2024 Super Formula Championship Explained

The 2024 Japanese Super Formula Championship is the fifty-second season of premier Japanese open-wheel motor racing, and the twelfth under the moniker of Super Formula. It started in March at Suzuka Circuit and is due to be contested over seven race weekends, ending in November at Suzuka.^[1]

Reigning drivers' champion Ritomo Miyata did not defend his title in 2024 after leaving the series to compete in the FIA Formula 2 Championship and European Le Mans Series.^[2] Team Mugen entered 2024 as the defending teams' champion.

Teams and drivers

All teams use identical Dallara-built SF23 chassis with either Honda or Toyota engines. Every Honda-powered car uses a Honda HR-417E engine and every Toyota-powered car uses a Toyota TRD-01F engine.

Entrant	Engine	No.	Driver name	Rounds
Kondo Racing^[3]	Toyota	3	Kenta Yamashita	1–5
		4	Kazuto Kotaka	1–5
Docomo Team Dandelion Racing^[4]	Honda	5	Tadasuke Makino	1–5
		6	Kakunoshin Ohta	1–5
Kids com Team KCMG	Toyota	7	nowrap	Kamui Kobayashi	1–5
		8	Nirei Fukuzumi	1–5
ThreeBond Racing	Honda	12	Atsushi Miyake	1–5
docomo business ROOKIE	Toyota	14	Kazuya Oshima	1–5
Team Mugen^[5]	Honda	15	Ayumu Iwasa	1–5
		16	Tomoki Nojiri	1–5
Itochu Enex Team Impul	Toyota	19	Théo Pourchaire	1
			Ben Barnicoat^[6]	2
			Hibiki Taira^[7]	3–4
			Nyck de Vries^[8]	5
		20	Yuji Kunimoto	1–5
Vantelin Team TOM’S	Toyota	36	Sho Tsuboi	1–5
		37	Ukyo Sasahara	1–5
Vertex Partners Cerumo・INGING	Toyota	38	Sena Sakaguchi	1–5
		39	Toshiki Oyu	1–5
San-Ei Gen with B-Max^[9]	Honda	50	Iori Kimura	1–5
TGM Grand Prix	Honda	53	"Juju"^[10]	1–5
		55	nowrap	Nobuharu Matsushita^[11]	1–3
		Hiroki Otsu^[12]	4–5
PONOS Nakajima Racing	Honda	64	Naoki Yamamoto	1–5
		65	Ren Sato	1–5

Team changes

• Cerumo-INGING acquired a new title sponsor in finance advisory firm Vertex Partners, and the team is now known as "Vertex Partners Cerumo-INGING".
• Nakajima Racing acquired a new title sponsor in video game developer PONOS to replace Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), and the team is now known as "PONOS Nakajima Racing".
• B-Max Racing Team downsized from running two cars in 2023 to a single-car entry in 2024. The team also gained a new title sponsor in food ingredient manufacturer San-Ei Gen, and is now known as "San-Ei Gen with B-Max".

Driver changes

• Reigning champion Ritomo Miyata left the series and moved to Formula 2 and the European Le Mans Series in preparation to step up to the FIA World Endurance Championship with Toyota Gazoo Racing. Miyata's replacement at Vantelin Team TOM'S was Sho Tsuboi, who spent the last five seasons at INGING, and was Miyata's co-driver in their 2023 Super GT GT500 class championship campaign. Ukyo Sasahara, who raced with TOM'S for the last three rounds of the 2023 season, returned on a full-time contract for 2024. Both drivers swapped numbers from the end of last season with Tsuboi driving the No. 36 car and Sasahara the No. 37 car.
• Championship runner-up Liam Lawson also left the series to focus on his dual reserve driver role at Red Bull Racing and RB Formula One Team in Formula One. He was replaced at Team Mugen by fellow Red Bull Junior Team member Ayumu Iwasa, who returned to Japan to make his series debut.
• Cerumo・INGING signed former Honda and TGM Grand Prix driver Toshiki Oyu to replace Sho Tsuboi. Sena Sakaguchi took over Tsuboi's old number 38, and Oyu was given the number 39.^[13]
• Itochu Enex Team Impul recruited an all-new lineup of 2023 FIA Formula 2 Champion Théo Pourchaire, who made his series debut as the only non-Japanese driver on the grid, and 2016 Super Formula champion Yuji Kunimoto, who had spent the last four seasons with KCMG. Impul's former drivers left the series, with Ryō Hirakawa electing to focus on his new role as the reserve driver for McLaren in Formula One and Yuhi Sekiguchi joining KCMG as a reserve driver and team coordinator.^{[14] [15]}
• KCMG signed former Honda and ThreeBond Racing driver Nirei Fukuzumi to replace Yuji Kunimoto in the renumbered No. 8 entry, alongside team-mate Kamui Kobayashi.
• TGM Grand Prix signed Juju Noda to drive its No. 53 car, replacing Toshiki Oyu. Noda became the first Japanese woman and youngest driver to race in the history of the series, after spending 2023 in Euroformula Open, the Drexler-Automotive Formula Cup, and BOSS GP. Before the opening round of the season, TGM signed former B-Max Racing driver Nobuharu Matsushita to drive the No. 55 car. Matsushita replaced Cem Bölükbaşı, who left the series after one year and went on to race in the European Le Mans Series for DKR Engineering.
• Atsushi Miyake rejoined Super Formula after a one-year absence, signing with ThreeBond Racing to replace Nirei Fukuzumi.
• B-Max Racing Team recruited reigning Super Formula Lights champion Iori Kimura to drive the team's single No. 50 car. Nobuharu Matsushita left B-Max after four seasons, and Raoul Hyman left after just one season in the No. 51 car.

