2018 Super Formula Championship
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The 2018 Japanese Super Formula Championship was the forty-sixth season of premier Japanese open-wheel motor racing, and the sixth under the moniker of Super Formula. The season began on 22 April and is scheduled to end on 28 October at the same place after seven rounds.
2018 was the final season that the Dallara SF14 chassis package—which débuted in the 2014 Super Formula Championship—was used in competition; as a brand new chassis package will be introduced for the 2019 season but the engine configuration will remain the same.
Teams and drivers
Every Honda-powered car used a Honda HR-414E engine and every Toyota-powered car used a Toyota RI4A engine.
Driver changes
- Nissan Super GT driver Katsumasa Chiyo replaced Takashi Kogure in the B-MAX Racing Team.
- 2017 World Series Formula V8 3.5 champion Pietro Fittipaldi replaced Felix Rosenqvist in the Team LeMans. Tom Dillmann is scheduled to substitute Fittipaldi at the Autopolis and Sugo rounds, who will be busy due to his 2018 IndyCar Series commitments. After Fittipaldi was injured at the 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps, Dillman replaced Fittipaldi for more rounds.
- Pierre Gasly left the series to compete in Formula One with Scuderia Toro Rosso. His place at Team Mugen was taken by Nirei Fukuzumi, who finished third in the 2017 GP3 Series. Fukuzumi will also compete in the FIA Formula 2 Championship, and is set to prioritise F2 rounds over Super Formula where any dates clash.
- André Lotterer left the TOM'S team and the championship after fifteen consecutive seasons since 2003. His seat was taken by James Rossiter, formerly of Kondo Racing who returns after a season out.
- Nobuharu Matsushita returned to Japan after two seasons in the GP2 Series and one season in the FIA Formula 2 Championship, joining Docomo Team Dandelion Racing. He takes the seat of Takuya Izawa, who moved to Nakajima Racing.
- Ryo Hirakawa returned to Super Formula for the first time since 2015 with Team Impul, replacing Jann Mardenborough.
Race calendar and results
Due to scheduling restrictions imposed by the concurrent Japan WTCR round, the final round of the calendar at Suzuka Circuit will now feature a single race instead of the originally planned double-header.
| Round | Circuit | Date | Pole position | Fastest lap | Winning driver | Winning team |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Suzuka Circuit | 22 April | Japan Naoki Yamamoto | United Kingdom James Rossiter | Japan Naoki Yamamoto | Team Mugen |
| 2 | Autopolis | 13 May | Japan Ryo Hirakawa | Race cancelled due to weather conditions | ||
| 3 | Sportsland SUGO | 27 May | Japan Tomoki Nojiri | Japan Yuhi Sekiguchi | Japan Naoki Yamamoto | Team Mugen |
| 4 | Fuji Speedway | 8 July | New Zealand Nick Cassidy | New Zealand Nick Cassidy | New Zealand Nick Cassidy | Kondo Racing |
| 5 | Twin Ring Motegi | 19 August | Japan Hiroaki Ishiura | Japan Nirei Fukuzumi | Japan Hiroaki Ishiura | JMS P.mu/Cerumo・INGING |
| 6 | Okayama International Circuit | 9 September | Japan Yuhi Sekiguchi | Japan Kamui Kobayashi | Japan Yuhi Sekiguchi | Itochu Enex Team Impul |
| 7 | Suzuka Circuit | 27 October | Japan Naoki Yamamoto | Japan Yuhi Sekiguchi | Japan Naoki Yamamoto | Team Mugen |
