Super Formula Championship

The Japanese Super Formula Championship is a formula racing series held primarily in Japan. It is considered to be the pinnacle of single-seater racing in Japan or Asia as a whole, making it one of the top motorsport series in the region. The series is sanctioned by the Japan Automobile Federation (JAF) and managed by Japan Race Promotion (JRP). As of 2024, Super Formula is the second fastest racing series in the world, after Formula One.[1]

Super Formula Championship
CategorySingle seaters
CountryJapan
Inaugural season1973
Drivers21
Teams12
Chassis suppliersDallara
Engine manufacturers
Tire suppliersYokohama
Drivers' championJapan Ritomo Miyata
Teams' championTeam Mugen
Official websitesuperformula.net
Current season

The first Japanese Top Formula championship was held in 1973 as the All-Japan Formula 2000 Championship. In 1978, the series transformed into the All-Japan Formula Two Championship, and again in 1987, into the All-Japan Formula 3000 Championship. For the most part, these Japanese racing series closely followed their European counterparts in terms of technical regulations. The JRP was established in 1995, and began managing the series in 1996, under its new name, the Formula Nippon Championship. This began what is commonly known as the modern era of the series, which has seen it become more independent with regard to technical regulations. The series' name was changed again in 2013, to Super Formula (officially Japanese Championship Super Formula until 2016).

History edit

Background edit

In Japan, touring and sports car racing was very popular throughout the 1960s. The Japanese Grand Prix was originally held as an event for touring and sports cars, and was immediately established as the largest motor racing event in the country during its original run between 1963 and 1969. On the other hand, formula car racing had a more difficult time being established in the nation's motorsport landscape. The inaugural JAF Grand Prix at Fuji Speedway in 1969 was Japan's first major single-seater race. And in 1971, the Japanese Grand Prix was reformatted into an event centered around formula car racing. Neither event managed to be as popular with spectators as the Japanese Grand Prix was during its time as a sports car race.

All-Japan Formula 2000 (1973–1977) edit

In 1973, the Japan Automobile Federation established the All-Japan Formula 2000 Championship as the first top-level formula racing series in Japan, to promote the sport of formula car racing in the country.

The series was based on the European Formula Two Championship. But unlike European F2, which only allowed the use of racing engines based on mass production models, the JAF approved the use of purpose-built racing engines from manufacturers such as Mitsubishi Motors.

All-Japan Formula Two (1978–1986) edit

 
March 86J-Honda of Satoru Nakajima, the 1986 championship winner

In 1976, the FIA modified the Formula Two regulations to allow the use of purpose-built racing engines. With this change, the reasoning behind the name "Formula 2000" had disappeared, which led to the series being renamed the All-Japan Formula Two Championship from 1978.

These early years of formula racing in Japan were led by drivers such as Kunimitsu Takahashi, Kazuyoshi Hoshino, Masahiro Hasemi, Keiji Matsumoto, and Satoru Nakajima, who would go on to become the first Japanese driver to compete full-time in the Formula One World Championship. During the transition from Formula 2000 to Formula 2, a number of foreign drivers from the European F2 circuit began competing in and winning races in the Japanese series. 1981 European F2 champion Geoff Lees became the series' first non-Japanese champion when he won the All-Japan F2 title in 1983.

The Suzuka Formula Two Championship (established in 1977 as the Suzuka Formula 2000 Championship) was held concurrently at all events staged at Suzuka Circuit, to compete against the Fuji Grand Champion Series. During its run from 1977 to 1986, it was considered to be of equal prestige to the All-Japan Formula 2 Championship.

1987 championship edit

When European Formula Two ended in 1984, its Japanese counterpart did not follow suit immediately. The JAF considered starting a new Formula Two series from 1988. However, all entrants ran Formula 3000 cars in 1987. So, the 1987 Formula Two Championship was cancelled due to no entry of any cars for that format.

All-Japan Formula 3000 (1987–1995) edit

Switching to the open Formula 3000 standard in 1987, the All-Japan Formula 3000 Championship officially started in 1988.

During the late 1980s, a number of factors contributed to a surge in popularity for Japanese Top Formula racing.[2] Honda-powered Formula One teams began winning multiple championships. The Japanese Grand Prix was reintroduced to the Formula One calendar in 1987, and that same year, Satoru Nakajima began competing full-time in F1. Fans began following the series through Fuji Television's broadcasts of Formula One, resulting in an increased interest in all forms formula racing. Combined with the asset-driven bubble economy of the 1980s, the All-Japan Formula 3000 Championship attracted several entrants and investors.

Veteran drivers such as Hoshino, Hasemi, Takahashi, and Matsumoto were succeeded by a new generation of Japanese talents, led by 1988 champion Aguri Suzuki, and 1991 champion Ukyo Katayama - who would each go on to enjoy significant tenures in Formula One. The prosperous conditions within All-Japan F3000 also attracted many promising young drivers outside of Japan to compete in the series. Among those drivers included future Formula One Grand Prix winners Jean Alesi, Johnny Herbert, Eddie Irvine, and Heinz-Harald Frentzen. The most notable of these young drivers from outside Japan, however, was future seven-time Formula One World Champion Michael Schumacher, who made a one-off appearance at Sportsland Sugo in 1991.

