Matsushita set to stay in F2 despite losing Carlin drive
Nobuharu Matsushita looks set to contest another season of Formula 2 in 2020 despite losing his drive at Carlin to Honda protege Yuki Tsunoda.
Matsushita had initially been expected to return to the Japanese domestic scene after falling short of his target to finish in the top four of the championship last year, the minimum threshold required for him to obtain a Formula 1 superlicence.
However, he was not part of Honda’s driver line-up announcements for both SUPER GT and Super Formula earlier this month, despite appearing in post-season testing in the latter category at Suzuka in December.
Instead, Ukyo Sasahara took the place that had been earmarked for him at the Mugen SUPER GT team alongside Hideki Mutoh, while Tatiana Calderon ended up filling the Drago Corse Super Formula seat he turned down.
It’s understood Matsushita made the decision to decline the chance to represent Honda in Japan’s two premier series shortly after Christmas to pursue options to stay in F2, despite the car maker’s reluctance to bankroll another campaign in the F1 feeder category.
After he raced in Super Formula in 2018, the 26-year-old was able to secure a reprieve in F2 at Carlin with blessing from Honda.
However, the Japanese manufacturer has already announced that FIA F3 graduate Tsunoda will race at Carlin in F2 this year, effectively replacing Matsushita, and is only thought willing to underwrite a small portion of the costs for the latter to stay in the series.
Of the remaining teams with seats free for 2020, MP Motorsport has emerged as Matsushita’s most likely destination.
The Dutch outfit previously confirmed Brazilian rookie Felipe Drugovich as its first driver and has had a revamp of its engineering staff for the new season, including the recruitment of a data engineer from Prema Racing.
Should a deal be reached, it would mark Matsushita’s fifth season at GP2/F2 level. In 2019, he matched his previous best championship finish of sixth place, albeit scoring his first feature race victories at the Red Bull Ring and Monza.
Nobuharu Matsushita, Carlin
Photo by: Joe Portlock / Motorsport Images
Previous article
Red Bull expects top-four for Tsunoda in F2
Next article
Lundgaard gets F2 move as Renault reveals 2020 junior roster
About this article
| Series | FIA F2 |
| Drivers | Nobuharu Matsushita |
| Author | Jamie Klein |
F1’s feeder series champions – hits and misses
#ThinkingForward with Bruno Michel
Remembering Anthoine Hubert
Was Formula 2’s radical format switch a success?
Going into the 2021 Formula 2 season the biggest talking point wasn’t about any drivers or teams, but the new race weekend format. Created partly out of financial necessity but also to spice up the action, the Bahrain opener provided a snapshot of the positives and negatives to come.
Why 2021 is make-or-break for the driver F1 needs
He was tipped for glory in FIA Formula 2 last year, but was hampered by reliability woes at inopportune moments. Guanyu Zhou knows he won't get too many more chances if he is to become China's first F1 driver, with fierce competition within the ranks of Alpine's junior stable
Ranked! Carlin's greatest F1 graduates
Carlin has helped guide enough drivers to Formula 1 to fill out an entire grid, plus a handful of reserves, to create a remarkable alumni list. With Yuki Tsunoda set to join that group, Motorsport.com has ranked its graduates to grace the grand prix scene...
How Mick Schumacher earned his Haas F1 chance
Michael Schumacher may have won seven Formula 1 titles, but he didn't even compete for a crown at the second tier. Son Mick put that right in 2020, and proved to Ferrari that he was deserving of a shot at motorsport's elite category in 2021…
How Aitken’s fortunes turned around for his shock F1 chance
As a consequence of George Russell's step up to Mercedes to cover for the COVID-positive Lewis Hamilton, Jack Aitken will make his Formula 1 debut for Williams at the Sakhir Grand Prix. Long on F1's peripheries, Aitken finally has a chance to shine.
How F1's foundation has responded to the coronavirus threat
While Formula 1 felt the public brunt of the coronavirus pandemic, the virus also put the Formula 2 and Formula 3 categories on hiatus. But their roles in feeding F1 with drivers meant their survival was crucial to their parent series' long-term future
The year Leclerc fully revealed his star status
In the latest feature in our series looking back on the 2010s, we revisit Charles Leclerc's sensational Formula 2 season - where he strode among on-track highs and lows, as well as tragedy away from motorsport, to earn a place on the Formula 1 grid
From Formula 1 exiles to part of the family
It wasn't long ago F2 drivers couldn't even get passes to the F1 paddock. Now, as Ross Brawn and Bruno Michel explain, attitudes are totally different
