The fastest formula outside F1
A 677 kg car with around 550 hp and high downforce, quick enough that its lap times sit closer to Formula 1 than to any other single-seater category.
Japan's top-flight single-seater championship
Super Formula
The fastest formula car outside Formula 1 — a 550 hp turbocharged Dallara on Yokohama slicks, raced flat-out around Suzuka, Fuji and Motegi by Japan's professional factory drivers.
1973First Japanese top-formula season
550hp from the Dallara SF23
12Races across seven 2026 weekends
TeamsDriversSuzuka & FujiOvertaking SystemEngineering
What is Super Formula?
Super Formula — officially the Japanese Super Formula Championship — is Japan's premier single-seater racing series, sanctioned by the Japan Automobile Federation and promoted by Japan Race Promotion. Every team runs the same Dallara SF23 chassis on Yokohama control tyres, with a choice of Honda or Toyota 2.0-litre turbocharged engines producing around 550 hp. It is widely regarded as the fastest formula category in the world outside Formula 1, and its grid is made up largely of paid professional factory drivers rather than pay drivers.
- First season
- 1973
- Governing body
- JAF, promoted by JRP
- Championship titles
- Drivers' & Teams'
- 2026 season
- 16 teams · 12 races · 7 weekends
01 — How it began
How Super Formula began.
Japan’s national top-formula championship started in 1973 as the All-Japan Formula 2000 Championship, became the All-Japan Formula Two Championship in 1978, and switched again to All-Japan Formula 3000 in 1987.
Japan Race Promotion took over in 1996 and renamed the series Formula Nippon. It ran as an open formula until 2002 — teams could choose between Lola, Reynard and G-Force chassis — before moving to a single spec chassis. The Super Formula name arrived in 2013.
The current Dallara SF23 is a revised SF19 with new aerodynamics aimed at closer wheel-to-wheel racing. It was unveiled on 13 December 2022 and has raced since the 2023 season, which was also the championship’s 50th.
- Governing body
- Japan Automobile Federation (JAF)
- Promoter
- Japan Race Promotion (JRP), since 1996
- First season
- 1973, as the All-Japan Formula 2000 Championship
- Renamed
- 1978 F2, 1987 F3000, 1996 Formula Nippon, 2013 Super Formula
- First Super Formula champion
- Naoki Yamamoto, 2013
- Most titles
- Kazuyoshi Hoshino, six Japanese top-formula championships
- Team title
- Teams' Championship awarded alongside the Drivers' title
02 — The essentials
What makes Super Formula different?
A single-make series with two engine makers, run almost entirely in Japan for professional factory drivers.
Honda against Toyota
One chassis, two engine suppliers. Honda's HR-417E and Toyota's TRD-01F are detuned relatives of the units that race in Super GT's GT500 class.
The Overtaking System
Push-to-pass by another name: OTS releases an extra five kilograms per hour of fuel flow for up to 200 seconds of a race, and managing it is a core part of race strategy.
A professional, not a feeder, grid
The field is mostly paid factory drivers rather than juniors buying seats, and since 2023 the Yokohama ADVAN control tyre has been built from roughly 33% sustainable material.
03 — Race weekend format
A race weekend, decoded.
Practice
Track time before qualifying, with most weekends compressed into two days.
Knockout qualifying
An F1-style Q1–Q2–Q3 shootout. Q1 runs in two groups with the fastest 12 going through to Q2, and the top three on the grid score bonus points.
Race and pit window
Roughly 180 km, between 31 laps at Suzuka and 51 at SUGO, with one pit window per race and the Overtaking System to fight with.
For 2026 both races of a double-header run to the same distance, and the pit window is set per circuit — somewhere between laps 8 and 13 — instead of lap 10 everywhere. The two single-race weekends take only the top five from Q2 into Q3.