The eventual burst of the bubble economy led to a decline in the series' popularity during the early to mid 1990s. Japanese and European regulations paralleled one another until 1996, when the International Formula 3000 series became a one-make format to lower costs.

Formula Nippon (1996–2012) edit

 
The previous Formula Nippon logo

In 1995, Japan Race Promotion (JRP) was established by Fuji Television, and became the new promoter and organising body of Japanese top formula racing, recognised by the JAF. As F3000 went down the path of a spec formula series abroad, the JRP opted to continue with the previous F3000 regulations which allowed for open chassis and engine competition. For 1996, the first full season under the management of JRP, the series changed its name to Formula Nippon.

Many of the top drivers in Formula Nippon continued to race in sports cars and touring cars as their predecessors had done in years past. Pedro de la Rosa became the first "double champion" of Japan in 1997 when he won both the Formula Nippon and All-Japan GT Championship GT500 titles in the same calendar year. Satoshi Motoyama and Richard Lyons would later accomplish the same feat in 2003 and 2004, respectively.

Super Formula (2013–present) edit

On 5 August 2012, the JRP announced that the series would change its name from Formula Nippon to Super Formula in 2013, stating a "desire to establish the series on an equal footing with the FIA Formula One World Championship and the IZOD IndyCar Series as the undisputed, standard-bearer top formula racing in Asia."[3]

The series experienced a surge of international interest when 2015 GP2 Series champion, Stoffel Vandoorne, entered full-time in 2016 with DoCoMo Team Dandelion Racing. Vandoorne would finish his season with two race victories before making the step up to F1 with McLaren in 2017. A year later, 2016 GP2 Series champion Pierre Gasly entered the series, bringing Red Bull sponsorship with him to Team Mugen. Gasly finished 2017 as the Rookie of the Year, with two wins, and finished runner-up in the standings by half a point.

Felix Rosenqvist, Álex Palou, and Patricio O'Ward later became IndyCar Series race winners after racing in Super Formula. Palou, who was the 2019 Rookie of the Year, went on to win the IndyCar Series championship in 2021 and 2023.

Scoring system edit

In 2020, Super Formula adopted a new top ten scoring system similar to the one used in Super GT. Bonus points were given to the top three qualifiers in every round; three points for pole position, two for second place, and one for third place.[4]

Race points (2020–present)
Position  1st   2nd   3rd   4th   5th   6th   7th   8th   9th   10th 
Points 20 15 11 8 6 5 4 3 2 1
Qualifying points (2020–present)
Position  1st   2nd   3rd 
Points 3 2 1

Car specifications edit

 
Start of the race at the 2014 Motegi round

Cars edit

 
The previous Formula Nippon chassis, the Swift FN09 (also known as the Swift 017.n), was introduced in the 2009 season and raced until the end of the 2013 season.

Until 2002, Formula Nippon was an open formula category, where a variety of chassis builders, engine manufacturers, and tyre manufacturers could compete. Chassis were supplied by Lola, Reynard, and G-Force. Mugen-Honda supplied the vast majority of the engines along with Cosworth and Judd. Bridgestone, Yokohama, and Dunlop supplied teams with tyres. However, the series began adopting more spec components. Bridgestone became the series' sole tyre supplier beginning in 1997, and in 1998, Mugen-Honda became the sole engine supplier (though open tuning was still allowed). Chassis remained an open formula until 2003, after Reynard declared bankruptcy and G-Force withdrew from the series. The Lola B03/51 became the series' spec chassis thereafter.

In 2006, Formula Nippon underwent a drastic revision of its technical regulations. The new Lola FN06 chassis was introduced, while new three-litre V8 engines by Toyota and Honda were introduced, based on the same engine blocks that the manufacturers used in the 2005 IndyCar Series. American racecar manufacturer Swift Engineering produced the FN09 chassis that was introduced in 2009, and used until 2013. Also, in 2009, a new 3.4 litre V8 engine formula was introduced, a common engine that would be used in Formula Nippon and the GT500 class of Super GT, as well as a "push-to-pass" overtake system that is still used today.

The Dallara SF14 was used between the 2014 to 2018 season, and featured at least 30% components manufactured in Japan.[5] The pole position lap time for a Super-Formula Dallara SF14 at Suzuka Circuit in 2017, 1:35.907, was 8.588 seconds, or 9.0%, slower than the pole lap time for the 2017 Japanese Grand Prix.

In 2016, Yokohama Rubber replaced Bridgestone as the series' sole tyre supplier.

