2023 Super Formula Championship
The 2023 Japanese Super Formula Championship was the fifty-first season of premier Japanese open-wheel motor racing, and the eleventh under the moniker of Super Formula. It started in April 2023 and was contested over seven weekends, comprising nine races. Tomoki Nojiri entered the season as the two-time and defending series champion.
TOM'S driver Ritomo Miyata won the Drivers' Championship at the final race, ahead of Liam Lawson, who became Rookie of the Year while his Mugen Team won the Teams' Championship.
Teams and drivers
All teams used identical Dallara-built SF23 chassis. 2023 was the first season for this new chassis. The SF23 was constructed from Bcomp bio-composite material aimed at reducing carbon dioxide emissions by approximately 75 percent, and featured updated aerodynamic features aimed at reducing turbulent air and promoting more wheel-to-wheel racing. Series tyre supplier Yokohama Rubber debuted a new "carbon neutral racing tyre" made from 33 percent recycled and renewable raw materials. Every Honda-powered car used a Honda HR-417E engine and every Toyota-powered car used a Toyota TRD-01F engine.| Team | Engine | No. | Driver name | Rounds | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 Team changes
Race resultsSeason reportFirst halfThe 2023 Super Formula Championship began with a double-header at Fuji Speedway. Mugen's defending champion Tomoki Nojiri took pole position for the first race. His debuting teammate Liam Lawson started third, with the TGM of Toshiki Oyu between them until Lawson moved up into second. He then pitted on lap 21, with Nojiri following one lap later. A slightly quicker stop for Lawson together with his tyres already being up to temperature meant he took the lead. Lawson then built a gap and became the first driver to win on debut in Super Formula history. The podium was completed by Impul's Ryō Hirakawa, who had started seventh and pitted late in the race to climb up the order, but a late safety car meant the race finished under caution, so he was unable to make full use of his new tyres.Nojiri also took pole position for the second race of the weekend, but a great start by Oyu saw him take the lead into turn three. Most cars pitted shortly after a safety car on lap ten, where Nojiri profited of his pit box position as Oyu had to let him by before being allowed back into the fast lane. Oyu tried once to retake the lead, but then struggled for pace, allowing INGING's Sho Tsuboi to take second place, before dropping further down and finishing last. Lawson initially finished third, but was hit with a five-second time penalty for holding up other cars when he tried building a gap to Nojiri at the pit entry when Mugen double-stacked their cars. This promoted Kondō's Kenta Yamashita onto his first podium in three years. Nojiri left Fuji as the championship leader, 14 points ahead of his teammate Lawson. Next came the season's first visit to Suzuka, where Oyu claimed pole position. He held on to his lead as Lawson moved from eighth on the grid into fourth, and then past Nojiri into third. Most of the leaders then pitted, but Oyu waited until lap 19, resulting in him coming out directly in front of Nojiri. The pair fought through the opening corners, before Nojiri rear-ended Oyu, forcing both cars into retirement. TOM'S driver Ritomo Miyata and Hirakawa stopped under the ensuing safety car, thereby coming out third and fourth. Their fresher tyres allowed them to take the fight to the leaders, with Miyata eventually ending up in the lead and winning the race ahead of Tsuboi, and Hirakawa passing Lawson for third. Nojiri still maintained his championship lead, but now Miyata was second, four points behind. The fourth round at Autopolis began with Tsuboi on pole position. Lawson in second initially lost position to INGING's Sena Sakaguchi, but stopped earlier than the other frontrunners, which allowed him to get past both INGING cars. Miyata was the only other frontrunner yet to pit and did so as Oyu and Sakaguchi crashed to bring out a timely safety car. Lawson and Tsuboi were both still able to stay in front of Miyata, but Lawson had by far the oldest tyres. A perfect restart allowed him to build a gap as Miyata tried to get past Tsuboi. He did so with three laps to go, but by then Lawson was far enough ahead to secure the win. Nojiri had to miss the weekend due to a pneumothorax, allowing Lawson to take the standings lead, four points from Miyata, with Tsuboi a further seven points behind. Oyu took another pole position a month later at Sportsland Sugo. He led Miyata at the start as Tsuboi and Lawson slotted in behind them. Oyu then started struggling for pace, allowing Miyata to take the lead on lap twelve. Tsuboi followed through as Oyu lost control of his car and crashed. Split strategies meant some drivers stopped early and other stayed out, with the former strategy clearly materializing to be the better one: Dandelion's Tadasuke Makino was the first driver to pit, which saw him take third place. Miyata and Nojiri also stopped early and ended the race first and second, while Tsuboi and Lawson were among the last cars to stop, having stayed out hoping for another safety car. Both unable to make the podium, while Miyata's win saw him take a twelve-point championship lead over Lawson. |