Mendez Grabs First Win as Muazif Secures FHolo INT Title in Thrilling Finale

Indianapolis, Indiana, 26 May 2024 ー The 2023–24 Formula Hololive International season came to a riveting end with the Indy GP Finale, with KFP Employee Corey-Rico Mendez winning his first race for Takanashi Kiara. However the star of the season shone in the form of Aziz Muazif who, after a stellar midseason, has secured the 2023-24 Formula Hololive International title. Adachi and Martinez however fell short without much fight in them as both had problems on their own.

In the final qualifying session of the season, championship leader Aziz Muazif was only good enough for a lower midfield position of 16th. Up front, Zeke Wimberley tried valiantly to get himself further up the field, needing a pole position to best place himself in a must-win race in order to win the 2023-24 Formula Hololive International season.

However Teamate Bernardo Santiago grabbed pole position and alongside him was Shaneil Marcman representing Mococo Abyssgard.

Wimberley started 3rd, while Martinez started 17th and Adachi started in a low 20th.

Santiago started from pole as the lights went out, and initially fought a thrilling duel with Shaneil Marcman in the first few laps. Further back Shazren Redza's steering failed at the start and careened into the inside wall, being the first retirement of the race.

The Deadbeats' Martinez's title hopes were dashed early as he crashed out on Lap 15, he would end his campaign with 810 points and 4th place.

Zeke Wimberley opted for a bold one-stop strategy in a bid to get ahead of the race.

On Lap 22, Mendez and Santiago pitted, but it would be the former who took the lead following pit stops,

With this early lead, Wimberley found it challenging to get past Mendez who showcased a brilliant defensive masterclass. It was vital for Mendez to be able to avoid different lapped traffic and repel attacks from Hanaori Miyuki and Zeke Wimberley as the race progressed.

Hanaori Miyuki capitalized on Mendez and Wimberley being impeded by lapped cars to close the gap in the race's latter stages. Her impressive pace and strategic overtakes brought her tantalizingly close to victory. However, despite her best efforts to hang on to her race lead, she was overtaken by Mendez in the final 8 laps.

After Mendez cleared the last lapped car of Nichi Michan, he would stretch his lead at the end. For Wimberley, his efforts saw him battling fiercely but with worn out tires, he would lose not just the lead, but also third, being overtaken by Miyuki midway through the race and ultimately falling behind Bernardo Santiago and finishing fourth after being overtaken during the final stages of the race.

Mendez led the final laps after an overtake on Miyuki and eventually secured the first victory for the KFP team.

Despite a challenging race mired in midfield battles, Aziz Muazif's championship hopes were realized as the results played out in his favor. With Wimberley unable to secure the necessary points to overtake him, Muazif claimed the 2023-24 Formula Hololive International title for Ayunda Risu, surely a victory to remember to the Risuners watching their man take the crown. Wimberley would end up with only second in the final standings in what is otherwise a great season for the Saplings.

Ryan Kagawa and Shaneil Marcman scored their first points in FHolo, with Kagawa finishing sixth and Marcman seventh, a performance to look back as preparation for 2024-25

Adachi had a relatively quiet race, finishing 13th. However his consistent performance throughout the season saw him secure third in the final standings.

The season concluded with 9 out of the 10 FHolo INT points races won by EN Class cars. The only exception was the Spielberg GP, where Aziz Muazif clinched victory for an ID class car. Additionally, two EN Class cars triumphed in this year's Capture the Moment Grand Prix Split B and C races.

In the end, it was Aziz Muazif and Ayunda Risu who put their name in the record books as the first Formula Hololive International champion, with 975 points on the board, all thanks to consistently high results midseason. Despite not winning the title, Zeke Wimberley can still look back at what was a season beyond expectations for the Ceres Fauna driver; 3 wins and 925 points, finishing second in the standings.

Despite Ina being gentle and careful, Adachi was anything but. With his fast but on-the-edge driving, he brute forced his way to the Indonesia GP win, winning the race despite having a 10-second penalty. That win and his driving style did help him to 3rd in the final standings with 846 points.

Mori Calliope's Jake Martinez has a win this season, the Malaysia GP, but with Martinez crashing out in two of the last three races, what was a comfortable second became 4th, for car number 4, with only 810 points to fall back on.

With the season now over, the drivers can take a long vacation and rest, as the new season looms closer. For the fans, it is understandable to see them excited for more Hololive racing after what they saw this season.

With no INT racing action until September, for fans who want to see more, Formula Hololive Japan is set to finish their qualifiers period at SUGO next month. Fans are expected to mark their calendars for another thrilling finale.