The Dallara SF19, which was used from the 2019 to 2022 season, was unveiled at Suzuka Circuit in October 2017. It weighed 670 kilograms (including the driver), and was powered by a two-litre single turbo-charged engines built by Honda and Toyota under the Nippon Race Engine (NRE) formula. The engines used in Super Formula have been detuned compared to their counterparts used in Super GT (GT500), but continue to allow for the use of the "push-to-pass" style Overtaking System (OTS) that allows for an additional five kilogrammes per hour (5 kg/h) of fuel burn for up to 200 seconds during a race.[citation needed]

The Dallara SF23, a slightly modified version of the SF19, was unveiled on December 13, 2022, and has been used since the 2023 season. It has upgraded aerodynamics to improve overtaking and wheel-to-wheel racing.[6]

Specifications (2014–2018) edit

Source:[7]

Specifications (2019–2022) edit

Drivers edit

In terms of drivers, Super Formula is a high-level series where the field is composed mainly of professional factory drivers who are paid to race.[8] It is unanimously regarded as the highest level of formula racing in Japan and Asia, and although opinions on its exact global position vary, it is generally considered to be a higher level series than Formula 2, but slightly below IndyCar and to a larger extent Formula One.[9] Super Formula is a top-level series in its own right and not a feeder or junior category, as there is no series directly above it and many professional drivers compete in it until they retire, although some drivers, mostly foreign, have used it as a platform to prove their ability in an attempt to move to Formula One or elsewhere.[10]

The bulk of the grid consists of Japanese drivers, most of whom have the goal of forging successful long-term careers in the series. Foreign drivers have always been regular participants in the series, and there have been several drivers to come from a Japanese Top Formula drive to a prominent Formula One role; the best-known of these include Eddie Irvine, Ralf Schumacher, Pedro de la Rosa, and Pierre Gasly. Conversely, several foreign drivers have built long careers in Japan; examples of such drivers include André Lotterer, Benoît Tréluyer, Loïc Duval, and João Paulo de Oliveira. Most drivers in the series are contracted to either Honda or Toyota – the series' two engine manufacturers since 2006 – for whom they also typically compete in the Super GT sports car series, Japan's other top motorsport category.[8]

Feeder series edit

The primary feeder series for Super Formula is Super Formula Lights, which was known as the Japanese Formula 3 Championship prior to 2020. The Formula Regional Japanese Championship and F4 Japanese Championship sit below Super Formula Lights in the feeder series hierarchy.[11] Starting in 2022, Honda Performance Development, the North American motorsport division of Honda, have offered a US$600,000 annual scholarship to the winner of the Formula Regional Americas Championship towards a Honda-powered seat in Super Formula.[12] 2021 champion Kyffin Simpson, the first recipient, declined the scholarship offer, citing the logistical challenges brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic.[13] Raoul Hyman accepted the offer after becoming series champion in 2022.[14]

Circuits edit

Super Formula races are traditionally held at the six major national racing circuits in Japan. Since the establishment of the JRP in 1996, Suzuka Circuit, the traditional home of the Formula One Japanese Grand Prix, has staged more rounds than any other venue. Suzuka typically hosts two rounds per season: The Suzuka 2&4 Race, a joint event staged with the All-Japan Road Race Championship, is typically held in the spring. The JAF Grand Prix Suzuka, Japan's oldest national formula racing event, is typically held at the end of the season in the autumn.

Sportsland Sugo is the only other venue that has been on the calendar in every season since 1996. Fuji Speedway did not host any racing in 2004 while the circuit underwent a wholesale renovation, but otherwise, has been part of the calendar in every season before and after the renovations. Mobility Resort Motegi (known as Twin Ring Motegi until 2022) opened in 1997 and has been part of the calendar every year since.

Miné Circuit (formerly Nishinihon Circuit), was a regular fixture of the calendar until it closed for spectator events after the 2005 season. Autopolis, in Kyushu, and Okayama International Circuit, in the Chugoku region, have since taken Miné's place as the westernmost venues that Super Formula visits.

Sepang International Circuit in Malaysia hosted the first and only championship round outside of Japan when it was part of the 2004 calendar. The series planned to race at Inje Speedium in South Korea during the 2013 season, but the race was cancelled.

Circuits used (since 1996) edit

Number Circuit Years Total Rounds
1 Suzuka Circuit 1996–present 66
2 Fuji Speedway 1996–2003, 2005–present 45
3 Mobility Resort Motegi 1997–present 42
4 Sportsland Sugo 1996–present 28
5 Miné Circuit 1996–2005 18
6 Autopolis 2006, 2009–2015, 2017–present 14
7 Okayama International Circuit 2007–2008, 2015–2020 9
8 Sepang International Circuit 2004 1
Tokachi International Speedway 1996 1