Mid-season

• Théo Pourchaire signed a contract to join Arrow McLaren for the remainder of the 2024 IndyCar Series replacing David Malukas in April, departing Team Impul and Super Formula after just one race.^[16]
  • 2023 IMSA GTD Pro Champion and Toyota (Lexus Racing USA) works driver Ben Barnicoat replaced Pourchaire at Autopolis.
  • 2023 Super Formula Lights and Super GT - GT300 runner-up Hibiki Taira was announced to be filling the seat for the third and fourth round.^[17]
  • 2020–21 Formula E champion Nyck de Vries was announced to join Team Impul for the races at Mobility Resort Motegi and Fuji Speedway, thereby making his series debut. In the same announcement, Taira was confirmed to return to the No. 19 car for the final round at Suzuka.
• Nobuharu Matsushita departed TGM Grand Prix after racing with them for the first three rounds.^[18] Hiroki Otsu, who already deputized for the team for one round in 2023, returned to replace Matsushita from round 4 onwards.^{[12] [8]}

Race calendar

The provisional calendar was announced on 3 August 2023.^[1] The final two rounds were later made to be double-headers.^[19] Fuji Speedway's double-header weekend has been moved from the start of the season to 12–13 October, serving as the sixth and seventh rounds of the championship. Suzuka now hosted the opening round of the championship on 10 March. On 25 December 2023, the calendar was slightly amended, with the season finale moved forward by two weeks.^[20]

Round	Circuit	Location	Date	Support bill	Map of circuit locations
1	Suzuka International Racing Course	Suzuka, Mie	10 March	All Japan Road Race Championship Formula Regional Japanese Championship
2	Autopolis	Hita, Oita	19 May	Super Formula Lights Honda N-One Owner's Cup
3	Sportsland SUGO	Shibata, Miyagi	23 June	Super Formula Lights Honda N-One Owner's Cup
4	Fuji Speedway	Oyama, Shizuoka	21 July	Super Formula Lights Porsche Carrera Cup Japan Kyojo Cup
5	Mobility Resort Motegi	Motegi, Tochigi	23–25 August	Formula Regional Japanese Championship All Japan Road Race Championship
6	Fuji Speedway	Oyama, Shizuoka	11–13 October	Formula Regional Japanese Championship
7
8	Suzuka International Racing Course	Suzuka, Mie	8–10 November	Super Formula Lights
9

Race results

Round	Circuit	Pole position	Fastest lap	Winning driver	Winning team
1	Suzuka International Racing Course	Sena Sakaguchi	Naoki Yamamoto	Tomoki Nojiri	Team Mugen
2	Autopolis	Ayumu Iwasa	Ben Barnicoat	Tadasuke Makino	Docomo Team Dandelion Racing
3	Sportsland SUGO	Tomoki Nojiri	Tomoki Nojiri	Tomoki Nojiri	Team Mugen
4	Fuji Speedway	Nirei Fukuzumi	Tomoki Nojiri	Sho Tsuboi	Vantelin Team TOM’S
5	Mobility Resort Motegi
6	Fuji Speedway
7
8	Suzuka International Racing Course
9

Championship standings

Race points

Position	1st	2nd	3rd	4th	5th	6th	7th	8th	9th	10th
Points	20	15	11	8	6	5	4	3	2	1

Qualifying points

Position	1st	2nd	3rd
Points	3	2	1

Drivers' championship

Pos Driver SUZ1 AUT SUG FUJ1 MOT FUJ2 SUZ2 Points 1 Tomoki Nojiri 1^3 9 1^1 3 47 2 Sho Tsuboi 11 3 3^3 1 37.5 3 Tadasuke Makino 10 1^2 4 5 33 4 Ayumu Iwasa 9 2^1 2^2 11^2 31.5 5 Kenta Yamashita 2 7 6 13 21.5 6 Naoki Yamamoto 3 4^3 DNS 10 21 7 Toshiki Oyu 16 15 5 2^3 19 8 Nirei Fukuzumi 6 8 13 4^1 19 9 Kakunoshin Ohta 4^2 5 14 DNS 16 10 Sena Sakaguchi 7^1 6 12 Ret 12 11 Ren Sato 5 Ret 11 7 10 12 Yuji Kunimoto Ret 19 7 6 7 13 Kamui Kobayashi 19† 10 10 8 4.5 14 Nobuharu Matsushita 8 16 19 3 15 Hibiki Taira 17 9 2 16 Kazuto Kotaka Ret 18 8 17 1.5 17 Iori Kimura 12 14 9 15 1 18 Kazuya Oshima 13 11 Ret 16 0 19 Ukyo Sasahara 15 12 16 12 0 20 Ben Barnicoat 13 0 21 Atsushi Miyake 14 17 15 18 0 22 Hiroki Otsu 14 0 23 "Juju" 17 20 18 19 0 24 Théo Pourchaire 18 0 Nyck de Vries Pos Driver SUZ1 AUT SUG FUJ1 MOT FUJ2 SUZ2 Points

