Race 2: P5 on the grid → pre-start trouble, pit-lane start → P16

Tsuchihashi was due to start Race 2, held on Sunday afternoon, from fifth on the grid, as the top 10 based on the fastest qualifying times were reversed. However, immediately before the start, his car required a condition check on the grid, forcing him to return to the pits. After checks in the pits, no major issue was found with the car and he rejoined the race. Starting from the pit lane, he had to fight back from last place, in 31st, and the race became a valuable opportunity to gain further experience in race conditions.

The race was disrupted from the early stages by a series of incidents and cars going off track, with the Safety Car (SC) deployed three times during the 30-minute race. Tsuchihashi remained calm amid the disruption, gaining positions at each restart and steadily recovering places with a consistent pace.

While Race 1 ran for 19 laps, Race 2 was shortened to 15 laps due to the SC periods. Tsuchihashi fought back from 31st to finish 16th, again showing the competitiveness to battle further up the order.

©KSP Reportages