04 — How points are scored
Super Formula points system.
| Pos | Points | Pos | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | 20 | 6th | 5 |
| 2nd | 15 | 7th | 4 |
| 3rd | 11 | 8th | 3 |
| 4th | 8 | 9th | 2 |
| 5th | 6 | 10th | 1 |
Qualifying and part-distance points
- +3, +2 and +1 points for the top three in qualifying.
- Half points if less than 75% of the scheduled race distance is completed — which is what happened in the rain at Motegi in April 2026, and why several 2026 totals end in .5.
- A shortened race scores on a reduced 12-9-7-6-5-4-3-2-1 scale.
- The current scale has been used since 2020, replacing a top-eight system.
The Overtaking System and the pit window change where a driver finishes rather than awarding anything directly, and the Teams' Championship combines both of a team's cars.
05 — Race calendar
Next: Fuji Speedway · 10–11 October 2026 Super Formula calendar.
| Round | Race | Circuit | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | Motegi Race 1 | Mobility Resort Motegi, Tochigi | 4 April |
| 02 | Motegi Race 2 | Mobility Resort Motegi, Tochigi | 5 April |
| 04 | Suzuka Race 1 | Suzuka International Racing Course, Mie | 23 May |
| 05 | Suzuka Race 2 | Suzuka International Racing Course, Mie | 24 May |
| 06 | Fuji Race 1 | Fuji Speedway, Shizuoka | 18 July |
| 03 | Autopolis makeup race | Fuji Speedway, Shizuoka | 19 July |
| 07 | Fuji Race 2 | Fuji Speedway, Shizuoka | 19 July |
| 08 | SUGO | Sportsland SUGO, Miyagi | 9 August |
| 09 | Fuji Race 1 | Fuji Speedway, Shizuoka | 10 October |
| 10 | Fuji Race 2 | Fuji Speedway, Shizuoka | 11 October |
| 11 | Suzuka Race 1 | Suzuka International Racing Course, Mie | 21 November |
| 12 | Suzuka Race 2 | Suzuka International Racing Course, Mie | 22 November |
Last updated: 7 September 2026. Round 3 was due to run at Autopolis on 25 April but was postponed for weather and held at Fuji in July, which is why the round numbers are out of sequence. Eight of the twelve races are complete; Kakunoshin Ohta leads on 105 points from Ayumu Iwasa on 59.5.
06 — From 1973 to today
Super Formula timeline.
1973
All-Japan Formula 2000
Japan crowns its first national top-formula champion, Motoharu Kurosawa.
1978
All-Japan Formula Two
The championship adopts the international Formula Two regulations of the day.
1987
All-Japan Formula 3000
A move to 3.0-litre F3000 machinery for what becomes one of the world's strongest national series.
1996
Formula Nippon
Japan Race Promotion takes over as promoter and renames the championship.
2003
The end of open formula
Teams stop choosing between Lola, Reynard and G-Force, and the series moves to a single spec chassis.
2013
Super Formula
The current name arrives, and Naoki Yamamoto wins the first title under it with Team Mugen.
2016
Yokohama takes over
Yokohama Rubber replaces Bridgestone as the sole tyre supplier.
2019
The SF19 and the halo
A new Dallara brings halo cockpit protection to the series.
2023
The 50th season
The revised Dallara SF23 debuts with aerodynamics aimed at closer racing.
07 — Technology and competition
The eras that reshaped the grid.
Formula 2000 and F2
Japan's national top formula grows from 2.0-litre machinery into the international Formula Two ruleset.
All-Japan Formula 3000
3.0-litre engines and a grid that regularly drew visiting European talent to Suzuka and Fuji.
Open-formula Formula Nippon
Lola, Reynard and G-Force chassis raced side by side under multiple engine and tyre suppliers.
The spec era begins
A single chassis replaces the open formula, and Bridgestone supplies the whole field.
Dallara SF14
A 2.0-litre single-turbo four making around 543 hp in a 660 kg car, with Yokohama replacing Bridgestone from 2016.
Dallara SF19
Halo cockpit protection and a 670 kg car, unveiled at Suzuka in October 2017.
