Ayumu
Iwasa
Japan
·
Formula Racing
Date of birth | 22 September 2001 |
|---|---|
Place of birth | Osaka |
Age | 24 |
Nationality | Japan |
Career start | 2017 |
Disciplines | Formula 2 |
Motorsport has always been in the blood of Ayumu Iwasa, whose parents used to race a Honda Civic at Suzuka and other Japanese circuits.
As Ayumu says: "They taught me the fun of racing," and having progressed in the sport via the time-honoured tradition of karting (which he started aged four), he's out to fulfil his ambition of becoming a Formula One World Champion.
Early career success
Ayumu began racing competitively at 14 years of age, earning early success in his career when winning the 2014 Suzuka Karting Championship Yamaha-SS Class and the Suzuka Karting Championship x-30 class titles.
Ayumu progressed to single-seater racing in 2017, making his debut in the F4 Japanese Championship and then racing in the Asian Formula Renault Series.
His first full season came in 2019 at the Suzuka Racing School's Single Seater Series and he could hardly have had a better result for his first full campaign: winning the overall title.
Ayumu's impressive start to his career led to him becoming a Honda Junior Driver in 2020 and he immediately showed that Honda had made a sound decision when he dominated the 2020 French F4 Championship.
He won that title by 81 points from his closest rival and it led to Ayumu becoming a member of the Red Bull Junior Team in January 2021.
The next step on his career path was competing in the Asian Formula Three and the FIA F3 Championship in 2021. Ayumu would secure his first victory in F3 in Hungary before being invited to post-season testing at Yas Marina Circuit with French outfit DAMS. The Japanese driver clearly impressed in Abu Dhabi as DAMS confirmed that Ayumu would drive for the team in the FIA F2 Championship in 2022.
Impressing in Formula Two
In his debut campaign in Formula Two, Ayumu excelled as he secured victories in France and the UAE, with podium finishes in Hungary and the Netherlands helping him to secure fifth overall in the championship.
In the 2023 campaign, Ayumu won sprint races in Saudi Arabia and Monte Carlo, as well as a feature race in Australia, as he finished fourth in the overall standings.
A switch to Super Formula and a championship win
The following year, Ayumu returned to home soil to compete in the Super Formula Championship with Team Mugen. Racing in just nine of 12 races, he ended the season in fifth place overall.
In 2025, Ayumu would continue to excel in Super Formula, this time running a full season and winning the championship in emphatic fashion with victory in Suzuka. There was little time to celebrate, however, as he travelled to the UAE to drive in free practice for the season-closing Abu Dhabi Grand Prix with Visa Cash App Racing Bulls.
Remaining as a test driver for Racing Bulls in 2026, Ayumu is also determined to defend his Super Formula title and prove that he deserves a seat in F1.