Champions edit

Season Drivers' Champion Team Champion Rookie of the Year
Driver Team Chassis* Engine* Tyre*
All-Japan Formula 2000 Championship (1973–1977)
1973   Motoharu Kurosawa Heros Racing March 722 BMW M12/6 B Not awarded Not awarded
1974   Noritake Takahara Takahara Racing March 742 BMW M12/6 B
1975   Kazuyoshi Hoshino Victory Circle Club March 742 BMW M12/6 B
1976   Noritake Takahara Stanley Takahara Nova 512 BMW M12/7 B
1977   Kazuyoshi Hoshino Heros Racing Nova 512B
Nova 532P
BMW M12/7 B
All-Japan Formula Two Championship (1978–1986)
1978   Kazuyoshi Hoshino Heros Racing Nova 532P
Nova 522
BMW M12/7 B Not awarded Not awarded
1979   Keiji Matsumoto Diatone Racing March 782
March 792
BMW M12/7 D
1980   Masahiro Hasemi Tomica Racing Team March 802 BMW M12/7 B
1981   Satoru Nakajima i&i Racing Ralt RH6/80
March 812
Honda RA261E B
1982   Satoru Nakajima John Player Special Team Ikuzawa March 812
March 822
Honda RA262E B
1983   Geoff Lees John Player Special Team Ikuzawa Spirit 201
March 832
Honda RA263E D
1984   Satoru Nakajima Heros Racing March 842 Honda RA264E B
1985   Satoru Nakajima Heros Racing with Nakajima March 85J Honda RA264E
Honda RA265E
B
1986   Satoru Nakajima Heros Racing with Nakajima March 86J Honda RA266E B
All-Japan Formula 3000 Championship (1987–1995)
1987   Kazuyoshi Hoshino Hoshino Racing March 87B
Lola T87/50
Honda RA387E B Not awarded Not awarded
1988   Aguri Suzuki Footwork Sports Racing Team March 87B
Reynard 88D
Yamaha OX77 B
1989   Hitoshi Ogawa Auto Beaurex Motor Sport Lola T88/50
Lola T89/50
Mugen MF308 D
1990   Kazuyoshi Hoshino Cabin Racing Team with Impul Lola T90/50 Mugen MF308 B
1991   Ukyo Katayama Cabin Racing Team with Heros Lola T90/50
Lola T91/50
Cosworth DFV B
1992   Mauro Martini Acom Evolution Team Nova Lola T91/50
Lola T92/50
Mugen MF308 B
1993   Kazuyoshi Hoshino Nisseki Impul Racing Team Lola T92/50 Cosworth DFV B
1994   Marco Apicella Dome Dome F104 Mugen MF308 D
1995   Toshio Suzuki Hoshino Racing Lola T94/50 Mugen MF308 B
Japanese Championship Formula Nippon (1996–2012)
1996   Ralf Schumacher X Japan Racing Team LeMans Reynard 96D Mugen MF308 B X Japan Racing Team LeMans Not awarded
1997   Pedro de la Rosa Shionogi Team Nova Lola T97/51 Mugen MF308 (B) Shionogi Team Nova
1998   Satoshi Motoyama LEMONed Racing Team LeMans Reynard 97D (Mugen MF308) (B) LEMONed Racing Team LeMans
1999   Tom Coronel PIAA Nakajima Racing Reynard 99L (Mugen MF308) (B) PIAA Nakajima Racing
2000   Toranosuke Takagi PIAA Nakajima Racing Reynard 2KL (Mugen MF308) (B) PIAA Nakajima Racing
2001   Satoshi Motoyama Team Impul Reynard 99L (Mugen MF308) (B) Team 5ZIGEN
2002   Ralph Firman PIAA Nakajima Racing Reynard 01L (Mugen MF308) (B) PIAA Nakajima Racing
2003   Satoshi Motoyama Team Impul (Lola B03/51) (Mugen MF308) (B) Team Impul
2004   Richard Lyons DoCoMo Team Dandelion Racing (Lola B03/51) (Mugen MF308) (B) Team Impul
2005   Satoshi Motoyama Mobilecast Team Impul
arting Racing Team with Impul
(Lola B03/51) (Mugen MF308) (B) Mobilecast Team Impul
arting Racing Team with Impul
2006   Benoît Tréluyer Mobilecast Team Impul (Lola B06/51 (FN06)) Toyota RV8J (B) Mobilecast Team Impul
2007   Tsugio Matsuda Mobilecast Team Impul (Lola B06/51 (FN06)) Toyota RV8J (B) Mobilecast Team Impul
2008   Tsugio Matsuda Lawson Team Impul (Lola B06/51 (FN06)) Toyota RV8J (B) Lawson Team Impul   Kohei Hirate
2009   Loïc Duval Nakajima Racing (Swift 017.n (FN09)) Honda HR09E (B) Nakajima Racing   Koudai Tsukakoshi
2010   João Paulo de Oliveira Mobil 1 Team Impul (Swift 017.n (FN09)) Toyota RV8K (B) Mobil 1 Team Impul   Naoki Yamamoto
2011   André Lotterer Petronas Team TOM'S (Swift 017.n (FN09)) Toyota RV8K (B) Petronas Team TOM'S   Kazuki Nakajima
2012   Kazuki Nakajima Petronas Team TOM'S (Swift 017.n (FN09)) Toyota RV8K (B) Docomo Team Dandelion Racing Not awarded
Japanese Super Formula Championship (2013–present)
2013   Naoki Yamamoto Team Mugen (Swift 017.n (SF13)) Honda HR12E (B) Petronas Team TOM'S Not awarded
2014   Kazuki Nakajima Petronas Team TOM'S (Dallara SF14) Toyota RI4A (B) Petronas Team TOM'S   Tomoki Nojiri
2015   Hiroaki Ishiura P.mu/cerumoINGING (Dallara SF14) Toyota RI4A (B) Petronas Team TOM'S   Kamui Kobayashi
2016   Yuji Kunimoto P.mu/cerumoINGING (Dallara SF14) Toyota RI4A (Y) P.mu/cerumoINGING Not awarded
2017   Hiroaki Ishiura P.mu/cerumoINGING (Dallara SF14) Toyota RI4A (Y) P.mu/cerumoINGING   Pierre Gasly
2018   Naoki Yamamoto Team Mugen (Dallara SF14) Honda HR-417E (Y) Kondō Racing   Nobuharu Matsushita
2019   Nick Cassidy Vantelin Team TOM'S (Dallara SF19) Toyota Biz-01F (Y) Docomo Team Dandelion Racing   Álex Palou
2020   Naoki Yamamoto Docomo Team Dandelion Racing (Dallara SF19) Honda HR-417E (Y) Vantelin Team TOM'S   Toshiki Oyu
2021   Tomoki Nojiri Team Mugen (Dallara SF19) Honda HR-417E (Y) carenex Team Impul   Hiroki Otsu
2022   Tomoki Nojiri Team Mugen (Dallara SF19) Honda HR-417E (Y) Team Mugen   Ren Sato
2023   Ritomo Miyata Vantelin Team TOM'S (Dallara SF23) Toyota TRD-01F (Y) Team Mugen   Liam Lawson

