Top-20 finishes for Ai Miura in Formula 4 Japan at Suzuka

In two eventful races at Suzuka, Ai Miura emerged as the highest-placed woman in the large field, securing a pair of top-20 finishes ahead of Rio Shimono and Miki Onaga.

Photo credits: F4 Japanese Championship

In two eventful races at Suzuka, Ai Miura emerged as the highest-placed woman in the large field, securing a pair of top-20 finishes ahead of Rio Shimono and Miki Onaga.

In the opening race, Miura lined up from 22nd on the grid, with Shimono starting 25th and Onaga 26th.

More than 40 cars across the Champions and Independent classes made it through the first corner unscathed, but later in the first lap an accident occurred in the esses among the Champions class entries, bringing out the safety car. Onaga suffered heavy front wing damage in the starting chaos but was able to continue, slotting in just behind Miura.

At the restart on lap 4, Onaga lost ground due to the damage and dropped to 25th, while Miura held 22nd. Shimono was at the tail of the Champions class in 30th position. The lap remained chaotic, with a violent off at 130R creating a large dust cloud. Fortunately, the driver avoided contact and only lost time.

As Onaga struggled with her damaged car, Shimono steadily recovered to 29th and began closing the gap to the midfield.

On lap 8, Yuta Suzuki spun and became stuck in the gravel at 130R, triggering another safety car. After avoiding the incident with the No. 8 car of Ochiai, the race was neutralized once again.

The field prepared for a final-lap restart, but drama struck when Yuzuki Miura crashed into the wall at the hairpin. This allowed Ai Miura, Rio Shimono, and Miki Onaga to each gain a position. Miura crossed the line 19th, Shimono climbed to 22nd, and Onaga finished 27th.

In race two, Miura once again started from 22nd, with Shimono 23rd and Onaga 26th.

The opening phase mirrored race one, with another accident in the esses—this time involving yuzuki Miura—bringing out the safety car. The start was also challenging for the three women, who lost ground in the early laps.

Racing resumed on lap 3, with close battles throughout the field, though the race remained cleaner than the previous one. That changed on lap 6, when Kikuchi spun at the hairpin, coming to a stop with damage. Kikuchi was forced into the pits, while the safety car was deployed once again to recover the stricken car.

At the restart on lap 9, Miura secured 20th position, but further progress was halted when another incident at 130R brought the race to an early conclusion under the safety car. Ai Miura claimed her second consecutive top-20 finish in 20th, just ahead of Rio Shimono in 21st, while Miki Onaga was barely able to make up any positions and brought her car home in 24th.

The fourth round of the 2025 is scheduled for 20-21 September at Sportsland Sugo.