Lotterer dominated in Motegi claiming the 2011 Formula Nippon title06/11/2011
Twin Ring Motegi, Tochigi Prefecture
Formula Nippon Round 7 (final round)
Round 7 of the Japanese championship Formula Nippon took place in Twin Ring Motegi (6 November) and 9,000 spectators were at the track for the season finale. It was a two-race event for the final round of the series and rain made conditions vary between both races. The teams and drivers were required to demonstrate the ability of both the dry and the rain tyres. Andre Lotterer (PETRONAS TEAM TOM’S) won the first race determining the championship, and won again in the second (wet) race to conclude the 2011 season. He proved the high potential of Bridgestone's POTENZA tyres.
Qualifying
It was a unique qualifying that meant the Q1 session result decided the grid for the first race and the Q3 result set the line-up for the second race. Lotterer set the pace from free practice, got two pole positions and he fully utilised POTENZA’s performance to set a new record lap time in Q3.
Race 1:
The rain had stopped early in the morning but the track was still damp. It was difficult to predict the change in conditions, and also very difficult in terms of tyre choice. Almost all drivers fitted slicks and very few drivers opted for rain tyres. Lotterer, on slick tyres, led from pole position and Kazuki Nakajima (PETRONAS TEAM TOM’S) on slicks also started from third, quickly moving up to second position. Both of the team’s drivers were fighting for the championship which made for an exciting battle at the front of the field. Nakajima got closer to the leader, being just 0.6 seconds behind Lotterer after setting the fastest lap time, but Lotterer got away to win the race and claim the 2011 title.
Race 2:
It started raining again and the track was wet, with all drivers starting on rain tyres. Lotterer led again but on lap 10 the safety car was deployed due to car parts scattered on the track, then a multi-car crash happened during the safety car period, with the race being interrupted by the red flag. The race re-started under difficult conditions and Lotterer led again to win on Bridgestone tyres.
Winner Driver
Andre Lotterer: “Finally I got the title in my 9th series. Thanks to the team that they prepared a good car and I was able to win as a result of their fantastic job. And thanks to the fans and sponsors that always support me. Bridgestone gave me fantastic grip in both the dry and wet conditions, that’s why I won twice.”
Bridgestone senior technical advisor: Yasuo Teranishi
“It was pure domination by Lotterer in the final round. He set a new lap record on our new specification slick tyre and drove well in the wet with our new rain tyre. We, Bridgestone, provided strong support in both types of conditions and concluded the 2011 season with two victories.”