Dallara SF23
A revised SF19 with new aerodynamics: 550 hp, 677 kg, Yokohama ADVAN control tyres.
08 — Champions and icons
Racers who defined their eras.
Current Champion
Ayumu Iwasa
2025 Super Formula Champion · Team Mugen · 2024 Rookie of the Year, champion in his second season
Kazuyoshi Hoshino
Six Japanese top-formula championships across F2000, F2 and F3000, and 39 race wins — still the most of anyone.
6× champion
Satoshi Motoyama
Four Formula Nippon titles, the most by any driver since JRP took over the championship in 1996.
4× champion
Naoki Yamamoto
Champion in 2013, 2018 and 2020, and the most successful driver of the Super Formula era.
3× champion
Tomoki Nojiri
Back-to-back titles in 2021 and 2022 with Team Mugen, and still on the grid in 2026.
2× champion
Sho Tsuboi
2024 champion with Vantelin Team TOM'S, the second of the team's back-to-back drivers' titles in 2023 and 2024.
2024 champion
Nick Cassidy
2019 champion with Vantelin Team TOM'S, now a Formula E race winner with Jaguar TCS Racing.
2019 champion
Pierre Gasly
2017 Rookie of the Year with two wins for Team Mugen, beaten to the title by half a point before reaching Formula 1.
2017 runner-up
Super Formula Álex Palou
2019 Rookie of the Year, who went on to win five IndyCar championships.
2019 Rookie of the Year
09 — Defining events
Crises, controversies and turning points.
JRP takes over
Japan Race Promotion becomes promoter and rebrands the championship Formula Nippon, beginning the modern era.
Open formula ends
Chassis competition between Lola, Reynard and G-Force gives way to a single spec car, cutting costs and closing up the grid.
The Super Formula name
A rebrand aimed squarely at international recognition for what was already one of the fastest categories in the world.
Gasly loses by half a point
Pierre Gasly takes Rookie of the Year and two wins, then misses the title by half a point when the Suzuka finale is cancelled for a typhoon.
The 50th season
The SF23 arrives for the anniversary year with aerodynamics designed to make overtaking possible again.
Twelve races, seven weekends
Double-headers now run to matched distances with per-circuit pit windows, and a washed-out Autopolis round is folded into a three-race Fuji weekend.
10 — Meet the grid
Explore Super Formula teams.
Current Champion Team
Docomo Team Dandelion Racing
Honda · 2025 Teams' Champion, and leading 2026 on 133 points with four races to run
#1
DAN
Docomo Team Dandelion RacingHonda · 133 pts
#2
TOM
Vantelin Team TOM'SToyota · 71.5 pts
#3
MUG
Team Mugen AutobacsHonda · 69 pts
#4
NAK
Ponos Nakajima RacingHonda · 59.5 pts
#5
ROO
NTT Docomo Business RookieToyota · 55 pts
#6
CER
Sanki Vertex Cerumo・IngingToyota · 54 pts
#7
IMP
Team ImpulToyota · 24 pts · 19 titles, the most of any team
#8
KON
Realize Kondo RacingToyota · 19 pts
#9
DEL
Delightworks RacingHonda · 16 pts
#10
THB
ThreeBond RacingHonda · 11 pts
#11
GOH
Team GohToyota · 6 pts
#12
TGM
KDDI TGMGP TGR-DCToyota · 6 pts
#13
KCM
KCMGToyota · 5 pts
#14
BMX
San-Ei Gen with B-MaxHonda · 4 pts
#15
MKR
Navikuru Buzz MK RacingToyota · 3.5 pts
#16
HAT
Hazama Ando Triple Tree RacingHonda · 0 pts
11 — Frequently asked
Super Formula FAQ.
What is Super Formula?
Japan's premier single-seater championship, officially the Japanese Super Formula Championship, sanctioned by the JAF and promoted by Japan Race Promotion. Every car is a Dallara SF23 with either a Honda or a Toyota turbo engine.
Is Super Formula really the fastest series after Formula 1?
