TGM Grand Prix driver Oyu registered a second DNF in a row after a botched passing attempt on the Inging machine of Sakaguchi on lap 29 of 41 at the unorthodox location of Turn 11, the fast right-hander at the bottom of the ‘jet coaster’ straight.
On fresher tyres than Sakaguchi, Oyu attempted to go all the way around the outside of his rival, but the two made contact, with Oyu being fired off into the barriers as a result.
Sakaguchi would continue but had to pit due to a puncture, and later retired from the race.
The stewards would deem Oyu to be at fault for the incident, but speaking to reporters post-race, Oyu said he felt the blame for the incident should be shared.
“From my standpoint, considering the difference in our pace, it would have been nice if he left me more space,” reflected Oyu. “I went to apologise to Sena as I was judged to be at fault, but honestly I think it was a racing incident.
“We had no intention of hitting each other, and I was thinking more about going side-by-side with him than passing him there. If he had let me go, I would have overtaken, and if he had been ahead, I was thinking about trying to get the cutback.
“Even if I was briefly behind, I think I had the right idea on how to pass. Sena said he left enough space for one car, but personally I felt like, ‘you’re not giving me much room’...”
For his part, Sakaguchi admitted he hadn’t even been trying to seriously defend his position from Oyu, but felt that his rival simply turned in slightly too soon.
“I knew Oyu had good pace, and that my real opponent was [Tadasuke] Makino, so I didn’t want to get in the way of Oyu,” said Sakaguchi, who had started third and ran second in the early stages ahead of eventual winner Liam Lawson.
“I wasn’t using the OTS and I wasn’t really defending, and I was like, ‘if you’re gonna come through, come through now’. But from my perspective, Oyu cut across me.
“Of course, I knew he was there. It looked like we were battling on the limit, but the intention was to leave him space. When he cut across me coming into the corner, I think he just turned in a few tenths of a second too soon.”
Oyu’s Autopolis retirement follows him being taken out by Tomoki Nojiri in the previous race at Suzuka, albeit in that case Nojiri accepted full blame for the incident.
Reflecting on his recent run of misfortune, Oyu said: “There’s nothing to say except it’s a massive shame. I just can’t catch a break right now.
“We’ve shown our speed and I’m able to stand out in the race, but I can’t put it all together… getting results is non-negotiable. You can’t win unless everything goes perfectly, but every time it feels like there’s something missing.
“Whether that’s just down to luck, to momentum… I’m the type of person who doesn’t believe in luck, and I don’t want to just rely on luck.”
