2017 Super Formula season

[Formulahistory]

Next season B-Max from Japanese Formula 3 joins Super Formula grid - what's very nice I think.
Jann Mardenborough could be one of the drivers.

[Formulahistory]

Gasly is in talks with Nakajima. So it could be:

Cerumo: Yuji Kunimoto - Hiroaki Ishiura
TOM's: André Lotterer - Kazuki Nakajima
Impul: Yuhi Sekiguchi - Joao Paulo de Oliveira
Dandelion: Tomoki Nojiri - Kosuke Matsuura
Mugen: Naoki Yamamoto
Kondo: James Rossiter - Kenta Yamashita
Real: Koudai Tsukakoshi - Takuya Izawa
Nakajima: Daisuke Nakajima - Pierre Gasly
Drago: Takashi Kogure
Le Mans: Narain Karthikeyan - Kamui Kobayashi
KCMG: Yuichi Nakayama
BMAX: Jann Mardenborough Tsugio Matsuda

[Formulahistory]

Drago withdraws

Cerumo: Yuji Kunimoto - Hiroaki Ishiura
TOM's: André Lotterer - Kazuki Nakajima
Impul: Yuhi Sekiguchi - Joao Paulo de Oliveira
Dandelion: Tomoki Nojiri - Kosuke Matsuura
Mugen: Naoki Yamamoto
Kondo: James Rossiter - Kenta Yamashita
Real: Koudai Tsukakoshi - Takuya Izawa
Nakajima: Daisuke Nakajima - Pierre Gasly
Le Mans: Narain Karthikeyan - Kamui Kobayashi
KCMG: Yuichi Nakayama
BMAX: Jann Mardenborough - Takashi Kogure

[Formulahistory]

Kondo tests with Kenta Yamashita and Nick Cassidy

[Formulahistory]

Cerumo: Yuji Kunimoto - Hiroaki Ishiura
TOM's: André Lotterer - Kazuki Nakajima
Impul: Yuhi Sekiguchi - Joao Paulo de Oliveira
Dandelion: Tomoki Nojiri - Takuya Izawa
Mugen: Naoki Yamamoto
Kondo: Nick Cassidy - Kenta Yamashita
Real: Koudai Tsukakoshi - Pierre Gasly
Nakajima: Daisuke Nakajima - Bertrand Baguette
Le Mans: Narain Karthikeyan - Kazuya Oshima
KCMG: Kamui Kobayashi
BMAX: Jann Mardenborough - Daiki Sasaki

[Hawkwood]

From motorsport.com, Alex Lynn confirms he's looking at Super Formula as a possibility in 2017.

[Formulahistory]

But I think that's unlikely.

[rjoconnell]

The possible driver/team combos for 2017. Super Formula is good, y'all.

[Alex K]

Lynn also thinks about GT and proto stuff. Also, Japanese Sumarai, does Auto SPort say how many driver will B_Max sign, and where would Gasly, and potentially Lynn go? During the test it all looked set, as if those drivers were coming back for main season.

[LavidaLoca]

Motorsport.com reports that Gasly is likely to sign with Team Lemans (Toyota engine)

http://www.motorsport.com/super-form...-gasly-854903/

[Formulahistory]

Cerumo: Yuji Kunimoto - Hiroaki Ishiura
TOM's: André Lotterer - Kazuki Nakajima
Impul: Yuhi Sekiguchi - Joao Paulo de Oliveira
Dandelion: Tomoki Nojiri - Takuya Izawa
Mugen: Naoki Yamamoto
Kondo: Nick Cassidy - Kenta Yamashita
Real: Koudai Tsukakoshi - Narain Karthikeyan
Nakajima: Daisuke Nakajima - Bertrand Baguette
Le Mans: Pierre Gasly - Kazuya Oshima
KCMG: Kamui Kobayashi
BMAX: Jann Mardenborough - Daiki Sasaki

[rjoconnell]

Valentin K. of Motorsport dot com now saying a deal has been done for Gasly to race at Honda with Nakajima Racing.

Goodness gracious, this is gonna be a fun year.

[Japanese Samurai]

utosport web Super Formula silly seson report
http://www.as-web.jp/super-formula/73975?all

Cerumo/Inging: Ishiura, Kunimoto
KCMG: Kobayashi?
Tom's: K.Nakajima, Sekiguchi?, Rossiter?
IMPUL: Sekiguchi?, Mardenborough?, Sasaki?, Chiyo?
LeMans: Karthikeyan, Oshima
Kondo: Yamashita, Cassidy?, Buller?

