With Easter coming up there is not a lot on the motorsports schedule. One thing that is happening is the Super Formula season opens and the series is not a highly covered series internationally but I think it is an important series to keep an eye on.
Over the last few years the series has evolved. The series has become an alternate route or a gap-year for the top Formula One prospects. The series still has plenty of domestically developed drivers but the grid is getting younger. The average age of the 2019 field is 25.85 years old. For comparison, the average age of the Formula One grid is 26.75 years old and the average age of the IndyCar entries that plan on contesting at least ten races or more is 29.6956 years old.
Not all these Super Formula drivers are going to remain in Super Formula or Super GT. Some of these drivers will have careers outside of Japan and that is not including the Formula One hopefuls. Some of these drivers may even end up in the top echelons of sports car racing or even head to IndyCar.
On top of the young grid with names that will be around for years to come, Super Formula has adopted a new chassis with the Dallara SF19 being introduced, replacing the Dallara SF14. This will be the first Super Formula chassis to include a halo.
All of these reasons are why we should keep an eye on Super Formula in 2019 and this preview will go over the schedule and all entries. We will go over what are the teams, who are driving for those teams, what these drivers have accomplished and a look at what the future for these drivers could be.
Schedule
The schedule is simple, seven rounds at six tracks with one round for each of the next seven months.
The season begins this weekend at Suzuka on April 21st. Autopolis will hold the second round on May 19th. Last year's Autopolis round was cancelled due to weather conditions. The third round will be at Sportsland SUGO on June 23rd. Super Formula will head to Toyota's Fuji Speedway on July 14th, the middle round of the championship.
On August 18th, Super Formula goes to Twin Ring Motegi and Okayama will host the penultimate round on September 29th. The final round will be at Suzuka on October 27th.
Teams:
DoCoMo Team Dandelion Racing
Naoki Yamamoto: #1 DoCoMo Dandelion M1S SF19-Honda
What has Yamamoto done: Yamamoto is coming off a double championship season, taking the Super Formula and Super GT GT500 titles and becoming only the fourth driver to achieve such an accomplishment. Prior to 2018, Yamamoto won the 2013 Super Formula title and he won the 2013 Suzuka 1000.
What could be in his future: Yamamoto's GT500 co-driver Jenson Button said Yamamoto is worthy of Formula One and with Honda powering two teams in Formula One. It would not be crazy to think within two or three years he could get a shot with Toro Rosso. Yamamoto also enters this season at 30 years old and unless Honda really pushes the envelope I do not see him getting that shot. However, could IndyCar be in his cards? He is 30. Takuma Sato is 42 and is winning races. Sato made his IndyCar when he was 32 years old. DoCoMo is the sponsor of Team Dandelion Racing and its parent company is NTT. Sato is not getting any younger and there is a history of Japanese drivers on the IndyCar grid. Could NTT grease some elbows and get Honda's best driver domestically in Japan to move to the United States? Yamamoto could spend 10-12 years in IndyCar if he moves over in the next few years but he very well could end up having a long and successful career in Japan. I think he will end up doing more outside his home nation.
As for this season, I think Yamamoto will put up a valiant title defense and he should win a race or two. If he does that he very well could win the championship but it will all come down to what happens in the remaining rounds.
Nirei Fukuzumi: #5 DoCoMo Dandelion M5Y SF19-Honda
What has Fukuzumi done: Fukuzumi spent the last three years in Europe, the first two years in the GP3 Series where he won two races and finished third in the championship in his second GP3 season. Last year, he ran the full Fomrula Two season and scored 17 points. He also ran four of seven Super Formula races but did not score a point.
What could be in his future: Similar to Yamamoto, I think Fukuzumi could end up in IndyCar. He was doing well in Europe and is coming back to Japan. He is 22 years old and he could be a long-term option for Honda in IndyCar.
Fukuzumi was competitive in testing and was not far off his teammate and in some cases he was quicker than Yamamoto. I think he will be a regular points scorer and end up on the podium a few times. Could he win a race? I wouldn't rule it out but it will not come easy.
Kondō Racing
Kenta Yamashita: #3 Orientalbio Kondo SF19-Toyota
What has Yamashita done: Yamashita twice finished runner-up in the All-Japan Formula 3 Championship before he won the title in 2016. In 2015 and 2017 he ran full-time in Super GT's GT300 class and won a race in Autopolis. In 2017, he joined Super Formula and won pole position at Motegi. He contested full seasons in both Super GT and Super Fomrula last year and he finished third in the final race of the season, the first podium finish in his Super Formula career.
