Purple Bull junior Iwasa to contest F1 Japan FP1 for RB

The RB workforce is fielding an all-Japanese line-up in first free observe with Iwasa becoming a member of common driver Yuki Tsunoda within the VCARB 01 of their house spherical.

RB has given Iwasa the primary of two necessary rookie FP1 slots for the yr, with the 22-year-old among the many roster of younger driver prospects that additionally consists of reserve driver Liam Lawson and F2 driver Isack Hadjar.

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“I’m very glad to have the ability to take part in an official F1 session in my house nation, and I’m excited to have the ability to take step one towards the realisation of my dream – successful races and seize the world championship title for a lot of consecutive years in F1, the world’s most prestigious collection,” Iwasa mentioned.

Iwasa made his F1 testing debut ultimately November’s Abu Dhabi younger driver check for the workforce then known as AlphaTauri.

Crew principal Laurent Mekies mentioned he made a superb impression at Yas Marina and has since been concerned in supporting the race workforce within the simulator.

“He did an incredible job within the Abu Dhabi check on the finish of final yr when he drove for us for the primary time, Mekies mentioned.

“Since then, he has been doing rather a lot a helpful work in our simulator, together with offering dwell race help.

“This on-track expertise can be necessary for his progress as a younger driver, in addition to offering him and our engineers with a helpful real-track correlation of the work he carries out for us within the simulator.”

Daniel Ricciardo, RB F1 Crew VCARB 01

Photograph by: Zak Mauger / Motorsport Pictures

This yr Iwasa competes in Japan’s home Tremendous Method collection, scoring ninth on his Suzuka debut with Mugen as the highest rookie.

Beforehand Iwasa received the 2020 French F4 championship, which led to an F3 marketing campaign with Hitech and two years in F2 with DAMS.

Final yr he scored three wins on his approach to fourth within the championship, with too many non-scores to be an element within the title struggle.

Whereas RB is not a pure Purple Bull junior workforce, CEO Peter Bayer advised Motorsport.com that coaching younger drivers for Purple Bull was nonetheless a core job, aiming to have one youthful driver alongside a extra skilled hand on the Anglo-Italian outfit.

RB has subsequently ramped up its TPC (testing of a earlier automotive) programme, which now permits drivers to privately check the 2022 vehicles, that are a lot nearer to the present specification than the 2021 technology that was allowed final yr.

“Oscar Piastri is the perfect instance. He ran I do not know what number of a whole bunch or 1000’s of miles [with Alpine], however he got here in and he understood the automotive,” Bayer mentioned. “He understood the dynamics, he understood the switches, and it makes such an enormous distinction, and so it connects you absolutely.

“And we have now an enormous programme really for Liam, Isack and doubtlessly Iwasa, and we need to ensure that we run them as a lot as doable additionally. It is fascinating that the earlier automotive [that can be tested] is a 2022 automotive, so it is lastly a related automotive.”