Ritomo Miyata entered his second F2 season in 2025 with ART Grand Prix and showed clear progress. The Japanese driver built on lessons from his rookie year and claimed a breakthrough podium at Spa. Across the season, he displayed stronger pace and growing confidence. Familiarity with the circuits and closer teamwork allowed him to focus more on performance. However, reliability issues and small mistakes occasionally held him back. With improved preparation and growing consistency, Miyata believed that stronger finishes were within reach as the season headed to Lusail.
A season of highs and lows: Miyata finds progress amid challenges
Miyata reflected on a year of progress mixed with setbacks in F2. Joining the highly successful ART Grand Prix team marked a major step in his development, but Miyata’s F2 season was far from smooth. Mechanical issues, weather disruptions, and small errors kept him from fully capitalizing on his speed. His standout moment came at Spa, where he fought for victory before a late spin ended his hopes. Despite the missed opportunity, the race highlighted his growing pace and confidence at the front of the field.
“This is the second season for me in F2, I moved to ART Grand Prix, a team that has a lot of success, which is nice for me.”
“I’ve had many ups and downs though this year, stopping on track, cancelled races due to weather, but I got a podium at Spa, but even then, I had a mistake. But it has been a nice season for me.”
“It’s a great memory for me. It’s a shame because I was actually fighting for the win in that race, and that was a big chance for me. I wanted to push fully, but around a circuit like Spa, and with the rain coming, it is really tough.”
Experience brings clarity as familiarity helps Miyata focus on performance
Miyata credited his growing familiarity with the championship’s circuits as a key factor in his progress. Last season, he often arrived at new venues unsure of his surroundings, distracted by the basic logistics of a race weekend. Now, with experience under his belt, he approaches each event with greater confidence and focus. Knowing the routines, the layouts, and the environment allows him to concentrate fully on performance and preparation rather than on the small details that once pulled his attention away from racing in F2.
“It’s funny actually, I can give an example. When you go to somewhere for the first time, you ask where the toilet is, because if you’ve never been, how would you know? Where’s the paddock? I had to ask where catering is, where the toilets are, where the car park is, everything like that. So it ends up with you being focused on the wrong things.”
“It’s a small thing, but that’s the difference between last year and this one. I can just turn up and do the track walk – it’s a complete reset and I can focus on my race weekends alone.”
Closing the gap as experience levels the playing field for Miyata
Miyata noted that many of his rivals had years of familiarity with the European circuits, giving them an early advantage. This season, however, he feels that gap has narrowed. With a full year of experience behind him, he now approaches each round with a clearer mindset and stronger teamwork. His familiarity with the tracks gives him the confidence to focus on refining his driving and extracting more performance, rather than adapting to new environments.
“All the other drivers have grown up racing around these places, in F3 or wherever else, and they have experience. My experiences at the track are now completely different to what they were last year. I can focus on my weekend, work with the team and I can see everything much more clearly. I can focus on things driving-wise without having to worry about anything else.”
Building on the lessons of a tough rookie year as Miyata find his footing in F2
After a steep learning curve in his first year, Miyata is now seeing the benefits of that experience. His rookie season pushed him to adapt quickly to European circuits, new tyres, and the technical demands of F2. The challenges were tough, but they fast-tracked his growth on and off the track. With a stronger foundation and a clearer sense of what it takes to perform at this level, he now approaches each weekend with greater confidence and focus—believing the results will soon follow.
“I know that at some point, those results will come. I have more experience now than last year, which was my first season of racing in Europe, let alone in F2 as well. I had to learn the tracks, the tyres, engine, car and everything else with the team. It was a lot, but I have improved a lot across all of those areas.”
Adapting and improving as Miyata strengthens his partnership with ART Grand Prix in F2
Miyata continued to adapt to life with ART Grand Prix, facing the challenge of working across a language gap with his French-speaking team in his second F2 season. Even so, their cooperation improved as the season went on. A few technical issues and missed chances made it hard to stay at the front, but the pace was there when everything came together. He knew consistency was the missing piece. Spa showed what was possible, with him aiming to turn moments like that into regular fights for top positions.
“I still am improving with how I work with ART. I can’t speak French, they can’t speak Japanese, so that is a difficulty, but everyone is professional.”
“We’ve had a few difficulties on track this year, which has made fighting for the top positions very difficult, but we can. We have the speed, and when we’re in that position, we can fight. First, I need to improve my consistency. I was fighting for a win in Spa, but that’s the only time I’ve been in that position.”
Consistency the key as Miyata aims to turn potential into podiums
Miyata knew he had the pace to challenge at the front and pointed to races like Budapest and Barcelona as proof. Both weekends showed he could compete for podiums when everything came together. Still, he recognised that consistency separated strong performances from great ones. Qualifying played a big role in that. Starting inside the top 10, or even just outside it, often set up both races for success. He felt that with a few smooth weekends and cleaner execution, he could turn potential into points and podiums on a regular basis.
“I’ve won races in my career, I’ve always been fighting for point, Budapest could have been a podium for example, same in Barcelona in the Sprint Race. But I clearly need to make a step with consistency. It’s important to have results like those. Qualifying as well, if we can make it inside the top 10, we start in a good position in both races.”
“Maybe even P11 and P12, you have a chance. I just need a couple of good weekends, maximise my driving and results will come.”