* The ( ) indicates the tyre (since 1997), chassis (since 2003), or engine (1998–2005) was a spec part that all competitors used for that season.

Statistics edit

  Indicates active driver, team, and manufacturer.

Championships edit

By driver edit

Driver Total Seasons
  Kazuyoshi Hoshino 6 1975, 1977, 1978, 1987, 1990, 1993
  Satoru Nakajima 5 1981, 1982, 1984, 1985, 1986
  Satoshi Motoyama 4 1998, 2001, 2003, 2005
  Naoki Yamamoto 3 2013, 2018, 2020
  Noritake Takahara 2 1974, 1976
  Tsugio Matsuda 2007, 2008
  Kazuki Nakajima 2012, 2014
  Hiroaki Ishiura 2015, 2017
  Tomoki Nojiri 2021, 2022
  Motoharu Kurosawa 1 1973
  Keiji Matsumoto 1979
  Masahiro Hasemi 1980
  Geoff Lees 1983
  Aguri Suzuki 1988
  Hitoshi Ogawa 1989
  Ukyo Katayama 1991
  Mauro Martini 1992
  Marco Apicella 1994
  Toshio Suzuki 1995
  Ralf Schumacher 1996
  Pedro de la Rosa 1997
  Tom Coronel 1999
  Toranosuke Takagi 2000
  Ralph Firman 2002
  Richard Lyons 2004
  Benoît Tréluyer 2006
  Loïc Duval 2009
  João Paulo de Oliveira 2010
  André Lotterer 2011
  Yuji Kunimoto 2016
  Nick Cassidy 2019
  Ritomo Miyata 2023

By team edit

Team Total Drivers' titles Teams' titles
  Impul 19 11 (1987, 1990, 1993, 1995, 2001, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2010) 8 (2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2010, 2021)
  TOM'S 10 5 (2011, 2012, 2014, 2019, 2023) 5 (2011, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2020)
  Nakajima Racing 8 4 (1999, 2000, 2002, 2009) 4 (1999, 2000, 2002, 2009)
  Heroes Racing 7 7 (1973, 1977, 1978, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1991) 0
  Team Mugen 6 4 (2013, 2018, 2021, 2022) 2 (2022, 2023)
  Team LeMans 5 3 (1979, 1996, 1998) 2 (1996, 1998)
  Cerumo・Inging 3 (2015, 2016, 2017) 2 (2016, 2017)
  Dandelion Racing 4 2 (2004, 2020) 2 (2012, 2019)
  Team Ikuzawa 3 3 (1981, 1982, 1983) 0
  Nova Engineering 2 (1992, 1997) 1 (1997)
  Takahara Racing 2 2 (1974, 1976) 0
  Victory Circle Club 1 1 (1975) 0
  Tomy Racing Team 1 (1980) 0
  Mooncraft 1 (1988) 0
  Stellar International 1 (1989) 0
  Dome 1 (1994) 0
  Team 5ZIGEN 0 1 (2001)
  Kondo Racing 0 1 (2018)

Wins edit

After the first round of the 2024 season.

