2014 SUPER FORMULAThe 2014 Super Formula season features a brand new car. After five seasons running with the old Swift models, the series is now supplied by Dallara. The targets of the new chassi supplier was to improve the performance of the cars and set new lap time records in all the tracks of the series. The chassi is a mix of a special identity design, made specially for the series and the current standard of front and rear wings. There are several different opinions regarding the change, the only knowed fact is that the cars indeed improved they performance, but the chassi isn't the only new feature in this season.
As well as F1, Super Formula also changes it's engines to a turbo-charged engine. They are a 4 cylinder, 2.0l engine and there are two engine suppliers in the series, the traditional rivalry, Honda and Toyota. Following the chassi and engine changes, the series features a brand new steering-wheel, everything is set for a new and exciting era in the mainly open-wheel series in Japan.
Dallara has build a total of 20 chassis and there are already 19 entries for the season, a very good number for the first year of a new chassi. In the last time the series featured a chassi change, back in 2009, the first round of the year had only 13 cars on track, that's already a great improvement for the series.
The heavyweights are still there and ready for the new challenge. The drivers had a very promising feel of the new cars during the Winter Tests at Suzuka and Fuji. In both tracks, the previous track records were broken, in Suzuka, Loic Duval set the impressive time of 1:36.475 and at Fuji, Lotterer was only 3s away from the 2008 F1 record at the same track, setting his lap time in 1:21.554. There are three rookies in 2014, one of them, a former F1 driver, the italian Vitantonio Liuzzi. Not a rookie, but a long time comeback, Narain Karthikeyan make it back to the series, where he run for just one season, more than a decade ago, in 2001.
So now, let's know all the teams and drivers, one by one, with photos and numbers!
Teams and DriversTeam Mugen - Honda#01 Naoki Yamamoto
Japan, 25 Years old
Races: 30
Points: 66,5
Wins: 1
Poles: 3
Titles: 1 (2013)
Debut: Suzuka 2010, Nakajima Racing#02 Yuhki Nakayama
Japan, 26 Years old
Races: 9
Points: 1
Wins: 0
Poles: 0
Titles: 0
Debut: Fuji 2012, HP Real RacingThe official Mugen team in the series, has it's hopes, once again in their first driver, Naoki Yamamoto. The japanese comes in 2014 in the spotlight, after winning the 2013 season and hopes to show the team strenght again, although, the current problems in the Honda engines, might have a very bad consequence for his title hopes if the japanese manufacturer doesn't find the issues soon. Yuhki Nakayama completes the team, after a year with HP Real Racing.
Kondo Racing - Toyota#03 James Rossiter
Great Britain, 30 Years old
Races: 3
Points: 2,5
Wins: 0
Poles: 0
Titles: 0
Debut: Suzuka 2013, Petronas Team TOM'SThe traditional Kondo Racing, after running for three years in a row with the japanese driver, Hironobu Yasuda, now bets in a british driver for the 2014 season. James Rossiter made his debut in the series in 2013, replacing Andre Lotterer in the round the german were involved with the WEC. The results weren't the best, but they were enough to guarantee a seat in the 2014 season. The last time Kondo Racing had a proper good season was in 2008, when the team still had João Paulo de Oliveira as it's main driver. Rossiter has the hard mission to guide the team back to the front positions.
Team LeMans - Toyota#07 Ryo Hirakawa
Japan, 20 Years old
Races: 7
Points: 9
Wins: 0
Poles: 0
Titles: 0
Debut: Suzuka 2013, Team LeMans#08 Loic Duval
France, 31 Years old
Races: 57
Points: 275,5
Wins: 11
Poles: 8
Titles: 1 (2009)
Debut: Fuji 2006, PIAA NakajimaAnother very traditional team that's trying to rescue it's best days. Team LeMans was responsible for Satoshi's Motoyama first title in Formula Nippon, back in 1998 and now have on the frenchman Loic Duval, their best hopes to win a title again after a decade and a half. Loic Duval won his first and only title in the series, back in 2009 for Nakajima Racing. Loic Duval's teammate is the young a very talented japanese, Ryo Hirakawa, who won the Japanese F3 in 2012 with a large and incredible difference for the other drivers, in one of the most amazing dominances of a single driver in the history of the series. In Super Formula Hirakawa had a learning year in 2013, but ended the season setting the fastest lap in both Suzuka races in the last round. The hopes are high and 2014 may see very good performances of the japanese driver.