What could be in his future: Yamashita has been fairly successful but he has yet to have a major breakthrough. He is still a relatively new driver in Super GT and Super Formula. He is definitely down the pecking order when it comes to Toyota drivers but he was one of the top Toyota drivers during testing. He is coming off his best finish and Kondō Racing won the teams' championship last year. I think Yamashita could be pushing for the top five of the championship.
Yuji Kunimoto: #4 Orientalbio Kondo SF19-Toyota
What has Kunimoto done: Kunimoto won the 2016 Super Formula championship but he has only finished on the podium twice in the last two seasons, both third place results and in eight seasons, his championship season is the only seasons he won a race. He has spent the last ten seasons in Super GT with two victories in GT500, his most recent victory at Buriram in 2016. In 2017, he made his 24 Hours of Le Mans debut in the third Toyota TS050 Hybrid that retired after 160 laps.
What could be in his future: Kunimoto could be that next Toyota driver to make a move into the LMP1 program. He has the experience and depending on whether or not Fernando Alonso comes back for the 2019-20 FIA World Endurance Championship Kunimoto could be the driver to fill that opening.
Kunimoto was not far off his teammate in testing and I think this season can be marginally better than his last two in Super Formula.
UOMO SUNOCO Team LeMans
Artem Markelov: #7 UOMO SUNOCO SF19-Toyota
What has Markelov done: Markelov spent the last five seasons in GP2/Formula Two, all driving for Russian Time, where he won nine races and was vice-champion in 2017 and he was fifth in the championship last year. He participated in first practice of last year's Russian Grand Prix for Renault.
What could be in his future: Markelov was at the bottom of the timesheet for most of testing and I think he will struggle. I am not sure where Markelov's career goes from here. The Formula One route didn't work out. Could he end up like most Russian drivers and in the SMP Racing program? Yeah, probably.
Kazuya Oshima: #8 UOMO SUNOCO SF19-Toyota
What has Oshima done: Oshima has spent the last 13 seasons competing in Super GT and he won the 2007 GT300 championship, was 2016 GT500 vice-champion and he finished third in the championship in 2017. He has spent seven seasons in Super Formula split from 2009-12 and 2015-18. His only Super Formula victory was at Sportsland SUGO in 2010. He has not won in Super GT since the 2013 finale at Motegi.
What could be in his future: Oshima is kind of set with a career in Japan. Nothing wrong with that and for this year I think he will be ahead of Markelov most of the year but points scoring will be rare.
Team Mugen
Daniel Ticktum: #15 Team Mugen SF19-Honda
What has Ticktum done: In 2015, he intentionally caused an accident behind the safety car in MSA Formula and received a two-year ban from motorsports with one year being a suspended ban. Since returning, he has won the Macau Grand Prix the last two years and he was vice-champion in FIA Formula 3 European Championship last year to Mick Schumacher and he made a handful of starts in GP3 and Formula Two. He made two starts in Super Formula last year filling in for Fukuzumi when he had a Formula Two conflict.
What could be in his future: Ticktum is on the Red Bull Formula One path, which could be great or it could ruin his career before he is 22 years old. He turns 20 in June for perspective. Red Bull wanted him in Toro Rosso this year but he didn't have enough Super License points and the team had to settle with Daniil Kvyat. Team Mugen won the title last year with Yamamoto but Yamamoto left the team over his dissatisfaction over the team's results. Yamamoto carried the load for this team and was the only driver to score points. I think Ticktum only gets a handful of points and again will fall short of the Super License points desired. He needs five points meaning he needs to finish fifth in the championship this year. Unless Team Mugen has a massive turnaround I do not see that happening.
Tomoki Nojiri: #16 Team Mugen SF19-Honda
What has Nbjiri done: Nojiri won in his seventh Super Formula start back in 2014. Since then, he has four podium finishes in the last four seasons, all third place finishes. Nojiri has also spent the last five seasons in Super GT and he was third in the GT500 championship last year with victories at Suzuka and Motegi.
What could be in his future: Nojiri was apart of the Team Dandelion Racing-Team Mugen team swap. I think he will finish ahead of Ticktum in the championship. I think he has settled into a good spot in Honda's Japanese programs.
