SUCCEEDING IN THE COVID HANGOVER

Sacha Fenestraz is far from the first driver to have moved to Japan after running out of opportunities in Europe, and he won’t be the last either. But, after scoring his first win in Super Formula in June’s Sugo round, it’s safe to say that the move is working out. Just a few short years ago, Fenestraz had been placed on the Renault F1 junior scheme scrapheap, his career hanging in the balance. And now he appears well-placed to challenge for his first Super Formula title, potentially even as early as this season.

Granted, Fenestraz needed until the midpoint of his third campaign to add himself to the Super Formula winners’ list. But doing so in his 14th start in Japan’s top single-seater series is broadly racers he’s trying to emulate: Nick Cassidy took 10 goes at it, Andre Lotterer needed 13, and Joao Paulo de Oliveira had to wait until his 19th start. And that overlooks the gaping five-race hole Fenestraz has in his Super Formula CV for most of last year, which was the result of visa issues and Japan’s ultra-strict travel restrictions during the worst of the COVID-19 pandemic, which are only just loosening now.