Fukuzumi announces joint F2, Super Formula programme
Honda protege Nirei Fukuzumi will dovetail his Formula 2 duties with a full season in the Japanese Super Formula series in 2018.
Photo by: GP3 Series Media Service
As revealed by Motorsport.com in November, Fukuzumi will graduate to the lead F1 support category with Arden International this year after two seasons in the GP3 series.
The Japanese driver tested for the Banbury-based squad at the post-season test in Abu Dhabi, finishing around a second adrift of the leader on all three days.
The 20-year-old scored two feature race wins at Barcelona and Jerez last season, finishing third to ART teammates George Russell and Jack Aitken in the GP3 drivers’ standings.
While a move to F2 was highly expected, Fukuzumi has also been given a surprise Super Formula drive by long-time backers Honda.
He will drive for Team Mugen, effectively taking over the place vacated by Pierre Gasly.
There are two clashes on the provisional calendars of Super Formula and F2 and it remains to be seen which series will be given priority by Honda.
Matsushita’s Super Formula drive confirmed
Honda also confirmed that Nobuharu Matsushita will switch over to Super Formula after three seasons in F2/GP2.
The 2014 Japanese F3 champion finished ninth and 11th in ‘15 and ‘16 respectively, picking up one sprint race win each year.
2017 saw a marked improvement from Matsushita, the 24-year-scoring two wins and two further podiums en route to sixth in the newly-renamed F2 championship.
However, he still fell short of his pre-season target of finishing third in the standings, which would have been enough to grant him a Super License.
At the Tokyo Auto Show, where Honda announced its Super GT line-up, the Japanese manufacturer also confirmed Matsushita’s much-touted move to Super Formula.
He will team up with Tomoki Nojiri at Dandelion, the squad for which Stoffel Vandoorne raced for in 2016.
Be part of Motorsport community
Join the conversationShare Or Save This Story
F1 Chinese GP qualifying - Start time, how to watch, TV channel
F1 Chinese GP Sprint race: Start time, how to watch, TV channel
The experiment WEC could revisit to magnify its boom period
Matsushita switches to TGM for 2024 Super Formula season
Matsushita felt limitations of one-car B-Max team
Can Nissan end GT500 title drought in Honda's backyard?
Niki Lauda’s 1976 German GP helmet to be auctioned at Miami GP
2024 F1 Chinese GP sprint qualifying results: Lando Norris takes pole
Why Herbert prefers a car he had to wrestle above his F1 winners
Oliveira reckons MotoGP “looks too easy” on TV now
Why Alpine’s rigorous training camp yields telling insights into its juniors
Can F2's relaxed title favourite prove a point to Alpine?
Why F1's junior logjam isn't entirely a product of current issues
The brightest lights in F2's departing six-year warhorse
Subscribe and access Motorsport.com with your ad-blocker.
From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. In order to keep delivering our expert journalism, our website uses advertising. Still, we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker.
Top Comments