MUGEN: Yamamoto
REAL: Tsukakoshi (one car partipation?)
Dandelion: Nojiri, Izawa? New foreign driver?
B-MAX: Sasaki?, Mardenborough?
Nakajima: Gasly, D.Nakajima?, Baguette?

[Formulahistory]

So no Lotterer at TOM's? That would be very sad for the series. Why that?
Real Racing just with one car? Would be very disappointing as well...

Not very good news for Super Formula...

[bella]

what's the kind of budget a driver would need to bring to a team? obviously there's some drivers who aren't in that situation but if a gp2 driver was looking to compete in the series without any manufacturer links...?

[Piritos]

Originally Posted by Formulahistory

So no Lotterer at TOM's? That would be very sad for the series. Why that?

I'm just guessing, but maybe Porsche is not OK with Lotterer racing a Toyota-powered car in Japan? After all, it has looked a bit odd, seeing him in a Toyota-suit one weekend, while racing against factory Toyotas the next weekend in WEC. I mean I have no problem with this at all, I like when teams are open-minded and let their drivers race other cars as well, but I could also understand if Porsche said 'no'.

Or maybe the reason is something completely different, like some personal issues (must be difficult to travel so much between Europe and Japan, maybe after 14 years he just got tired of that, especially as he now has to concentrate on a new workplace in Europe). Maybe he found a nice girl in Europe and doesn't want to be away so much, who knows. Or quite simply, maybe he just couldn't agree on a new deal with TOM's.

[rjoconnell]

As it stands, there's no calendar clashes that would keep Andre from coming back. He's still as good at 35 as he was at 30 and better than he was at 25. Audi had no problems with him racing for a rival marque from WEC from 2012 to 2016, I don't see why Porsche would either.

[Dura_Nicolas]

Originally Posted by bella

what's the kind of budget a driver would need to bring to a team? obviously there's some drivers who aren't in that situation but if a gp2 driver was looking to compete in the series without any manufacturer links...?

The cost it's similar to GP2 series: approx. 1.5 millions of euros but, depending of each team.

[Dura_Nicolas]

Originally Posted by LavidaLoca

Motorsport.com reports that Gasly is likely to sign with Team Lemans (Toyota engine)

http://www.motorsport.com/super-form...-gasly-854903/

I heard today: Pierre (Gasly) don't must to pay to drive the next year! #SFormula Nakajima Racing, Team le Mans, next ? So... Wait and see !

[LavidaLoca]

for your info Gasly is believed to have already signed for Nakajima Racing for 2017 .

Regarding costs it is likely to be much less than GP2 series as first Super Formula is a National Serie (travel costs) and also Engine,Tyres and cars itself are massivly supported by makers (Honda or Toyota for Engines and yokohama for tyres are rumoured to be free of charge) , chassis are leased to JRP organisation.

to be honest if teams request money from you to get to Super formula then you are not good enough for this championship (probably only Buller and Karthikeyan were bringing money to the team in 2016)

[Alex K]

They also have massive backing, the TOM'S, Impuls, Cerumos, LeMans even, looks like a great series. I watched them races on YouTube sometimes, and always entertainign, although, makes me sad tey canned Swift 017.n's..... worth noting, the sponsors in Japan, SF, SGT stay long periods of time, DoCoMo, Raybrig, etc. Sometimes 20 years +....

[bella]

i was wondering what lynn's move might be, hence wondering about budget really. with the lmp1 and dtm fields shrinking in size the space for factory drivers for european series based brands is looking a bit tight, perhaps super formula might open a few more doors..?

[LavidaLoca]

Originally Posted by bella

i was wondering what lynn's move might be, hence wondering about budget really. with the lmp1 and dtm fields shrinking in size the space for factory drivers for european series based brands is looking a bit tight, perhaps super formula might open a few more doors..?

As previously said if Japanese team or Japanese makers (Honda toyota or Nissan) do not pick you up then it will be a dead end to go to Japan ....

[Japanese Samurai]

Interesting episode about Team Impul

According to Autosport magazine/Yuhi Sekiguchi,
Sekiguchi's chassis had a low quality parts than Oliveira's chassis.
So Sekiguchi asked Hoshino-san (Team principal) to put high quality parts in his chassis by his own expenses.
Then Hoshino-san apologized for making him worry to Sekiguchi. And Hoshino-san bought him high quality parts.

[rjoconnell]

That makes Sekiguchi's Q3 run at the start of the season at Suzuka even more impressive, and then his season really, really got going when he finished 3rd at Fuji.

We talk often about how the F1 ladder only seems to reward those who have money or manufacturer ties, I think it mostly favors the people who rocket up the system with absolutely no setbacks whatsoever. Sekiguchi has neither of these things in his favour, really, but if he somehow found his way to F1, man, he'd be so fun to watch.