Championship standings
Drivers' Championship
Scoring system
| Position | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | Pole |
| Rounds 1-6 | 10 | 8 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 1 |
| Round 7 | 13 | 8 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 1 |
Driver standings
| Pos | Driver | SUZ | AUT | SUG | FUJ | MOT | OKA | SUZ | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Japan Naoki Yamamoto | 1 | C | 1 | 8 | 7 | 10 | 1 | 38 |
| 2 | New Zealand Nick Cassidy | 7 | C | 2 | 1 | 3 | 5 | 2 | 37 |
| 3 | Japan Hiroaki Ishiura | 4 | C | 11 | 2 | 1 | 7 | 11 | 25 |
| 4 | Japan Yuhi Sekiguchi | 2 | C | 13 | 6 | 16 | 1 | 8 | 18 |
| 5 | Japan Ryo Hirakawa | Ret | C | 9 | 4 | 2 | 3 | Ret | 17 |
| 6 | Japan Kazuki Nakajima | 8 | C | 3 | 5 | 17 | 5 | 15 | |
| 7 | Japan Tomoki Nojiri | 3 | C | 7 | 14 | 8 | 4 | 9 | 12.5 |
| 8 | Japan Yuji Kunimoto | 13 | C | Ret | 3 | 15 | 8 | 4 | 11.5 |
| 9 | Japan Kenta Yamashita | 9 | C | 8 | 18 | 6 | 6 | 3 | 11.5 |
| 10 | Japan Kamui Kobayashi | 10 | C | 6 | 12 | 2 | 13 | 7 | |
| 11 | Japan Nobuharu Matsushita | 12 | C | 10 | 9 | 4 | 9 | 7 | 7 |
| 12 | Japan Kazuya Oshima | 15 | C | 15 | 7 | 5 | 16 | 14 | 6 |
| 13 | Japan Koudai Tsukakoshi | 6 | C | 12 | 13 | 10 | 12 | 6 | 6 |
| 14 | France Tom Dillmann | C | 4 | 10 | 12 | Ret | 15 | 5 | |
| 15 | India Narain Karthikeyan | 17 | C | 5 | 16 | 11 | 13 | 17 | 4 |
| 16 | Japan Takuya Izawa | 5 | C | 14 | 15 | 14 | 14 | 16 | 4 |
| 17 | United Kingdom James Rossiter | 11 | C | Ret | 19 | 9 | 11 | Ret | 0 |
| 18 | Japan Katsumasa Chiyo | 14 | C | Ret | 17 | 19 | 15 | 10 | 0 |
| 19 | United Kingdom Dan Ticktum | Ret | 11 | 0 | |||||
| 20 | Japan Nirei Fukuzumi | Ret | 17 | 18 | 12 | 0 | |||
| 21 | Japan Yuichi Nakayama | 13 | 0 | ||||||
| 22 | Brazil Pietro Fittipaldi | 16 | 0 | ||||||
| 23 | Brazil João Paulo de Oliveira | 18 | 0 | ||||||
| — | Japan Sena Sakaguchi | C | — | ||||||
| Pos | Driver | SUZ | AUT | SUG | FUJ | MOT | OKA | SUZ | Points |
Teams' Championship
| Pos | Team | No. | SUZ | AUT | SUG | FUJ | MOT | OKA | SUZ | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kondo Racing | 3 | 7 | C | 2 | 1 | 3 | 5 | 2 | 47.5 |
| 4 | 9 | C | 8 | 18 | 6 | 6 | 3 | |||
| 2 | Team Mugen | 15 | Ret | C | Ret | 11 | 17 | 18 | 12 | 36 |
| 16 | 1 | C | 1 | 8 | 7 | 10 | 1 | |||
| 3 | P.mu/Cerumo・INGING | 1 | 4 | C | 11 | 2 | 1 | 7 | 11 | 35.5 |
| 2 | 13 | C | Ret | 3 | 15 | 8 | 4 | |||
| 4 | Itochu Enex Team Impul | 19 | 2 | C | 13 | 6 | 16 | 1 | 8 | 33 |
| 20 | Ret | C | 9 | 4 | 2 | 3 | Ret | |||
| 5 | Docomo Team Dandelion Racing | 5 | 3 | C | 7 | 14 | 8 | 4 | 9 | 18.5 |
| 6 | 12 | C | 10 | 9 | 4 | 9 | 7 | |||
| 6 | Vantelin Team Tom's | 36 | 8 | C | 3 | 5 | 18 | 17 | 5 | 15 |
| 37 | 11 | C | Ret | 19 | 9 | 11 | Ret | |||
| 7 | UOMO Sunoco Team LeMans | 7 | 16 | C | 4 | 10 | 12 | Ret | 15 | 11 |
| 8 | 15 | C | 15 | 7 | 5 | 16 | 14 | |||
| 8 | TCS Nakajima Racing | 64 | 17 | C | 5 | 16 | 11 | 13 | 17 | 8 |
| 65 | 5 | C | 14 | 15 | 14 | 14 | 16 | |||
| 9 | carrozzeria Team KCMG | 18 | 10 | C | 6 | 12 | 13 | 2 | 13 | 7 |
| 10 | REAL Racing | 17 | 6 | C | 12 | 13 | 10 | 12 | 6 | 6 |
| 11 | B-MAX Racing Team | 50 | 14 | C | Ret | 17 | 19 | 15 | 10 | 0 |
| Pos | Team | No. | SUZ | AUT | SUG | FUJ | MOT | OKA | SUZ | Points |
Notes
External links
- 2017-02-22 at the Wayback Machine (in English)