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The 'skipped' Honda protege determined to make his mark
By rights, Toshiki Oyu should have been the next Honda junior driver sent to Europe to prepare for a Formula 1 future after Yuki Tsunoda. It didn't work out that way - but Oyu still has his sights set on big things after emerging as one of Super Formula's brightest young stars.
A little over two years ago, when a certain Yuki Tsunoda was unavailable for a round of the Euroformula Open series at Silverstone owing to a clash with his primary FIA Formula 3 programme, Honda called upon another of its junior drivers to fill the breach at the Motopark squad. The replacement proceeded to blow the field away with two poles and two victories.
Unfortunately, those two races were the first and only ones that Toshiki Oyu contested in Europe. After returning to his main duties in the All-Japan F3 series, Oyu was handed an unexpected chance to step up to Super Formula in 2020, and last month at Suzuka, he completed an accomplished second season in Japan’s premier single-seater series that has marked him out as perhaps the brightest young talent on Honda’s domestic roster.
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