In his third season of racing in Super Formula, and only his second full campaign after a 2021 season disrupted by visa problems, Kondo Racing driver Fenestraz emerged as defending champion Tomoki Nojiri’s strongest rival in the championship fight.
While Nojiri ultimately claimed a second title with a round to spare, Fenestraz beat Ryo Hirakawa to the runner-up spot, winning at Sugo and scoring three other podium finishes - while also outscoring teammate Kenta Yamashita by a ratio of more than four to one.
German Krumm was brought on board by Kondo this year to help Fenestraz navigate the language barrier that existed between the Franco-Argentine driver and his Japanese crew.
The 2000 Formula Nippon runner-up and two-time JGTC champion said he was surprised at just how competitive Fenestraz was able to be straight away in 2022.
“I have been very impressed with his speed, his performance level,” Krumm told Motorsport.com. “I didn’t expect that we would get such good results from the beginning.
“I was thinking at the start of the season to be in the top 10 would be good, but he started with a podium finish [at Fuji], and he won the race at Sugo.
“We as a team failed a couple of times strategy-wise, which is a shame, so we should have had some more points. Also he had the brake failure at Fuji [Round 2], we lost a lot of points. In my opinion, he had the pace to win that race. Then he had a big accident at Fuji [Round 6] as well. Without those, he would have been very close to Nojiri.
“But to be second in the championship and still in with a chance of winning the championship until the final round is not something I could have imagined at the start of the season.”
Krumm likened Fenestraz’s performance level to that of Pierre Gasly, who also finished as runner-up in Super Formula back in 2017 driving for Honda outfit Team Mugen before progressing to F1 the following season with Red Bull’s backing.
“He’s made very few mistakes,” continued Krumm. “He’s generally very good at handling a loose car, when the rear is unstable. He’s extremely good at tyre management.
“For me, he deserves to be in F1. He would be ready for that. If you can show that kind of speed in this championship at his age, then you belong in F1, like Gasly.
“Overall, I have been very impressed with his speed, his motivation, his focus. His performances have been absolutely superb.”
Fenestraz will embark on the next phase of his career next year as he joins Nissan’s Formula E team, after a spell as reserve driver at Jaguar.
Krumm, who also acts as executive advisor to Nissan in SUPER GT, backed Fenestraz to make a strong impression in his first season in the all-electric series.
“Formula E requires a totally different way of driving, he has to adapt to [grooved] tyres,” he said. “There is a steep learning curve.
“But he is a fast learner and he is highly motivated to race in a world championship, so I have high hopes for him. He is still young, so it’s possible for him to adapt, and he’s smart enough to get his head around it.”