By driver edit

Rank Driver Total wins All Japan
F2000
All Japan
F2
All Japan
F3000
Formula
Nippon
Super
Formula
1   Kazuyoshi Hoshino 39 7 12 19 1 0
2   Satoshi Motoyama 27 0 0 0 27 0
3   André Lotterer 24 0 0 0 16 8
4   Satoru Nakajima 21 0 21 0 0 0
5   Toranosuke Takagi 14 0 0 3 11 0
6   Loïc Duval 12 0 0 0 10 2
6   Tomoki Nojiri 12 0 0 0 0 12
8   Keiji Matsumoto 11 0 9 2 0 0
8   Benoît Tréluyer 11 0 0 0 11 0
10   Ross Cheever 10 0 0 10 0 0
10   João Paulo de Oliveira 10 0 0 0 5 5
12   Masahiro Hasemi 9 4 4 1 0 0
12   Kazuki Nakajima 9 0 0 0 3 6
12   Naoki Yamamoto 9 0 0 0 0 9
15   Naoki Hattori 8 0 0 3 5 0
16   Noritake Takahara 7 7 0 0 0 0
16   Geoff Lees 7 0 5 2 0 0
16   Ralph Firman 7 0 0 0 7 0
16   Tsugio Matsuda 7 0 0 0 7 0
16   Takashi Kogure 7 0 0 0 7 0
16   Yuhi Sekiguchi 7 0 0 0 0 7
22   Toshio Suzuki 6 0 0 6 0 0
22   Pedro de la Rosa 6 0 0 0 6 0
24   Aguri Suzuki 5 0 0 5 0 0
24   Marco Apicella 5 0 0 5 0 0
24   Juichi Wakisaka 5 0 0 0 5 0
24   Hiroaki Ishiura 5 0 0 0 0 5
28   Kunimitsu Takahashi 4 3 1 0 0 0
28   Volker Weidler 4 0 0 4 0 0
28   Andrew Gilbert-Scott 4 0 0 4 0 0
28   Richard Lyons 4 0 0 0 4 0
28   Ryō Hirakawa 4 0 0 0 0 4
33   Motoharu Kurosawa 3 3 0 0 0 0
33   Kenji Takahashi 3 0 3 0 0 0
33   Stefan Johansson 3 0 3 0 0 0
33   Mauro Martini 3 0 0 3 0 0
33   Eddie Irvine 3 0 0 3 0 0
33   Ralf Schumacher 3 0 0 0 3 0
33   Norberto Fontana 3 0 0 0 3 0
33   Masami Kageyama 3 0 0 0 3 0
33   Tom Coronel 3 0 0 0 3 0
33   Yuji Ide 3 0 0 0 3 0
33   Takuya Izawa 3 0 0 0 2 1
33   Nick Cassidy 3 0 0 0 0 3
33   Liam Lawson 3 0 0 0 0 3
46   Takao Wada 2 0 0 2 0 0
46   Ukyo Katayama 2 0 0 2 0 0
46   Takuya Kurosawa 2 0 0 1 1 0
46   Katsutomo Kaneishi 2 0 0 0 2 0
46   Masahiko Kageyama 2 0 0 0 2 0
46   Hidetoshi Mitsusada 2 0 0 0 2 0
46   Kohei Hirate 2 0 0 0 2 0
46   Stoffel Vandoorne 2 0 0 0 0 2
46   Yuji Kunimoto 2 0 0 0 0 2
46   Pierre Gasly 2 0 0 0 0 2
46   Sho Tsuboi 2 0 0 0 0 2
46   Nirei Fukuzumi 2 0 0 0 0 2
46   Ukyo Sasahara 2 0 0 0 0 2
46   Ritomo Miyata 2 0 0 0 0 2
60   Jacques Laffite 1 1 0 0 0 0
60   Riccardo Patrese 1 1 0 0 0 0
60   Marc Surer 1 0 1 0 0 0
60   Beppe Gabbiani 1 0 1 0 0 0
60   Naohiro Fujita 1 0 1 0 0 0
60   Kenny Acheson 1 0 1 0 0 0
60   Mike Thackwell 1 0 1 0 0 0
60   Jan Lammers 1 0 0 1 0 0
60   Emanuele Pirro 1 0 0 1 0 0
60   Hitoshi Ogawa 1 0 0 1 0 0
60   Akihiko Nakaya 1 0 0 1 0 0
60   Paulo Carcasci 1 0 0 1 0 0
60   Roland Ratzenberger 1 0 0 1 0 0
60   Thomas Danielsson 1 0 0 1 0 0
60   Tom Kristensen 1 0 0 1 0 0
60   Toshihiro Kaneishi 1 0 0 0 1 0
60   Ronnie Quintarelli 1 0 0 0 1 0
60   Seiji Ara 1 0 0 0 1 0
60   Kosuke Matsuura 1 0 0 0 1 0
60   Kazuya Oshima 1 0 0 0 1 0
60   Koudai Tsukakoshi 1 0 0 0 1 0
60   Álex Palou 1 0 0 0 0 1
60   Kenta Yamashita 1 0 0 0 0 1
60   Toshiki Oyu 1 0 0 0 0 1
60   Giuliano Alesi 1 0 0 0 0 1
60   Hiroki Otsu 1 0 0 0 0 1
60   Nobuharu Matsushita 1 0 0 0 0 1
60   Sacha Fenestraz 1 0 0 0 0 1
60   Kakunoshin Ohta 1 0 0 0 0 1
Source:[15]

