F1 | Japanese GP, Toro Rosso: Naoki Yamamoto will drive the STR14 in the first free practice session

On the occasion of the Japanese Grand Prix, one of the two Toro Rossos will be driven in the first free practice session by Naoki Yamamoto, a Japanese driver who is just the wingman for Honda who competes in both the Super Formula and the Super GT series, doing his debut in front of the home crowd.

The Japanese will replace Pierre Gasly, who will then return to the wheel of his STR14 for the second free session and for the rest of the weekend.

It will be a special moment for Naoki, who described his preparation for the event as follows: “First of all, I would like to thank Scuderia Toro Rosso, Red Bull and, of course, Honda for giving me this great opportunity. I am happy to be able to drive a Formula 1 car this weekend, something that has been a dream for me since I was little. Having a chance at Suzuka, a very important circuit for all Japanese drivers, in front of all this audience, will make this experience even more special” – said the Japanese driver -. “To prepare I spent a lot of time with the Toro Rosso team on several race weekends, as well as working in the Red Bull simulator. My goal in the first free practice session is to do well for the team, collect data and information useful for them. From a personal point of view, I want to enjoy the experience of driving a Formula 1 car and I will try to get the best out of it. It will be a special moment and I'm happy to be able to share it with the fans."

“We are very happy to have a Japanese driver ready to drive our car in Suzuka and we are sure that Naoki will enjoy his laps in the first free practice session, on one of the best tracks around the world. He is a talented driver and he also knows the track. Noaki has already completed some European events as part of the team this year, getting to know the engineers he will be working with this weekend and has also spent time in the simulator,” added Franz Tost, Toro Rosso team principal.