Ohta Claims Fourth Super Formula Look‑out at Fuji
Kakunoshin Ohta’s fourth victory of the season at Fuji secured the 2026 Super Formula title, leaving him 50.5 points ahead of the field and five races in play.
Despite starting third, Ohta moved through the Team Mugen pair of Tomoki Nojiri and Ayumu Iwasa to take the checkered flag, staying 4.9 seconds clear of Igor Fraga in second place. Fraga, who had freshly won the Autopolis sprint race, added another podium finish but could not threaten Ohta’s leading advantage.
After a 45‑minute delay caused by oil leakage from Ren Sato’s cracked gearbox, the afternoon race began under a safety car and only needed four laps of green‑flag action for Ohta to lead from the start. His first pit swing on lap 26 saw him slip to third, but a decisive move on lap 29 allowed him to overtake Iwasa at the left‑handed Turn 6 and then challenge Nojiri again, taking the helm at the start‑finish straight on lap 30.
Fraga Attains Sprint Race Victory
Fraga’s sprint win came after a scramble at Turn 1 that sent pole‑sitter Iwasa wide. Launching from ninth, Fraga recorded a swift pass of the field within the first lap, eventually leading the race to the finish after multiple safety‑car incidents. A 10‑second penalty for Ohta, incurred for illegal grid slot drying by a mechanic, cost the runner‑up further time, and Fraga’s triumph pushed him up to third in the overall standings.
Championship Landscape Tightens
Ohta now sits unsurprisingly atop the points table, leaving Fraga a mere 5.5 points behind Iwasa, who remains the defending champion. Iwasa’s heavy loss at the first corner in the sprint race limited his continued climb, while Kazuma Makino, Sho Tsuboi and rookie Nirei Fukuzumi finished outside the top three. As the season transitions into its final quarter, Ohta’s current margin positions him a clear favourite for the trophy while the rest of the field concentrates on closing the gap before the next five races.
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