Photo: Formula Motorsport Ltd
Super Formula has revealed the full entry list for its post-season test at Suzuka on December 6-8, which includes the official rookie test for the top-tier single-seater series.
The rookie driver eligibility is under similar parameters to how Formula 1 runs its official young driver test sessions.
Making the step up from Formula 2 are champion Theo Pourchaire and his title rival Ayumu Iwasa. Sauber junior Pourchaire will do the first two days of the test with Team Impul, and is expected to moving to SF in 2024 after failing to land an F1 seat with the team that has supported his career since 2019.
Honda junior Iwasa has already secured his place on next year’s SF grid, so will be doing the full test with Team Mugen to prepare for his rookie campaign.
Kondo Racing is running two drivers with similar backstories on the final day of testing. The first is 2017 Japanese Formula 3 champion Mitsunori Takaboshi, who is now 30 years old and has a best finish of 11th from two SF starts which he made in 2020 and ’21. The other is Teppei Natori, a former Honda junior who was a Euroformula race-winner in 2019, won the 2021 title in Super Formula Lights (the successor to Japanese F3) but has not raced in single-seaters since.
Nakajima Racing will be running Riki Okusa, a Formula Regional Japanese Championship race-winner who contested the 2023 SF season finale with TGM Grand Prix, on the final day.
Alongside the F2 racers, there are two other drivers coming from a second-tier series for a taste of SF. Indy Nxt’s rookie of the year Nolan Siegel, who came third in the standings with two wins, will join B-MAX Racing for the test’s last day while Rasmus Lindh – who was 14th in the 2023 Indy Nxt standings with one podium – will drive on days two and three for TGM GP.
The other junior single-seater racers taking part all come from third-tier series.
SF Lights’ Russian-Japanese champion Iori Kimura will do the full test with B-MAX, and be joined by fellow Honda junior and SF Lights race-winner Syun Koide for the first two days, SF’s official esports ambassador Igor Fraga has been called up by Nakajima Racing for days two and three, FIA F3 race-winner David Vidales will drive for TOM’S on the final day and TGM GP has chosen to run to Juju Noda – a winner in Euroformula but relatively inexperienced on the circuits of her home country Japan – for all three days.
Junior single-seater stars at Super Formula post-season testing
| No. | Driver | Team | 2023 |
|---|---|---|---|
| #15 | Ayumu Iwasa | Team Mugen | 3rd in F2 |
| #19A | Theo Pourchaire | Team Impul | F2 champion |
| #37B | David Vidales | TOM’S | 9th in SF Lights |
| #50 | Iori Kimura | B-MAX Racing | SF Lights champion |
| #51A | Syun Koide | B-MAX Racing | 3rd in SF Lights |
| #51B | Nolan Siegel | B-MAX Racing | 3rd in Indy Nxt |
| #53 | Juju Noda | TGM GP | 8th in Euroformula |
| #55B | Rasmus Lindh | TGM GP | 14th in Indy Nxt |
| #64B | Igor Fraga | Nakajima Racing | 4th in SF Lights |