Photo: Red Bull
Formula 2 contender Ayumu Iwasa will make his Formula 1 test debut with the AlphaTauri team in Abu Dhabi next week before moving to race in Super Formula from 2024.
Iwasa is third in the standings as he approaches the end of his second season in F2 racing for DAMS, and still has a mathematical chance of winning the title at Yas Marina this weekend – although he is 39 points behind leader Theo Pourchaire with 39 available.
A protege of Honda as well as being part of the Red Bull junior team, Iwasa will drive for Team Mugen in Super Formula in his native Japan next season alongside two-time champion Tomiki Nojiri.
He will therefore replace his former F2 rival Liam Lawson, who finished runner-up as an SF rookie to F2-bound Toyota protege Ritomo Miyata this year.
Lawson is not expected to have a race programme next year as he focuses on his reserve driver role for Red Bull’s F1 teams after starring as a substitute for AlphaTauri in five races this season.
With Lawson no longer counting as a rookie driver, Iwasa will drive one of AlphaTauri’s two cars in Tuesday’s post-season test in Abu Dhabi, with race drivers Daniel Ricciardo and Yuki Tsunoda to share the other.
“I am happy to be able to compete in Super Formula, which leads to the world state, following my experience in F2, and to race in my home country,” Iwasa said.
“Super Formula, which is the second fastest series after F1, is a very exciting challenge for me, as I have followed it closely while competing in F2. I will do my best to achieve my dream of reaching the top of the world, and staying there.”
AlphaTauri will be the only F1 team not also running a rookie driver in Friday’s first free practice session, having already fielded one in both of its cars this season: Nyck de Vries at the start of the year in Bahrain, and Isack Hadjar more recently in Mexico City.