Feeder Series weekend preview and schedule: 31 October–02 November

There’s only one series racing this weekend, but it’s got the biggest grid of all in junior single-seaters and three titles up for grabs. Feeder Series previews this weekend’s Japanese F4 season finale at Motegi.

By Feeder Series

A total of 47 cars will race at once in Japanese F4 this weekend across both the Champion Class and the Independent Class. The former is where most of the Japanese racing scene’s stars of tomorrow lie, but in the latter you’ll find one of the tightest championship battles all year among the oldest and most experienced drivers in feeder series.

Formula E’s pre-season testing has been taking place this week in Valencia, with 2022 F2 champion Felipe Drugovich and current F2 driver Pepe Martí preparing for their full-season debuts in December. On Friday, the annual women’s test will be held, with four current junior single-seater drivers on entry list: 2024 F1 Academy champion Abbi Pulling, fellow GB3 driver Bianca Bustamante, and current F1 Academy drivers Ella Lloyd and Chloe Chambers.

With the end of most racing, winter testing is ramping up. Over the next few weeks, keep an eye on our weekend reviews for regular updates on junior single-seater testing from our editors.

Japanese F4: Round 6, Motegi

Circuit: Mobility Resort Motegi, 4.801 km

Schedule: All times local (UTC+9)

Thursday 30 October

12:45–13:15: Independent Class practice 1
13:30–14:00: Champion Class practice 1
15:05–15:50: Combined practice 1

Friday 31 October

9:00–9:30: Independent Class practice 2
9:45–10:15: Champion Class practice 2
11:20–12:20: Combined practice 2

Saturday 1 November

8:00–8:20: Champion Class qualifying
8:30–8:50: Independent Class qualifying
12:50–13:20: Race 1

Sunday 2 November

8:25–8:55: Race 2

How to follow: All races are live-streamed and free to watch with Japanese commentary on the series’ official YouTube channel. Within Japan and broader Australasia, live timing is available on the Super GT race app for €6.91.

Weather forecast: No rain expected until Friday afternoon. Qualifying on Saturday morning may feature rain, but the races are expected to take place in dry conditions.

What to know: Japanese F4 enters its final and title-deciding round of 2025 at Motegi this weekend. The series returns to its old format of two races with combined classes.

Itsuki Sato’s streak of 10 consecutive podium finishes came to an end at the second race at Autopolis, in which he came fifth. That meant he left the weekend with 28 points – nine fewer than his championship rival Tokiya Suzuki collected.

Sato seems the favorite to seal the title this weekend. The Porsche junior leads the championship on 212.5 points, 23.5 points ahead of Suzuki, and only needs to score two points more than Suzuki in the first race to take the title.

Sato’s team Kageyama Racing lead the teams’ standings by 238.5 points. They only need to score one point all weekend to convert their current 49.5-point lead over Suzuki’s TGR-DC Racing School team into a championship win.

In the Independent Class, three drivers are in contention to take the title. “Kentaro” inherited the points lead in the previous round after “Dragon”, last year’s champion, left a round without a podium finish for the first time. “Kentaro” leads the championship on 190.5 points, just a half point ahead of Nobuhiro Imada. “Dragon” sits third on 175.5 points.

Team 5Zigen rejoins the grid after having set out the previous two rounds. Sena Yamamoto (#3) returns to the team in the Champion Class, having previously taken a best result of ninth in the third race of the opening round at Fuji.

Motohiro Kotani (#5) also returns as the team’s only Independent Class driver. Kotani took a best result of sixth in class in the second race of the third round at Suzuka.

Keito Matsui (#19) returns for the final round, having missed the previous round because of a clash with his European Le Mans Series rookie test appearance with LMGT3 team Kessel Racing at Portimão.

Buzz Racing’s Aoto Nagahara will again be absent from this weekend’s round. He competed in the previous round at Autopolis, where he finished 26th in both races, but missed the round before it.

In the Independent Class, Helm Motorsports’ Go Shimizu (#64) returns as the team’s second Independent Class driver. Shimizu competed in the first three rounds of the season and took a best result of fifth in the second race at Suzuka.

Report by Finjo Muschlien