The 2026 Japanese F4 Championship opened with drama, penalties and breakthrough wins at Fuji Speedway. After two eventful Champion Class races, Toyota junior Buntaro Igarashi emerged as the early standings leader with 40 points, while team-mate Masana Muto followed closely on 33.
Igarashi made an immediate statement on debut. He claimed victory in Race 1 after a fierce fight at the front, then backed that result up with third place in Race 2. As a result, he became the driver to beat after the opening round.
Muto, meanwhile, recovered from a frustrating first race to win Race 2 and move into second in the standings. Therefore, Toyota’s junior programme left Fuji with the top two positions in the Champion Class drivers’ table.
Results from Round 1 of the 2026 Japanese F4 season at Fuji Speedway
Toyota Juniors deliver under pressure
Toyota-backed rookie Ryo Sakai set the tone in Qualifying by taking pole ahead of Muto and Igarashi. However, the races quickly turned into a test of racecraft rather than outright pace.
In race one, Muto attacked Sakai at Turn 6, which opened the door for Igarashi to move into second. The battle then intensified as Kageyama Racing’s Ryo Shirasaki and Ponos Racing’s Megumu Suzuki joined the fight.
Suzuki later spun Muto at Turn 10, and that incident sent Muto to the rear. Although he recovered to sixth after penalties reshaped the order, he lost valuable ground in the first contest.
Igarashi, by contrast, kept himself in contention. After safety car interruptions and several lead changes, he seized his chance on the final lap. Sakai attacked Leon Ochiai at Turn 6, but their compromised lines allowed Igarashi to pass and take the win.
Post-race penalties then changed the podium. Kenta Kumagai moved up to second, while Honda junior Syo Momose completed the top three.
Muto responds with first single-seater victory
Race two gave Muto the perfect chance to respond. Igarashi started third but charged into the lead at Turn 1, while Suzuki moved into second before Sakai spun him on the exit of the opening corner.
That incident promoted Muto to second, and the safety car soon bunched the field after a separate clash involving Shirasaki and Ryoki Minoura. Once racing resumed, Muto pounced. He used a switchback exiting Turn 1 to pass Igarashi and take control.
Igarashi then came under pressure from Sakai and Haruto Nakai. Nakai briefly pushed him off the podium places before Sakai served a drive-through penalty for the Suzuki incident. That restored Igarashi to third.
Muto held the lead to the finish and secured his first single-seater victory. Nakai took second and celebrated his first podium, while Igarashi added more points with third.
Champion Class standings take shape
Igarashi leads the Champion Class drivers’ standings with 40 points after his race-one victory and race-two podium. Muto sits second on 33, only seven points behind, while Kumagai holds third with 30 after his strong race-one result.
Yuta Miura follows in fourth with 20 points, one place ahead of Nakai on 18. Momose sits sixth with 16, while Leon Ochiai and S. Yamamoto share seventh and eighth on 10 points each.
Further back, M. Onaga and T. Terashima each have six points, while T. Suzuki and R. Nakazato sit on four. K. Kurosawa and Sakai both hold two points, and M. Murata completes the points scorers with one.
In the teams’ standings, TGR-DC Racing School leads with 50 points. OTG Motor Sports follows on 30, while B-MAX Engineering sits third with 18. HFDP with B-Max Racing Team stands fourth on 17, narrowly ahead of Falcon Motorsport and Team 5ZIGEN, both on 10.
2026 Japanese F4 Standings after Round 1 at Fuji Speedway: Champion Class
Drivers’ Standings
- B. Igarashi – 40 points
- M. Muto – 33 points
- K. Kumagai – 30 points
- Y. Miura – 20 points
- H. Nakai – 18 points
- S. Momose – 16 points
- L. Ochiai- 10 points
- S. Yamamoto – 10 points
- M. Onaga – 6 points
- T. Terashima – 6 points
- T. Suzuki – 4 points
- R. Nakazato – 4 points
- K. Kurosawa- 2 points
- R. Sakai – 2 points
- M. Murata – 1 point
Teams’ Standings
- TGR-DC Racing School – 50 points
- OTG MOTOR SPORTS – 30 points
- B-MAX ENGINEERING – 18 points
- HFDP with B-Max Racing Team – 17 points
- FALCON Motorsport – 10 points
- Team 5ZIGEN – 10 points
- HYDRANGEA Kageyama Racing – 8 points
- ZAP SPEED – 1 point
Toriba controls the Independent Class
While the Champion Class produced constant changes, Yutaka Toriba dominated the Independent Class. The Kageyama Racing driver topped qualifying and then converted that pace into two victories.
Toriba won race one ahead of B-MAX Racing’s Nobuhiro Imada and Team 5ZIGEN’s “Hirobon”. He then completed the double in race two, beating Bionic Jack Racing’s “Ikari” and Akiland Racing’s Masayoshi Oyama.
Consequently, Toriba left Fuji with a perfect 50-point score and a commanding early championship lead.
Independent class battle builds behind Toriba
Toriba leads the Independent Class drivers’ standings with 50 points, but the fight behind him already looks close. Imada holds second on 26, just two points ahead of Ikari on 24. Oyama sits fourth with 23, which keeps him firmly in the early title conversation.
I. Nakashima stands fifth on 16, while Hirobon follows on 15. Dragon and G. Shimizu share seventh and eighth with 12 points each, while S. Akamatsu holds ninth on 10.
H. Sugiyama, William, K. Kojima, S. Nagashima and M. Saito complete the points-paying order after the opening round.
In the Independent Class teams’ standings, HYDRANGEA Kageyama Racing leads with 50 points after Toriba’s clean sweep. B-MAX Engineering sits second on 30, while Bionic Jack Racing holds third on 24. AKILAND Racing follows closely with 23, and Rn-sports rounds out the top five on 18.
2026 Japanese F4 Standings after Round 1 at Fuji Speedway: Independent Class
Drivers’ Standings
- Y. Toriba – 50 points
- N. Imada – 26 points
- Ikari – 24 points
- M. Oyama – 23 points
- I. Nakashima – 16 points
- Hirobon – 15 points
- Dragon – 12 points
- G. Shimizu – 12 points
- S. Akamatsu – 10 points
- H. Sugiyama – 6 points
- William – 4 points
- K. Kojima – 2 points
- S. Nagashima – 1 point
- M. Saito – 1 point
Teams’ Standings
- HYDRANGEA Kageyama Racing – 50 points
- B-MAX ENGINEERING – 30 points
- Bionic Jack Racing – 24 points
- AKILAND Racing – 23 points
- Rn-sports – 18 points
- TEAM 5ZIGEN – 15 points
- ZAP SPEED – 12 points
- Eagle Sports – 10 points
- HELM MOTORSPORTS – 4 points
- Buzz Racing – 1 point
Fuji opener sets up a tight 2026 Japanese F4 season
Round 1 gave Japanese F4 a lively start. Igarashi and Muto both claimed maiden wins, Toyota’s junior squad controlled the top of the Champion Class standings, and Toriba delivered a perfect Independent Class weekend.
However, Fuji also showed how quickly the order can change. Safety cars, penalties and bold attacks shaped both Champion Class races, while several drivers left the weekend with enough points to stay in early contention.
As the championship moves beyond Fuji, Igarashi carries the lead, Muto carries momentum, and Toriba carries the Independent Class advantage. The opening round has already created clear early favourites, but it has also left plenty of room for the chasing pack to respond.
