Super Formula Preview: Rounds 9 & 10 at Fuji
Super Formula returns to the calendar after a month-long absence for the final two rounds at Fuji this year. With the driver market likely to shake up, this round will be pivotal for drivers who need to prove they deserve to stay on the grid for next year, and for those leaving, to leave on a high.
All eyes, however, will be on Kakunoshin Ohta, who has a realistic chance of wrapping up the title this weekend, marking the earliest championship win since Tomoki Nojiri’s legendary 2022 season.
Track overview
The Fuji Speedway, located not too far away from the base of the iconic Mount Fuji, is a circuit characterised by its 1.475 KM long main straight, the longest on the calendar.
Despite the circuit being owned by Toyota, the Honda powered cars will be the favourites to win this weekend. The growing disparity between the Honda and Toyota engines will be a major talking point this race weekend due to how much this circuit favours those with better straight line speed.
Besides the main straight, Turn 1 is the most common overtaking spot, with Turn 3 and the following 100R being overtaking spots for the bolder drivers. Following that, the Dunlop Chicane and the medium-speed Turns 13-15 also see their fair share of overtakes.
Storylines
The biggest storyline of this weekend is, without a doubt, Kakunoshin Ohta’s chances of wrapping up the title this weekend. He heads into the weekend with a 45.5 point advantage ahead of Ayumu Iwasa. Ohta needs to outscore Iwasa by half a point and not be outscored by Nirei Fukuzumi by one point by the end of the weekend to secure his maiden championship.
The earliest Ohta can mathematically wrap up the title is on Sunday morning in the qualifying session for Round 10. To do that, however, he’d need to have a near-perfect weekend until then, winning Round 9 from pole and qualifying on the front row ahead of Iwasa for Round 10.
Ohta has become a master of this circuit of late, winning three of the past five races held here, two of those wins coming this season, including a win from thirteenth on the grid in Round 6.
Another driver who should never be underestimated around this circuit is 2024 champion Sho Tsuboi. While success at this circuit has evaded him this year, he has very much made the circuit his own, especially after winning all three races here in 2024.
Tsuboi has been linked with a move to Formula 2. As a result, these two rounds at Fuji could very well be his final chance to grab a Super Formula win before leaving for Europe, since the season finale is held at Suzuka, a circuit historically dominated by the Mugens and Dandelions.
Another driver to watch out for is Igor Omura Fraga. The Brazilian is on incredible form at the moment. He has the longest podium streak of any driver this season, an ongoing three race streak, starting with his win at Round 3 (held after Round 6 due to rescheduling) at Fuji.
Drivers like Fukuzumi, Iwasa and Nojiri could be in the mix for some top positions as well. With Tsuboi’s top seat at Team TOM’S being vacant next year, and Ohta’s Dandelion seat expected to be vacant as well, this round could be crucial in selecting the drivers to fill in those vacancies.
Weather forecast
The weekend is expected to be sunny with some occasional cloudiness. The temperatures are forecast to be relatively warm in the morning for October, around 25°C and dropping to around 20°C in the afternoon for the races.
Weekend schedule
Round 9 is scheduled to take place on Saturday, with Qualifying starting at 09:40 JST (01:40 BST) and the race commencing at 15:00 JST (07:00 BST) and lasting 41 laps.
Round 10 takes place on Sunday, with Qualifying at 10:00 JST (02:00 BST) and the race going green at 15:00 JST (7:00 BST), also lasting 41 laps.
Edited by Liam Ploetner
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