature of 25 degrees and a track temperature of 29 degrees, Stanek made a good start, moving up to 4th position. Early in the race, a wet declaration was issued again, resulting in varying track conditions that made management difficult. Although he lost positions, he managed to maintain 6th place until around the midpoint, making the prospect of achieving our best result seem realistic. However, after 25 laps, when he entered the pits, eager to rejoin in the points zone, a delay in the tire change caused significant time loss, dropping him to 17th place.

While Stanek showed some frustration at one point, he kept his focus and finished 16th. After the race, he reflected, "While there were positive aspects in the early stages, I also saw challenges that need to be addressed to move forward."

Having been close to achieving our best result, this race left the team with a sense of regret. We are giving our all in every race, but as it is our first year in the top category of Super Formula, we will encounter many new and irregular situations moving forward. We vowed to utilize this experience to ensure we can respond effectively in any situation as we steadily build our structure.

Just an hour and a half after the conclusion of Round 6 qualifying, the Round 7 qualifying began with difficult conditions, as light sunshine occasionally broke through while some parts of the track still had wet patches. Nevertheless, the track was recovering to dry conditions, and all cars attempted their attacks on slick tires. Stanek performed a tire change during the out-lap, but a spin by another driver during tire warm-up caused a red flag interruption. After the session resumed, it became a tough situation with only one effective lap for attacking, and although he recorded a time of 1:24.882, he remained in 9th place, failing to advance to Q2 and securing an 18th grid position. While there were still challenges regarding the setup and balance in dry conditions, we continued to analyze data and make final adjustments in preparation for the race.

The final race of this event took place the following day in dry conditions. During the formation lap, another car spread oil across a wide area of the track, leading to an unprecedented red flag interruption. This created a hectic atmosphere, but after track cleaning, the race commenced with a safety car start for 41 laps.

Starting from 18th place, Stanek steadily completed laps but struggled to gain positions due to traffic from his rear start.

To gather long-run data for future races, we opted to delay our pit stop strategy. After completing 28 laps, we changed tires, and Stanek utilized the advantage of fresh tires to overtake one car. In the closing stages, he applied pressure on the machines ahead, but fell just short, finishing 19th. Although the result was disappointing, we gained valuable long-run data and insights regarding setup in dry conditions, making this race a significant step forward.

At the Fuji event, we took a new step by securing the team's best grid position, while also experiencing the frustration of narrowly missing out on results. Despite the disappointing outcome, the team gained both areas for improvement and valuable insights. With the experience and challenges gained from competing in three races in one event, we are united as a team to prepare for the next round at SUGO.