By lap time, yes — the SF23 makes around 550 hp in a 677 kg car with heavy downforce, and it is generally the quickest formula category in the world outside F1.
When did Super Formula start?
The championship dates to 1973 as the All-Japan Formula 2000 Championship. It became All-Japan Formula Two in 1978, All-Japan Formula 3000 in 1987, Formula Nippon in 1996, and Super Formula in 2013.
Is Super Formula the same as Formula Nippon?
Yes, it is the same championship. Formula Nippon was the name used from 1996 to 2012; Super Formula replaced it in 2013.
Is Super Formula the same as Super GT?
No. Super GT is Japan's top sports-car championship for GT500 and GT300 machinery. The two share engine technology — Super Formula's engines are detuned relatives of the GT500 units — and many drivers race in both.
What car and engines does Super Formula use?
The Dallara SF23, used since 2023, with a 2.0-litre single-turbocharged DOHC inline-four from either Honda (HR-417E) or Toyota (TRD-01F). It weighs 677 kg with the driver and runs Yokohama ADVAN control tyres.
What is the Overtaking System?
Super Formula's push-to-pass. OTS gives the driver an extra five kilograms per hour of fuel flow for up to 200 seconds during a race, and when to spend it is a real strategic decision.
How does Super Formula scoring work?
Race winners take 20 points, then 15-11-8-6-5-4-3-2-1 to tenth. Qualifying pays 3-2-1 to the top three. If less than 75% of a race distance is run, half points are awarded.
How many teams and drivers race in Super Formula?
Sixteen teams entered the 2026 championship, with the larger operations running two cars and several entering one.
Where does Super Formula race?
Entirely in Japan. The 2026 season visits five circuits: Mobility Resort Motegi, Suzuka, Fuji Speedway, Sportsland SUGO and Autopolis.
Who is leading the 2026 Super Formula championship?
After eight of twelve races, Kakunoshin Ohta leads on 105 points from Ayumu Iwasa on 59.5 and Nirei Fukuzumi on 58. Docomo Team Dandelion Racing leads the Teams' Championship on 133.
Who has won the most Super Formula titles?
Kazuyoshi Hoshino won six Japanese top-formula championships across the F2000, F2 and F3000 eras. Naoki Yamamoto has three under the Super Formula name, and Satoshi Motoyama four in the Formula Nippon era.
Which Formula 1 drivers have raced in Super Formula?
Michael Schumacher, Eddie Irvine, Ralf Schumacher, Pedro de la Rosa, Stoffel Vandoorne, Pierre Gasly and Liam Lawson all raced in the championship or its predecessors. Álex Palou, Felix Rosenqvist and Pato O'Ward went on to win in IndyCar.
Is Kozmozracing affiliated with Super Formula or its teams?
No. Unless a product page explicitly states otherwise, Kozmozracing is an independent store and is not affiliated with or endorsed by the JAF, Japan Race Promotion, Super Formula, any team or driver.
Sources
- Official SUPER FORMULA website · superformula.net (official)
- Japanese Super Formula Championship: history, cars, champions and records · Wikipedia
- 2026 Super Formula Championship: entries, calendar and standings · Wikipedia
- Super Formula's race weekend format for 2026 · Motorsport.com
- Yokohama to supply racing tyres with 33% sustainable material content · Yokohama Rubber (official)
- JAF national championship calendars · Japan Automobile Federation (official)
- Photo: Iwasa's Team Mugen SF23 at Suzuka 2026, by BWard 1997 · Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0
- Photo: Ayumu Iwasa, 2025 champion, by Morio · Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Photo: Docomo Team Dandelion Racing at Motegi, by Morio · Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
Independent fan guide: Formats, teams and calendars can change. Verify current sporting information with the JAF and the official SUPER FORMULA website directly. Championship, team and driver names belong to their respective rights holders.
12 — The collection
Super Formula-inspired collection.
No products are assigned to Super Formula yet. Add products to this series in the product editor.