“I think we maximized what we had”: Roman Staněk on Super Formula debut, Autopolis and more
- Tarun Suresh
- 2 hours ago
- 4 min read
Roman Staněk is one of the four rookies on the grid for the 2026 Super Formula season. He joins a long list of Formula 2 graduates who’ve made their way to Super Formula, such as Luke Browning, Zak O’Sullivan, Liam Lawson and reigning Super Formula champion Ayumu Iwasa. The Czech driver sat down with DIVEBOMB after the cancellation of Round 3 at Autopolis was made official to discuss his season so far.
Staněk joining the championship was announced late in the year, just a week before the season commenced with the initial round of tests at the Suzuka Circuit. He actually started talks before the Formula 2 season ended in December, but could not finalise the contract until late February.
“Well, we started to already deal with the team in December last year. So it wasn't that late. The signing of the contract was pretty late because we had to fine-tune some stuff. But in the end, I already knew after my last race in F2 that I'm gonna be driving in Super Formula. So yeah, that was the reason.”
Staněk is driving for MK Buzz Racing, a satellite team of sorts for Japanese singer Masahiko Kondo’s Kondo Racing. Satellite teams are a third entry from a time under a different name to bypass the rule that prevents a team from running more than two cars. Adapting to racing in Japan after racing in Europe for the majority of one’s career can also be very difficult.
“The biggest difference is also they don't speak English. We use translators, and it's very hard for me to explain sometimes what I feel with the car and in general. But I guess I just have to get used to it and keep working. I see a big potential in the team, even though it's a new team, you know, we have new people, new engineers, and everyone is pretty much new. But I think we are going in the right direction, and we aim to score points consecutively, race after race.
“I have [Kondo Racing’s] data, they have my data, and I also have the data from Luke [Browning] and Ukyo [Sasahara]. But I mean, there is not so much time also during the race, you know, so we just share the data, and that's it.”
The rookies in Super Formula often have a Driving Advisor, a driver experienced with the ins and outs of Super Formula, dedicated to helping the rookies out in their first season of the series. Stanẽk’s Driving Advisor is Iori Kimura, the 2023 Super Formula Lights champion, and one of the few bilingual drivers who’ve raced in Super Formula.
“Iori has been a big help because he's a guy who won the Super Lights and also raced in Super GT and also in Super Formula. So he knows the track, he knows English, which is very helpful, you know, he knows English and Japanese. So he sort of helps me to translate, and also he speaks to me on the radio. He has also a very good relationship with the engineer. So it's a big help.”
Staněk scored half a point on his Super Formula debut at Motegi, finishing tenth in a shortened race due to torrential rain. The following race weekend was at Autopolis, a track he’s never driven before. There, he qualified eleventh, once again ahead of the two main Kondo Racing cars.
“I really didn't know what to expect, but the goal was again to qualify in the top 10, which unfortunately didn't happen, but we were very close to it.
He added:
“I think we maximized what we had to, and yeah, we still have a lot of work to do because we can improve the car, and also my driving can be better, you know, adapting to the car. It's very different coming from Europe to this car and to this, in general, to Japan… I'm already looking forward for the next race in Suzuka.”
The race, however, did not take place due to heavy rain and intense fog. Staněk shared his thoughts on the conditions and the decision to cancel the race. “With this car, if it rains too much, the visibility is very poor. I mean, you cannot, at one point, you cannot see the car in front of you, which is very dangerous. So yeah, the race just didn't happen. And to be honest, I'm happy they made this decision because it gets very dangerous at one point”
Autopolis is one of the more unique tracks on the calendar; it is well balanced with slow, medium and high speed corners. The track has also not been resurfaced since 2012, and as a result has a very bumpy surface. Staněk shared his thoughts on the circuit and how it feels like to drive there for the first time.
“It's quite an old-school track, very narrow and a lot of bumps, and the walls are closed. But with this kind of car, you know, you have all types of corners, you have high-speed, low-speed corners, it's nice to drive. So yeah, I really enjoyed it. Unfortunately, the race didn't happen today, but it is what it is… but I really enjoyed Autopolis.”
Finally, Staněk shared his goals and expectations for the rest of the season: “I think in general to qualify always around top 10, you know. Also, the difference with Toyota and Honda, the cars are not all the same. So we know that on some tracks, Honda is stronger, most of the tracks actually.
“The goal is to be there in the top 10 and try to fight for points every race. It's obviously very difficult, very challenging, because it's a new category, new country, and also for the team. But as I said, I think we are on the right direction, and we keep pushing, and we do everything for it to achieve it.”
Edited by Liam Ploetner
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