Teams' championship

Pos	Team	SUZ1	AUT	SUG	FUJ1	MOT	FUJ2		SUZ2		Points
1	Team Mugen	1	2	1	3						67.5
		9	9	2	11
2	Docomo Team Dandelion Racing	4	1	4	5						45
		10	5	14	DNS
3	Vantelin Team TOM’S	11	3	3	1						36.5
		15	12	16	12
4	PONOS Nakajima Racing	3	4	11	7						30
		5	Ret	DNS	10
5	Vertex Partners Cerumo・INGING	7	6	5	2						27
		16	15	12	Ret
6	Kondo Racing	2	7	6	13						23
		Ret	18	8	17
7	Kids com Team KCMG	6	8	10	4						20.5
		19†	10	13	8
8	Itochu Enex Team Impul	18	13	7	6						9
		Ret	19	17	9
9	TGM Grand Prix	8	16	18	14						3
		17	20	19	19
10	align=left	San-Ei Gen with B-Max	12	14	9	15						1
11	align=left	docomo business ROOKIE	13	11	Ret	16						0
12	align=left	ThreeBond Racing	14	17	15	18						0
Pos	Team	SUZ1	AUT	SUG	FUJ1	MOT	FUJ2		SUZ2		Points

External links

• Super Formula official website

Notes and References

1. News: Klein. Jamie. Provisional Super Formula calendar hints at F1 support race . 3 August 2023. 3 August 2023. motorsport.com.
2. News: Thukral. Rachit. 20 November 2023. Toyota star Miyata gets dual F2, ELMS programme in 2024 . 20 November 2023. www.motorsport.com . en.
3. Web site: TOYOTA GAZOO Racing Presents its 2024 motorsport team setups in Japan . 12 December 2023. Toyota Gazoo Racing. 12 December 2023.
4. Web site: Honda 2024 Motorsports Program Overview. 19 January 2024. Honda Racing. 19 January 2024.
5. News: Red Bull junior Iwasa gets 2024 Mugen Super Formula seat. 23 November 2023. 23 November 2023. motorsport.com. Klein. Jamie.
6. News: Barnicoat replaces IndyCar-bound Pourchaire at Autopolis Super Formula round . 14 May 2024. 14 May 2024. motorsport.com. Thukral. Rachit.
7. News: formulascout.com. Wood. Ida. 14 June 2024. 14 June 2024. Hibiki Taira to make Super Formula debut with Team Impul at Sugo.
8. News: Nyck de Vries joins Super Formula for Motegi and Fuji rounds. Japan Racing Insider. 7 August 2024. 7 August 2024. Klein. Jamie.
9. Web site: 2024年スーパーフォーミュラ参戦体制 . 9 February 2024 . 9 February 2024. b-maxracing.co.jp.
10. News: Noda secures Super Formula drive with Honda squad TGM . 9 January 2024. 9 January 2024. Thukral . Rachit. motorsport.com.
11. News: Nobuharu Matsushita completes 2024 Super Formula grid. Japan Racing Insider. 5 March 2024. 5 March 2024. Klein. Jamie.
12. News: Another chance at redemption for Honda's super-sub Hiroki Otsu. Japan Racing Insider. 15 July 2024. 15 July 2024. Klein. Jamie.
13. News: Klein. Jamie. Japan Racing Insider. 2024-01-25. 6 February 2024 . What's the deal with Honda drivers moving to Toyota?.
14. News: Klein. Jamie. 22 October 2023. Hirakawa joins Miyata, Lawson in Super Formula exodus . 22 October 2023. motorsport.com . en.
15. News: Klein. Jamie. 2024-02-20. Super Formula Suzuka test: Media day paddock notes. 2024-02-20. Japan Racing Insider.
16. News: Benyon. Jack. 9 May 2024. McLaren picks Pourchaire for its IndyCar seat: All the details . 9 May 2024. The Race . en.
17. News: Wood. Ida. 3 July 2024. Hibiki Taira keeps Super Formula seat at Team Impul for a second race. 3 July 2024. Formula Scout. en-US.
18. News: Why Super Formula will miss Nobuharu Matsushita when he's gone. Japan Racing Insider. 5 July 2024. 5 July 2024. Klein. Jamie.
19. Web site: ２０２４年全日本レース選手権カレンダー申請一覧 .
20. Web site: 23 December 2023 . Super Formula on X: "2024年スーパーフォーミュラ レース日程変更のお知らせ" . 26 December 2023 . X.