Umegaki established control immediately in qualifying, securing pole position for both races ahead of Yusuke Mitsui and Kotaro Shimbara in the opening session before repeating the feat in Qualifying 2. Across both sessions, the fight behind him remained closely packed, but no driver matched Umegaki’s outright pace over a single lap.
Race 1 saw Umegaki convert pole into victory ahead of Evan Giltaire and Shimbara, beginning what quickly became a flawless weekend for the Japanese driver. Giltaire’s second place marked one of the strongest results of the round from outside the leading domestic contenders, while Shimbara continued his consistent qualifying form into the race.
Race 2 produced another commanding victory for Umegaki, though the podium order behind shifted again. Tokiya Suzuki secured second place ahead of Oscar Wurz as the battle behind the leader remained tightly contested despite Umegaki controlling the race from the front.
The final race of the weekend delivered yet another variation behind the dominant leader. Umegaki completed the clean sweep with a third consecutive victory, while Akshay Bohra secured second place ahead of Suzuki in third. Bohra’s podium ensured international representation remained firmly inside the fight throughout the Suzuka weekend, even as Umegaki controlled the outright victories.
Round 3 ultimately belonged entirely to Umegaki, whose double poles and triple race wins established one of the clearest statements of the Super Formula Lights season so far. Behind him, the rotating podium battles between Giltaire, Shimbara, Suzuki, Wurz, and Bohra reinforced the depth of competition forming underneath the championship leader heading into the next round.
