27-year-old Japanese driver Miki Koyama made her debut in an electric racing car last week at the Circuito del Jarama after a logistically challenging build-up to the Season 11 testing, a full timeline for which can be found HERE.
Koyama, who started in karting before joining the Formula Toyota Racing School in 2015, went on to become the first champion of the Kyojo Cup in 2017, an all-women’s series which she successfully defended the following year.
It was announced in late October that Koyama would test for Lola Yamaha ABT during the all-female testing session in Jarama, after initial plans to test Super Formula driver Juju Noda fell through.
“This is the first of its kind in any FIA Championship, the all-female test will provide an opportunity for Miki and her peers to gain invaluable experience behind the wheel of the Season 11 Formula E cars, providing a platform to showcase their abilities.” Lola Yamaha wrote in their announcement on Instagram post.
Speaking to Formula E Notebook last week, Koyama said that driving a Formula E car was “unknown territory for me, and I had no preconception of it so I could experience the sensation in a neutral way.”.
Koyama is no stranger to single-seater racing, having previously raced in Japanese Formula 4 Championship, Formula 3 Asian Championship, as well as the now-folded W Series, and is currently part of the Toyota Gazoo Racing driver development programme.
Former Williams F1 driver and 2014 FIA World Endurance Championship title winner Kazuki Nakajima was with Koyama in Jarama as part of his role in nurturing young talent within Toyota.
Finishing fourth out of the 17 drivers that tested in Spain , Koyama told FEN that :the team and I built a trusting relationship even with the limited time we had, so I trusted them and did what we had discussed, focusing on the testing programme.
“We got good feedback from that, and by talking to the team again and getting a better understanding of the car, I was able to pick up the pace as the session progressed. I felt there was a lot more potential, but the best part was that the team understood how I was doing.”
Koyama added that “there are so many sensors and unique components, each allocated with a specialist, the interaction was intense and only made possible by everyone being there. It was a concentrated experience with a lot of talented people involved behind the car, which led to great teamwork.
“Also, as I was new to electric racing there was lots of technical terminology. This was the first time I have been able to communicate on the radio so well. Usually, my voice doesn’t get picked up and I can’t be heard, so I was happy to be able to have this conversation.
“I was able to focus because all the information I wanted was given to me at the right time. I want to thank the excellent race engineers.”
Formula E has not had a female driver start an EPrix since (2014/15) with Katherine Legge, Michela Cerruti and Simona de Silvestro all starting races for Amlin Aguri, Trulli and Andretti respectively.
The conversation continues as to if, and when, a female driver will return to the Formula E grid. On her potential Formula E future, Koyama told FEN, “Before driving and racing the car, it was still fictitious. I had nothing to commit to and was only happy for the opportunity and to experience it for the first time.”
“Then, experiencing it made it more interesting as it became believable into reality. After the test I wanted to drive more, and better, the will to pursue it further grew. I want to compete. With so many people involved, I felt comfortable in the space where I could share the joy with everyone.”
Koyama impressed the Lola Yamaha Abt squad and finished the session with a best time of 1:31.731, only +0.842 behind the leading driver Abbi Pulling, who also spoke to The Race HERE.
