Yuto Nomura — Second-year Resolution

“I’ve been granted another chance to participate in the series, for the second year running, and it made me firmly determined to win the championship title for this time,” said Yuto Nomura.

Nomura as one of the best trainees in the 2021 class of SRS-F (Suzuka Circuit Racing School, currently renamed as HRS, ‘Honda Racing School’) got the scholarship that came with the opportunity to challenge the 2022 French F4 championship series where he had won twice that year.

In 2023, Nomura transferred to the FIA-F4 series, the equivalent category in Japan as the French F4, and all despite the inexperience of the domestic racing tracks except for Suzuka Circuit, he finished the series in 4th over all. And now, it’s been his second year in the FIA-F4 series, where he is devoting himself to accumulate nuts-and-bolts experience.

The FIA-F4 championship this year has introduce all-new chassis for the first time in nine years. How did Nomura cope with the completely different car even if its specifications are essentially succeeded from the previous model?

“The engine has got more power but the car felt a bit dull to me because it’s got heavier (due to the improved safety measures.) It doesn’t affect much in the high-speed corner, but on a technical course like Sportsland SUGO, I feel some different moves in the in-field section which I find little hard to control.”

Getting more self esteem under the new team structure

As a matter of fact, the team structure supporting Nomura is not the same as in the year before. The driver training program of Honda Formula Dream Project (HFDP) had been reorganized, and in that context, the operational base for Honda’s trainee drivers had since been taken over by the third party team, namely B-MAX Racing Team. The change in the maintenance-related regime was not very much an annoying factor, said Nomura, but he admitted that his perception towards the race has been altered in one way or other.

“This year, and last year as well, I’m enjoying a perfect racing organization that I can’t wish for more. A full year had passed since the new structure was established, and I feel there’s no future unless I produce decent results this year. I was not particularly in such a mindset for I was with other senior drivers like Mitsui (Yusuke) and Moriyama (Tosei) last year. But now, I’m in my second year, obliged to take certain responsibilities to lead the team as a driver. It’s now already at the midterm point, and still, I’m not sure whether I’ve done things in a way I’d hoped at the beginning.”

Nomura seemed to deal well with the major change both on the chassis and the maintenance practicing, and even utilize the experience for him to grow better and faster. Such improvements soon became visible in his attitudes towards the race.

His driving style was rather passive to the car last year, for example, but he has became much more convictive upon deciding the setting of the car since this season.

“I know I’ve grown a lot if compared the approach of the setting before and after. The car I got last year had 9-year track records in the same team, and therefore the setting was made up almost in full already. It’s why I was rather modest in changing the setting, just playing around the minor adjustments. But this year, the car and its maintenance were changed, which gave a room for me to think about the setting from scratch. I’d not been very serious about the car mechanism up until last year, however, my understanding has deepened ever since albeit not perfect yet. I tried to communicate with engineers as best as possible and I got inspired much from the exchange. I’ve grown way better at the car setting, I think.”

In recent years, simulators are prevailing among young drivers who often run on virtual tracks when they are not driving at the real circuit. However, Nomura has no simulator of any kind, and neither has the opportunity to train himself virtually.

“I’m studying at the university as well. So, I don’t have much time to spare. I had once stopped studying at a senior high and transferred to a correspondence school in order to race in France. After that, I entered Nagoya University of Economics, and now majoring in economics. I go to the circuit when I have a race or a practice to run. Otherwise, I attend classes, and that’s my everyday life. If I have time, after school for instance, I usually do some part time works. Assistant of the kart team that I had once belonged is one of them.”

Prospects from domestic to overseas

Nomura in his second season in Japan after the foray into France now raises his aim high on the FIA-F4 championship title. Up ahead on the route, he sees the Super Formula Lights (SFL) series and even Japan’s top notch single-seater category, the Super Formula (SF) series, as his next targets.

“I really want to achieve the result high enough to earn recognition, and step up to the SFL. I’ve been following all SFL races including qualifying runs, and of course SF too, for my study.”

On the other hand, Nomura still hold the hope of racing in Europe in the future. While he was studying SFL and SF, he is eagerly collecting informations not only on F1 but also on F2 and F3. There’re some drivers in particular that he thinks as his future rival.

“When I see drivers of my age doing great job in Europe, I feel I have to keep fighting as well. Andrea Kimi Antonelli participating in F2 this year and Oliver Bearman who had run a GP race on the other day are almost the same age as mine, for instance, which made me stimulating even more. I had once enjoyed battle with Antonelli in a race and was taught of the world level driving. Watching any one of them shines on his soil, I feel I’m encouraged to do better and race with them again. But, I’m not in frantic haste, never. I will do that definitely, someday, I promise to myself.”

It is fair to say that the pressure onto him now is heavy enough to crush a driver in a similar situation, however, his innate mental toughness is coping well with it, seemingly.

“Of course, I get nervous before the qualifying session or whatever. Sometimes, it crosses my mind, ‘Oh, shit! Whaddya do for a goof, if it's ever happened?’ But, every time when I sit in the cockpit, I get my composure back in place somehow, and start focusing on the race ahead. The nervousness disappeared without a trace, and I told myself, ‘Go for it! Do your utmost, just run as good as you can!’ This maybe the reason why people say, and I believe, I’m mentally tough.”

After the fourth round in the 7-round season, Nomura is sitting in 2nd, a couple of points behind the point-leading Ryota Horachi. The fight for the FIA-F4 series title is still wide open towards the ever-intensifying climax.