Real Racing
Tristan Charpentier: #17 Real SF19-Honda
What has Charpentier done: Charpentier was fifth in the 2016 French F4 Championship with six podium finishes, including a victory at the Bugatti Circuit in Le Mans. He moved to the BRDC British Formula Three Championship in 2017 making five starts and he made 13 starts in the series last year. He had a runner-up finish at Oulton Park and finished third at Spa-Francorchamps.
What could be in his future: I am not sure. Charpenter is the most inexperience driver on the grid and he was at the bottom of each test session. It would be a surprise if he scored points this season. Worst case scenario is he will be an LMP3 driver or LMP2 driver in the European Le Mans Series in the next few years.
carrozzeria Team KCMG
Kamui Kobayashi: #18 KCMG Elyse SF19-Toyota
What has Kobayashi done: After a successful career in Europe with victories in GP2, Kobayashi spent four years in Formula One with his best finish being third in the 2012 Japanese Grand Prix with Sauber. He has spent the last four seasons in Super Formula but has yet to win a victory with three runner-up finishes. He ran his first full season in Super GT last year and won at Buriram. He has spent the last three seasons in Toyota's LMP1 program and he has three victories including two in this current season where he is currently second in the championship.
What could be in his future: Kobayashi is set. He is a Toyota LMP1 driver. He is set. It is surprising he has yet to win a race in this series after four seasons. If it is going to happen it should happen in year five.
Itochu Enex Team Impul
Yuhi Sekiguchi: #19 Itochu Enex Team Impul SF19-Toyota
What has Sekiguchi done: Sekiguchi has spent 11 seasons in Super GT and while he has four victories he has never finished better than fourth in the championship. He has only spent three seasons in Super Formula but he has won four races and he has finished third, fourth and fourth in the championship in those respective seasons.
What could be in his future: Sekiguchi has been on the fringe of championship contention for the last few seasons but this year could be a step back and part of the reason comes in from within the team. He could finish in the top five of the championship.
Ryō Hirakawa: #20 Itochu Enex Team Impul SF19-Toyota
What has Hirakawa done: This will be his fifth season in Super Formula. Last year, he returned after two years focusing on sports cars. In five Super GT seasons, he has five victories and he was 2017 GT500 championship. In 2016 and 2017, he ran in the European Le Mans Series with Thiriet by TDS Racing and G-Drive Racing and he scored three victories in those two seasons as well as making starts in the 24 Hours of Le Mans each season. He also tested for Dale Coyne Racing at Sonoma in 2012.
What could be in his future: Hirakawa seems to be a rising star. He finished one point behind Sekiguchi in the championship last year. I think he will get his first career victory this season and be the top Team Impul driver. Like Kunimoto I think Hirakawa is another driver who could factor into the Toyota LMP1 program. Even if he doesn't, I think Hirakawa could be in sports cars. Looking back on that IndyCar test nearly seven years ago, he went on to win the All-Japan Formula 3 Championship and Porsche Carrera Cup Japan that year. It could have been a case of Dale Coyne finding a diamond in a rough and Coyne keeps drivers in his contacts. Who knows, once the Sébastien Bourdais-era ends Coyne might be making a call.
Vantelin Team TOM's
Kazuki Nakajima: #36 Vantelin Kowa TOM's SF19-Toyota
What has Nakajima done: Let's cover Nakajima's exploits at a glance: Two seasons in Formula One with Williams. Two-time Super Formula champion and he has nine victories in eight seasons. He has spent seven seasons in Super GT but he has yet to win a championship despite seven victories in his career. He has been in the Toyota LMP1 program since it began in 2012. He has won ten FIA World Endurance Championship races, including the 2018 24 Hours of Le Mans and he leads this season's championship with two races remaining.
What could be in his future: Nakajima is set. He is the staple of the Toyota LMP1 program. He has only won one race in the last three seasons. I think he will be a championship contender and I think it is because of his new teammate, Nick Cassidy.
Nick Cassidy: #37 Vantelin Kowa TOM's SF19-Toyota
What has Cassidy done: This will be Cassidy's third year in Super Formula and last year he lost the title by one-point to Yamamoto. He won the 2017 Super GT GT500 title but lost last year's title to Yamamoto and Jenson Button by three points. Prior to this, he won the Toyota Racing Series championship twice and he was the 2015 All-Japan Formula 3 champion. He made his 24 Hours of Daytona this year with the Lexus GTD program.