HP Real Racing - Honda#10 Koudai Tsukakoshi
Japan, 27 Years old
Races: 38
Points: 101,5
Wins: 1
Poles: 2
Titles: 0
Debut: Fuji 2009, HFDP Racing#11 Vitantonio Liuzzi
Italy, 33 Years old
RookieSince it's debut in the series, back in 2011, Real Racing was never able to make a real impact. In 2013, the team took Koudai Tsukakoshi from DoCoMo Dandelion, after a very good season were the japanese finished 2nd in the championship, although, not even Tsukakoshi could make a difference for the team. In 2014, Real Racing still bets on Tsukakoshi and brings a well knowed face of F1 to try an improvement for the team. Vitantonio Liuzzi comes to the series with a lot of expectations, but the Honda problems in the Winter Tests were a cold shower on his hopes for the first season in Super Formula, anyway, the way Liuzzi will adjust to the series is something very interesting to be followed in 2014.
KCMG - Toyota#18 Yuichi Nakayama
Japan, 22 Years old
RookieKCMG comes for it's 5th season in the series and counts with the young japanese driver, Yuichi Nakayama. We've previsouly went into the dominance set by Hirakawa in 2012, but that was nothing compared to what Nakayama did in 2013. In 13 races, the very talented japanese driver won 11 and finished 2nd in other two. A completelly new record setting to the history of Japanese F3. The driver didn't even took part of the last two races of the season, following so much strenght showed all over the season. Debuting in a team like KCMG, that doesn't have the same "know how" of the heavyweights isn't the best for a rookie, so we can't expect much from Nakayama in his first season, but it's certain that after such a great performance in F3, people will be counting the days to watch the driver back in action.
Team Impul - Toyota#19 João Paulo de Oliveira
Brazil, 32 Years old
Races: 51
Points: 180
Wins: 5
Poles: 7
Titles: 1 (2010)
Debut: Suzuka 2006, M&O 5Zigen#20 Narain Karthikeyan
India, 37 Years old
Races: 10
Points: 2
Wins: 0
Poles: 0
Titles: 0
Debut: Suzuka 2001, excite ImpulThe most successful team in the series and one of the most successful team in Japanese Motorsports in general, Team Impul, from the japanese legend, Kazuyoshi Hoshino, comes in 2014 trusting again in the talent of the brazilian, João Paulo de Oliveira, the man who took the team to it's last title in the series, back in 2010. Together with Oliveira, a long time comeback, Narain Karthikeyan, who drove for the same Impul in 2001, returns to the series after more than a decade away. In the first tests, the indian driver has proved to have quickly adjusted to the new car, as well as Oliveira and we can expect Team Impul, once again, fighting for the first places.
Nakajima Racing - Honda#31 Daisuke Nakajima
Japan, 25 Years old
Races: 22
Points: 8
Wins: 0
Poles: 0
Titles: 0
Debut: Suzuka 2011, Nakajima Racing#32 Takashi Kogure
Japan, 33 Years old
Races: 95
Points: 238,5
Wins: 7
Poles: 15
Titles: 0
Debut: Suzuka 2003, PIAA NakajimaFor the 4th season in a row, Nakajima Racing repeats the couple of drivers. Daisuke Nakajima, the younger son of the veteran Satoru Nakajima never showed a real good performance, but supported by his father starts another season, trying to prove himself worth of the place in the traditional team. In the other hand, with Takashi Kogure the team have the most experienced driver of the grid and a long time member of the team. Kogure will hit the mark of 100 races during the 2014 season, a fantastic achievement for the talented driver, who were many times close to fight for a title, but never really won it. This is another chance for Kogure, who's loved by the japanese supporters for his driving style and good talent.
Petronas Team TOM'S - Toyota#36 Andre Lotterer
Germany, 32 Years old
Races: 91
Points: 401,5
Wins: 18
Poles: 5
Titles: 1 (2011)
Debut: Suzuka 2003, PIAA Nakajima#37 Kazuki Nakajima
Japan, 29 Years old
Races: 22
Points: 112
Wins: 5
Poles: 2
Titles: 1 (2012)
Debut: Suzuka 2011, Petronas Team TOM'STOM'S is without any doubt the most successful team of the last years in Super Formula. With 2 titles in the last 3 seasons, the team saw Lotterer finish 2nd in 2010 and 2013, with Nakajima finishing 2nd in 2011. The incredible mark shows the strenght of this team, that takes the series very seriously and does an amazing work. For the 4th season in a row, Andre Lotterer and Kazuki Nakajima are the drivers who will for sure fight for the title. Lotterer is the man with the better numbers among all drivers in the grid and would probably have won the title in 2013 if it wasn't by the races he missed while driving for the WEC. In 2014, Lotterer is avid to add another title to his collection and Nakajima to show again the great performance he did, since his very first race in the series.
