Kids com Team KCMG had to battle with heavy rain and fog throughout a disruptive weekend in Rounds 9 and 10 of the 2025 Super Formula season, which saw no green-flag racing over the course of the event.
Friday’s practice sessions took place in dry conditions as Kamui Kobayashi finished the opener in fifth, while his teammate Nirei Fukuzumi managed to take a top-10 in FP2.
After a difficult Qualifying on Saturday in the heavy rain, the race started behind the Safety Car, but with the weather not clearing, Round 9 was brought to an end after just 12 laps. Fukuzumi crossed the line in 12th followed by Kobayashi in 14th, with no green-flag running during the event.
On Sunday, Fukuzumi advanced through to Q2, lining up 10th on the grid, while Kobayashi missed out, meaning he started from 19th. However, this time it was thick fog that greeted the drivers, with Round 10 being abandoned after the start time was repeatedly pushed back.
Super Formula returns on 21-23 November for the 2025 season finale at Suzuka International Racing Course.
The Kyojo Cup saw Kids com Team KCMG’s Miki Onaga take her fifth podium of the season, securing second in the Sprint Race, before finishing fourth on Sunday.
Rami Sasaki scored points during the second event of the weekend, while Flame Airikkala and Kelsey Pinkowski also showed solid pace in both races for the squad.
The final round of the 2025 campaign takes place on 8-9 November at Fuji Speedway.
#7 KAMUI KOBAYASHI
“It was very unfortunate that we couldn’t race due to the poor conditions on-track. We started the weekend well, finishing fifth in FP1, but we struggled on Saturday in the wet. Qualifying for Sunday’s event didn’t go as planned due to the tyres not warming up as quickly as expected, meaning we failed to reach Q2, before the race was then abandoned due to the fog. We’ll aim to finish the 2025 campaign on a high next time out in Suzuka.”
#8 NIREI FUKUZUMI
“Qualifying for Round 9 was disappointing as the tyre pressures weren’t perfect, but I think we were just lacking a bit of pace. We know what the main problem is and everyone is working hard to attempt to fix it. Sunday’s Qualifying was difficult for us in Group A as there were still some wet spots on-track. However, we still managed to advance through to Q2 and showed solid performance. It was frustrating to not get any racing laps, but we’ll make sure we now focus on maximising the final weekend of the season in Suzuka.”
RYUJI DOI KCMG HEAD OF MOTORSPORT
“We had hoped for wet weather after picking up the podium last time out in Sugo in similar conditions, but unfortunately neither car made it to Q2 on Saturday. With the limited laps behind the Safety Car, we didn’t score a point, meaning it brought an end to our amazing top-10 streak, which stretched back to 2023. Nirei made it through to Q2 on Sunday but due to the poor visibility caused by the thick fog we couldn’t race. I’m disappointed that the event was cancelled due to bad weather, but next time in Suzuka we’ll ensure that we put on a great show as we aim for that maiden victory.”
Media enquires: Cristina Villar
Email address: cristina@kcmg.com.hk
For more information about KCMG please visit www.kcmg.com.hk. To keep track of all the latest updates, please like KCMG’s Facebook page or follow on Twitter and Instagram.
Who is KCMG?
KC Motorgroup Ltd (KCMG) is an international motorsport services group established in 2007 by Paul Ip. The group, with its headquarters located in Hong Kong, has operations reaching across the Asia Pacific region. KCMG operates closely with many partner companies and racing organisations around the world to provide unrivalled motorsport services, equipment, team management and quality distribution in the automotive industry. This includes the FIA Motorsport Games, where KCMG is the official supplier of hybrid F4 cars, and the KCMG Driver Development Project. For more information on all of the team’s activities please visit www.kcmg.com.hk or email info@kcmg.com.hk.
