Suzuka Super Formula: Kunimoto takes points lead with Race 1 win

At the start of the race Kunimoto made a better getaway than polesitter Hiroaki Ishiura, who also got beaten off the line by a fast-starting Andre Lotterer.

Meanwhile, erstwhile points leader Yuki Sekiguchi was making plenty of headway from 13th on the grid, having propelled himself into the top 10 on the opening lap of the race.

The Impul driver then dispatched teammate Joao Paulo de Oliveira, before setting off on a charge after McLaren protégé Stoffel Vandoorne.

The two drivers made contact on Lap 15, with Sekiguchi forcing Vandoorne into a spin and dropping the Belgian to the rear of the pack.

At the front, Kunimoto was unchallenged for victory, the Inging driver bagging eight points to take the lead in the drivers' standings.

Lotterer and Ishiura finished in second and third places respectively, while Dandelion’s Tomoki Nojiri fended off an early challenge from Kazuki Nakajima to claim the fourth spot.

Bertrand Baguette was classified sixth, ahead of the lead Drago Corse entry of Takashi Kogure.

Sekiguchi was eighth, while de Oliveira and Kamui Kobayashi completed the top 10.

UPDATE: Sekiguchi was handed a 30-second penalty for causing a collision, promoting de Oliveira to the final points-paying position.

Race 1: 

Po.	Driver	Team	Gap
1	Yuji Kunimoto	INGING	-
2	Andre Lotterer	TOM’S	1.772
3	Hiroaki Ishiura	INGING	13.087
4	Tomoki Nojiri	DANDELION	22.140
5	Kazuki Nakajima	TOM’S	24.143
6	Bertrand Baguette	NAKAJIMA	24.951
7	Takashi Kogure	DRAGO CORSE	27.087
8	J.P.de Oliveira	TEAM IMPUL	36.271
9	Kamui Kobayashi	TEAM LEMANS	36.539
10	Daisuke Nakajima	NAKAJIMA	36.811
11	Koudai Tsukakoshi	REAL	37.446
12	James Rossiter	KONDO	37.904
13	William Buller	KONDO	42.761
14	Yuichi Nakayama	KCMG	43.071
15	Narain Karthikeyan	TEAM LEMANS	43.301
16	Takuya Izawa	REAL	47.440
17	Stoffel Vandoorne	DANDELION	48.282
18	Yuhi Sekiguchi	TEAM IMPUL	1'05.359
19	Naoki Yamamoto	TEAM MUGEN	1 Lap