By chassis constructor edit

Rank Chassis constructor Wins
1   Lola 124
2   Dallara 80
3   March 75
4   Reynard 72
5   Swift 38
6   Nova 11
7   Dome 5
8   Chevron 3
9   Brabham 2
9   Kojima 2
9   Spirit 2
12   Surtees 1
12   G-Force 1

By engine manufacturer edit

Rank Engine manufacturer Wins
1   Mugen 160
2   Honda 94
3   Toyota 90
4   BMW 52
5   Cosworth 8
6   Cosworth/  Yamaha 6
7   Ford 3
7   Yamaha 3

By tire supplier edit

Rank Tire Supplier Wins
1 B Bridgestone 311
2 Y Yokohama 72
3 D Dunlop 33

Pole positions edit

By driver edit

Rank Driver Total poles All Japan
F2000
All Japan
F2
All Japan
F3000
Formula
Nippon
Super
Formula
1   Kazuyoshi Hoshino 42 14 18 9 1 0
2   Satoru Nakajima 23 0 23 0 0 0
3   Satoshi Motoyama 20 0 0 0 20 0
4   Tomoki Nojiri 17 0 0 0 0 17
5   Toranosuke Takagi 16 0 0 2 14 0
6   Takashi Kogure 15 0 0 0 15 0
7   Ross Cheever 13 0 0 13 0 0
7   Tsugio Matsuda 13 0 0 0 13 0
7   Naoki Yamamoto 13 0 0 0 1 12
10   André Lotterer 12 0 0 0 5 7
11   Geoff Lees 11 0 3 8 0 0
12   Keiji Matsumoto 9 0 8 1 0 0
12   Juichi Wakisaka 9 0 0 0 9 0
12   João Paulo de Oliveira 9 0 0 0 7 2
15   Richard Lyons 8 0 0 0 8 0
15   Benoît Tréluyer 8 0 0 0 8 0
15   Loïc Duval 8 0 0 0 6 2
15   Hiroaki Ishiura 8 0 0 0 0 8
19   Masahiro Hasemi 7 2 4 1 0 0
19   Eddie Irvine 7 0 0 7 0 0
21   Hitoshi Ogawa 6 0 0 6 0 0
21   Ralph Firman 6 0 0 0 6 0
21   Yuhi Sekiguchi 6 0 0 0 0 6
24   Mauro Martini 5 0 0 5 0 0
24   Andrew Gilbert-Scott 5 0 0 5 0 0
24   Naoki Hattori 5 0 0 3 2 0
24   Kazuki Nakajima 5 0 0 0 1 4
28   Aguri Suzuki 4 0 0 4 0 0
28   Takuya Kurosawa 4 0 0 2 2 0
28   Pedro de la Rosa 4 0 0 0 4 0
28   Tom Coronel 4 0 0 0 4 0
28   Takeshi Tsuchiya 4 0 0 0 4 0
28   Ryo Hirakawa 4 0 0 0 0 4
34   Noritake Takahara 3 3 0 0 0 0
34   Akihiko Nakaya 3 0 0 3 0 0
34   Ukyo Katayama 3 0 0 3 0 0
34   Marco Apicella 3 0 0 3 0 0
34   Takuya Izawa 3 0 0 0 2 1
34   Nick Cassidy 3 0 0 0 0 3
34   Álex Palou 3 0 0 0 0 3
34   Toshiki Oyu 3 0 0 0 0 3
42   Hiromu Tanaka 2 2 0 0 0 0
42   Naohiiro Fujita 2 1 1 0 0 0
42   Stefan Johansson 2 0 2 0 0 0
42   Masanori Sekiya 2 0 0 2 0 0
42   Roland Ratzenberger 2 0 0 2 0 0
42   Toshio Suzuki 2 0 0 1 1 0
42   Michael Krumm 2 0 0 0 2 0
42   Ralf Schumacher 2 0 0 0 2 0
42   Masahiko Kageyama 2 0 0 1 1 0
42   Masami Kageyama 2 0 0 0 2 0
42   Ryo Michigami 2 0 0 0 2 0
42   Yuji Ide 2 0 0 0 2 0
42   Kazuya Oshima 2 0 0 0 2 0
42   Koudai Tsukakoshi 2 0 0 0 2 0
42   Andrea Caldarelli 2 0 0 0 0 2
42   Yuji Kunimoto 2 0 0 0 0 2
42   Tadasuke Makino 2 0 0 0 0 2
59   Vern Schuppan 1 1 0 0 0 0
59   Motoharu Kurosawa 1 1 0 0 0 0
59   Moto Kitano 1 1 0 0 0 0
59   Kunimitsu Takahashi 1 1 0 0 0 0
59   Bruno Giacomelli 1 0 1 0 0 0
59   Eje Elgh 1 0 1 0 0 0
59   Toru Takahashi 1 0 1 0 0 0
59   Roberto Moreno 1 0 1 0 0 0
59   Takao Wada 1 0 0 1 0 0
59   Volker Weidler 1 0 0 1 0 0
59   Heinz-Harald Frentzen 1 0 0 1 0 0
59   Tom Kristensen 1 0 0 1 0 0
59   Katsutomo Kaneishi 1 0 0 0 1 0
59   Norberto Fontana 1 0 0 0 1 0
59   Hideki Noda 1 0 0 0 1 0
59   Hidetoshi Mitsusada 1 0 0 0 1 0
59   Peter Dumbreck 1 0 0 0 1 0
59   Toshihiro Kaneishi 1 0 0 0 1 0
59   Kohei Hirate 1 0 0 0 1 0
59   Stoffel Vandoorne 1 0 0 0 0 1
59   Kenta Yamashita 1 0 0 0 0 1
59   Jann Mardenborough 1 0 0 0 0 1
59   Sérgio Sette Câmara 1 0 0 0 0 1
59   Nirei Fukuzumi 1 0 0 0 0 1
59   Giuliano Alesi 1 0 0 0 0 1
59   Hiroki Otsu 1 0 0 0 0 1
59   Nobuharu Matsushita 1 0 0 0 0 1
59   Ukyo Sasahara 1 0 0 0 0 1
59   Sho Tsuboi 1 0 0 0 0 1
59   Liam Lawson 1 0 0 0 0 1
59   Sena Sakaguchi 1 0 0 0 0 1
Source:[15]