P. Mu Cerumo-Inging - Toyota#38 Hiroaki Ishiura
Japan, 32 Years old
Races: 34
Points: 72
Wins: 0
Poles: 0
Titles: 0
Debut: Fuji 2008, Team LeMans#39 Yuji Kunimoto
Japan, 23 Years old
Races: 22
Points: 18,5
Wins: 0
Poles: 0
Titles: 0
Debut: Suzuka 2011, Project μ/Cerumo-IngingCerumo-Inging comes for 2014, betting in the return of a well knowed face of the series, Hiroaki Ishiura, who has been out in the last two seasons and in the house pride, Yuji Kunimoto, who has drove every single race of his career in the series for the Cerumo-Inging. Ishiura appeared very well for Team LeMans, but after a good start in the series, the driver never really made it to the expectations. Yuji Kunimoto is still young and have another chance to improve his performance.
DoCoMo Dandelion - Honda#40 Tomoki Nojiri
Japan, 24 Years old
Rookie#41 Hideki Mutoh
Japan, 31 Years old
Races: 19
Points: 1
Wins: 0
Poles: 0
Titles: 0
Debut: Fuji 2006, PIAA NakajimaDoCoMo Dandelion has the most inexperienced couple of the season. While Tomoki Nojiri is a rookie coming from Japanese F3, Hideki Mutoh was out of the series for a long time, until his return in 2012 for Real Racing, when he did only two races. In 2013, Mutoh run the whole season at Real Racing, but still, unable to score a single point. For such a traditional team like Dandelion, with a new chassi and the current engine problems, the lack of experience from the drivers may have a bad impact, although, Nojiri has did well in the Winter Tests taking in count the bad problems with the Honda engines.
Tochigi Le Beausset - Toyota#62 Koki Saga
Japan, 30 Years old
Races: 22
Points: 0
Wins: 0
Poles: 0
Titles: 0
Debut: Suzuka 2011, Le BeaussetCreated to bring Koki Saga to the series, Le Beausset comes for it's 4th season with only one car, the Koki Saga car. The japanese driver who's son of an important member of Toyota never showed a good performance, in 22 races, not a single point achieved. With the new car and the current problems with the Honda engines, that's probably the best chance for Koki Saga to finally score his first points in the series.
2014 CALENDARRound 01 - Suzuka - April 12, 13th
Round 02 - Fuji - May 17, 18th
Round 03 - Fuji - July 12, 13th
Round 04 - Motegi - August 23, 24th
Round 05 - Autopolis - September 13, 14th
Round 06 - Sugo - Septermber 27, 28th
Round 07 - Suzuka - November 8, 9th2013 Drivers Standings1 - Naoki Yamamoto - 37 Pts
2 - Andre Lotterer - 37 Pts
3 - Loic Duval - 31 Pts
4 - Kazuki Nakajima - 24 Pts
5 - João Paulo de Oliveira - 19 Pts
6 - Tsugio Matsuda - 18,5 Pts
7 - Takuya Izawa - 15 Pts
8 - Takashi Kogure - 15 Pts
9 - Kohei Hirate - 11 Pts
10 - Yuji Kunimoto - 10 Pts
11 - Ryo Hirakawa - 9 Pts
12 - Daisuke Nakajima - 6 Pts
13 - Andrea Caldarelli - 4 Pts
14 - Hironobu Yasuda - 3,5 Pts
15 - Koudai Tsukakoshi - 3 Pts
16 - James Rossiter - 2,5 Pts
17 - Yuhki Nakayama - 1 Pt
18 - Takuma Sato - 0,5 Pts
19 - Koki Saga - 0 Pts
20 - Hideki Mutoh - 0 Pts
21 - Richard Bradley - 0 Pts
22 - Takashi Kobayashi - 0 Pts2013 Teams Standings1 - Petronas Team TOM'S - 58,5 Pts
2 - Team LeMans - 42 Pts
3 - Team Impul - 37,5 Pts
4 - Team Mugen - 32,5 Pts
5 - Cerumo-Inging - 21 Pts
6 - Nakajima Racing - 21 Pts
7 - DoCoMo Dandelion - 14 Pts
8 - HP Real Racing - 4 Pts
9 - Kondo Racing - 3,5 Pts
10 - Tochigi Le Beausset - 0 Pts
11 - KCMG - 0 Pts