Miyata praises ‘supportive’ Rodin after scoring P5 finish in Melbourne Feature Race

24 March 2024

Ritomo Miyata has thanked his Rodin Motorsport team for the support given to him since he joined, with the Japanese rookie achieving his most successful weekend in Formula 2 so far in Melbourne.

Miyata qualified 12th for both the Sprint and Feature Races but showed impressive pace over a long distance to finish P5 in both events.

Reflecting on his weekend, Miyata stated: “First, I want to say thank you so much to the team. Every round they are working hard for me and this weekend we started from P12 for both races and we finished the top five and we got some points. A very good weekend and a very good recovery of the positions, so it was very good.”

Miyata started the Feature Race on a set of the supersoft tyres and maintained that his starting position during the opening few laps of the action-packed 33-lap affair.

There was an element of fortune in what came next as he came in to bolt on a set of the mediums right before the Safety Car was required following Dennis Hauger’s crash.

This allowed him gain places on other drivers, including his teammate Zane Maloney, and while he could not keep the Bajan racer behind, he was able to manage his tyres and make his way through the field to finish in P5.

Miyata revealed that he learned a lot about the tyres in the Sprint Race, using that information to prepare better to manage the rubber.

Miyata has thanked his Rodin team for all their support since he joined

“We made adjustments to the car setup from yesterday because I think it was too much on the tyres,” revealed Miyata. “It was very difficult to manage the option tyres and also after the Safety Car with the prime tyre it is very difficult. So, that's why I could not push at the restart after the Safety Car.”

The Albert Park Feature was only Miyata’s sixth race in Formula 2, and he reflected afterwards on how the first three rounds have been for him.

“For me, every round is the first time,” he admitted. “I've never been to the tracks, and I don't have experience with the Pirelli tyres, with the F2 cars and also with European teams. So, everything for me is the first time and now for me it's about learning the situations.

“Of course, I want to have good results but for now it's learning so I don't need to rush, it's step-by-step. But this weekend the Melbourne round has been very good; we got some points.

“If I know how to drive with Pirelli tyres, and if I know how to drive the tracks we can fight in good positions because in Bahrain I did well in the Quali and also the race was strong because we had a test.

“So, I knew the track characters and the tyres but after the test all rounds are the first time. I don't need to rush, and I am just learning step by step.”

Looking at his adaptation, Miyata was asked how Rodin have helped him through the early part of the season. He replied: “Of course, the team are giving me a lot of support. How to drive these tracks, how to manage the tyres, how I adjust to the car, everything they have been supporting me a lot.

“But the Free Practice is only 40 minutes. For me it's very short and difficult to learn how to run on these tracks and how the tyres perform, it's very difficult but the team is very supportive of me.”