What could be in his future: Cassidy is something special and I think Toyota has eyes on him. He was unfortunate roles were not reversed between him and Yamamoto. He led the Super Formula championship entering the final round and was one point behind Yamamoto and Button in GT500 entering the final race. He has to be on Toyota's radar for the LMP1 program. What else could he do? I don't see him being a full-time driver in the Lexus GTD program but if Lexus/Toyota decides to enter DPi, I wouldn't be surprised if he got a call.
JMS P.mu/cerumo INGING
Hiroaki Ishiura: #38 JMS P.mu/cerumo INGING SF19-Toyota
What has Ishiura done: Ishiura won the 2015 and 2017 Super Formula championships and he finished third in the championship last year with a victory at Motegi. He has spent 13 seasons in Super GT and won the 2007 GT300 championship. He has won seven Super GT races, including two victories in the Suzuka 1000.
What could be in his future: Ishiura has a career in Japan and I think he will be competitive but take a step back from third in the championship. He has won at least one race each of the last four seasons. That could end this year. I think the grid is really good.
Sho Tsuboi: #39 JMS P.mu/cerumo INGING SF19-Toyota
What has Tsuboi done: Tsuboi spent the last three years in the All-Japan Formula 3 Championship where he finished third in 2016, second in 2017 and he won the championship last year after winning 17 of 19 races with his other two results being second place finishes. In 55 All-Japan Formula 3 starts, Tsuboi won 20 races and had 44 podium finishes. He also won the 2015 F4 Japanese Championship.
What could be in his future: This is part of the reason why Ishiura will take a step back. Tsuboi was slightly faster than Ishiura in testing and he is coming in as a promising young driver. He has dominated the junior series in Japan. Despite his success, he is 23 years old. This isn't a teenager but he is still young and this is his first big step. He needs to get results and I think he will do well. I think he could finish on the podium.
B-MAX with Motopark
Lucas Auer: #50 Red Bull SF19-Honda
What has Auer done: After winning races in the FIA Formula 3 Euro Series, Auer spent the last four seasons in the Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters and he won four races in that time driving for Mercedes-Benz. He returned to single-seater racing for the first time in five years this winter in the Toyota Racing Series and he finished third in the championship.
What could be in his future: I am not sure. Auer is returning to single-seaters and it is a new set of tracks for him. I do not have high hopes for him. Maybe he scores a few points, which would be a big step up since B-MAX has not scored a point the last two seasons.
Harrison Newey: #51 Goldex Tairoku Racing SF19-Honda
What has Newey done: Newey spent 2016 and 2017 in the Formula 3 European Championship but transitioned to sports cars in the 2017-18 Asian Le Mans Series where he won the LMP2 championship with Jackie Chan DC Racing x Jota. He spent 2018 in the European Le Mans Series and in the most recent ALMS season he finished runner-up in the championship.
What could be in his future: Testing was promising. Newey was consistently 13th or 14th in testing. Maybe he gets a finish or two in the points but the bar is kept low.
TCS Nakajima Racing
Álex Palou: #64 TCS Nakajima Racing SF19-Honda
What has Palou done: Palou ran in the GP3 Series in 2015 and 2016 and he won a race at Yas Marina but in 2017 he moved to Japan and finished this in the All-Japan Formula 3 Championship. He also made four starts in Formula Two and scored points in both races from Jerez. He moved back to Europe and the FIA Formula 3 European Championship in 2018 where he had six podium finishes before finishing seventh in the championship.
What could be in his future: Palou has shown spurts of speed throughout his junior formula career. He took the old school path of leaving the European ladder system for a shot in Japan similar to Pedro de la Rosa, Ralf Schumacher and Michael Krumm. Nakajima Racing has not won a race since he 2010 season opener at Suzuka. Palou was quickest at the Suzuka test and was toward the top of the timesheet in the Fuji test. I think he will score points and maybe he could score a surprise podium finish or even victory.
Tadasuke Makino: #65 TCS Nakajima Racing SF19-Honda
What has Makino done: Makino was vice-champion in the 2015 F4 Japanese Championship to Tsuboi by three points. In 2016, he ran the All-Japan Formula 3 Championship and finished fifth and he also started the final three Super GT races and finished runner-up on debut in Buriram. He moved to Europe in 2017 and ran in the FIA Formula 3 European Championship. He moved to Formula Two for 2018 with Russian Time and he won the Monza feature race but finished 13th in the championship.
What could be in his future: Makino was slower than his teammate in testing and I think Makino will score some points. As for the long-term, after years in Europe, he now has to establish who he is in Japan and has to build from here.
The season opening race will be at 1:00 a.m. ET on Sunday April 21st.
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