Ritomo Miyata is endured a ‘challenging’ 2024 Formula 2 season in what is his first campaign in the category.
The Japanese star comes off the back of a successful junior career, winning the F4 championship in his home nation in consecutive seasons in 2016 and 2017.
Miyata moved up to Japanese Formula 3 in 2018 and would go on to finish runner-up in the standings in the next two seasons.
In 2020, the 25-year-old won the Super Formula Lights title in dominated fashion, winning 12 out of a possible 17 races and finished on the podium in all but one.
As Miyata embarks on a new challenge in Europe, Toyota Gazoo Racing Europe’s vice chairman Kazuki Nakajima spoke with Formula Scout to give his thoughts on the Japanese driver’s progress in F2 this season.
Kazuki Nakajima says Ritomo Miyata is ‘adapting well’ in Formula 2
Miyata is driving for Rodin Motorsport alongside another debutant in exciting talent Zane Maloney in Formula 2 this year, and it has been a difficult season for the Japanese driver.
While Maloney has enjoyed great success so far after 10 rounds of the championship, with six podiums, including a double victory on his debut weekend in Bahrain and sits fourth in the standings, Miyata is sat down in 18th with just 29 points.
The 25-year-old has achieved some solid results this season however, with six points finishes, including a career best of fifth in both races in Australia, as well as setting the fastest lap of the sprint race in Spain as he finished seventh.
While he sits down at the bottom of the standings, Nakajima, who spent two seasons with Williams in Formula 1 in 2008 and 2009, has been pleased with Miyata’s progress.
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“To move from Japan, without any experience in racing abroad, he’s adapting pretty well, and I would say it’s in line with our expectations,” he said.
“Of course, he has had a lot of challenges. Everything was new for him – the car, the tyres and, most importantly, the tracks are all completely new.
“If you purely speak about the lap time [it is slower], but in the end it’s just a different championship. Wherever you come from you still need to learn a lot of things, but it’s basically the life that a race car driver has to take.
“We decided to go for it, because any track time, any experience with the extra interaction with the team and everything, [it] helps a lot to get used to the way of working in Europe.
“I think he’s enjoying his driving, enjoying his time with the team, so of course it’s challenging for F2, but on the other side, I think it’s giving him a very good experience.”
Toyota want to keep Ritomo Miyata in Europe for 2025
After winning the Super GT and the Super Formula titles in 2023, the fifth driver to ever win both in the same season, Toyota made it clear that Miyata’s next challenge was in Europe.
As well as competing in F2, the Japanese driver is also taking on the European Le Mans Series in the LMP2 class with Cool Racing, driving the No. 37 car with Lorenzo Fluxa and Malthe Jakobsen.
Miyata took victory on his debut at the Four Hours of Barcelona, but retired from the next round at Le Castellet and currently sits seventh in the standings with three races to go.
The 25-year-old is also the reserve driver for Toyota Gazoo Racing’s hypercar in the World Endurance Championship and TGR Europe are intending to keep Miyata in Europe for 2025.