Photo: Van Amersfoort Racing
Japanese talents Kanato Le and Hiyu Yamakoshi will continue their junior single-seater careers in Europe this year after starring as rookies in 2023.
Both raced in Formula 4 and started their year in the United Arab Emirates championship. Le came 17th in the standings with Hitech GP, having made the podium in the F4 UAE Trophy with the team in late 2022, while Yamakoshi did two rounds with Pinnacle VAR and was only five places lower than Le in the points table.
Le remained with Hitech for British F4, where he took two wins, two other podiums and four fastest laps to come seventh in the standings. He wil now step up to Formula Regional, contesting the last two rounds of the Middle East championship with R-ace GP next month and then joining G4 Racing for a full European championship campaign.
“I am very excited to be joining G4 Racing in FREC this year,” said Le. “I’m really looking forward to the European circuits and new challenges. I would like to thank everyone involved for making this happen and to everyone at G4 Racing for the opportunity and welcoming me into the team.”
Yamakoshi followed up his F4 UAE outings by racing in French F4, where he came fifth in the standings with five podiums and two fastest laps, and a part-time Spanish F4 programme with Tecnicar Motorsport that put him 14th in the standings.
He will remain in F4 for his second year in cars, joining Van Amersfoort Racing for the Italian championship and Euro 4.
“The Italian F4 and Euro 4 grids are known to be very competitive, and I cannot wait for the challenge,” said Yamakoshi. “I’m very happy to be driving for VAR and look forward to learning and growing within the team, with the goal of good performances throughout the season.”