Nirei Fukuzumi Claims Victory at Super Formula Sugo Amid Controversial Safety Car Incident

Nirei Fukuzumi achieved his second victory of the Super Formula season at Sugo, capitalizing on a late safety car incident that left Igor Fraga dissatisfied with the race results.

The safety car was deployed at the end of lap 27 due to incidents involving Sena Sakaguchi and Roman Stanek. At that moment, Fraga was leading the race but had just entered the pits. He emerged just ahead of Tomoki Nojiri and Kakunoshin Ohta, who had already completed their mandatory stops.

While most drivers followed Fraga into the pits, Fukuzumi and Mugen opted to stay out, gaining a significant advantage. After the safety car period, Fukuzumi maintained his lead, finishing just 0.505 seconds ahead of reigning champion Ayumu Iwasa, with Fraga taking third place. Fraga expressed his frustration over the circumstances of his loss, questioning the validity of the race outcome.