By chassis constructor edit

Rank Chassis constructor Poles
1   Lola 128
2   Dallara 83
3   Reynard 75
4   March 70
5   Swift 38
6   Nova 16
7   Dome 3
8   Chevron 2
8   G-Force 2
10   Maurer 1
10   Spirit 1
10   Ralt 1

By engine manufacturer edit

Rank Engine manufacturer Poles
1   Mugen 167
2   Honda 103
3   Toyota 77
4   BMW 60
5   Cosworth/  Yamaha 5
6   Cosworth 4
7   Yamaha 3
8   Ford 1

By tire supplier edit

Rank Tire Supplier Poles
1 B Bridgestone 320
2 Y Yokohama 68
3 D Dunlop 31
4 F Firestone 1

References edit

  1. ^ "How fast is an F1 car compared to IndyCar, WEC, Super Formula and more". www.autosport.com. Retrieved 2022-12-30.
  2. ^ "Analysis: Super Formula faces up to recent popularity slump". us.motorsport.com. 2023-04-21. Retrieved 2023-09-11.
  3. ^ "Japan Race Promotion Inc. Announces New Race Series Name: "Japanese Championship Super Formula"" (PDF). 5 August 2012.
  4. ^ "Rule Changes for 2020 Season | SUPER FORMULA Official Website". superformula.net. Retrieved 2022-11-11.
  5. ^ Collins, Sam (26 March 2013). "2014 Super Formula concept revealed". racecar-engineering.com. Retrieved 22 September 2016.
  6. ^ "Super Formula confirms updated car for 2023 season". us.motorsport.com. Retrieved 2023-04-09.
  7. ^ "About SUPER FORMULA | SUPER FORMULA Official Website".
  8. ^ a b "Where should F1 exiles go next year?". The Race. 2020-11-12. Retrieved 2022-12-30.
  9. ^ "Is winning in Super Formula really easier than in F2?". www.autosport.com. Retrieved 2022-12-30.
  10. ^ O'Connell, R. J. (2023-04-07). "Red Bull junior Lawson expects 'tough' first season as takes Super Formula path to F1 · RaceFans". RaceFans. Retrieved 2023-04-11.
  11. ^ "スーパーフォーミュラの歴史|SUPER FORMULA 公式WEBサイト". スーパーフォーミュラ|SUPER FORMULA 公式WEBサイト (in Japanese). Retrieved 2023-04-28.
  12. ^ Wood, Ida. "FRegional Americas champion to get scholarship for Super Formula".
  13. ^ Klein, Jamie. "HPD scholar Kyffin Simpson turns down Super Formula chance". us.motorsport.com. Motorsport Network. Retrieved 21 November 2021.
  14. ^ "Super Formula: Raoul Hyman seals HPD scholarship prize". www.motorsport.com. Retrieved 2022-11-11.
  15. ^ a b "1973~2022 Records". 日本の4輪レース記録. Retrieved 19 August 2023.

External links edit