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Super Formula confirms updated car for 2023 season

Super Formula has formally confirmed the introduction of an updated car with a revised aerodynamic package for the 2023 season, which will be labelled the SF23.

Super Formula SF19 development cars

The Japanese single-seater series has been working on an overhaul of the current Dallara SF19 package since the start of 2022, conducting a number of tests across a range of circuits with a pair of development cars.

Ahead of October's season finale at Suzuka, the final version of the 2023 car was demonstrated, featuring revised front and rear wings, sidepods, engine cover and floor, as well as new Yokohama tyres made partly from sustainable materials.

The sidepods and engine cover will be so-called 'hybrid' panels featuring 70 percent flax fibre manufactured by Swiss company Bcomp.

However, confirmation that the new aero package would be used next season was delayed amid discussions with the teams about who would bear the cost of its introduction.

After an additional test at November at Motegi, series organiser JRP has now confirmed the introduction of the new car, which is aimed at improving raceability as well as lowering the championship's carbon footprint.

Downforce is reduced in comparison to the existing car by an estimated eight percent, with the amount of dirty air produced cut by around half. Laptimes are predicted to be around one second slower at most tracks.

Hiroaki Ishiura and Koudai Tsukakoshi covered over 11,000 kilometres between them in the series' two development cars, affectionately known as 'Red Tiger' (Toyota) and 'White Tiger' (Honda) respectively.

 

Carbon-neutral fuel was evaluated during these tests, but ultimately will not be used in 2023.

The new car will make its official competition debut in pre-season testing in March. Exact dates are yet to be announced, but the series has confirmed that a single test will take place at Suzuka prior to the opening round at Fuji in April.

Super Formula also confirmed a nine-race calendar for 2023, as announced by Japanese governing body JAF late last month, with the August Motegi event becoming a regular single-race weekend.

An entry list featuring 20 cars (nine Honda-powered, 11 Toyota-powered) across 11 teams was also revealed, with TOM'S still yet to announce whether Giuliano Alesi or Ukyo Sasahara will drive its #36 car.

There also remains the possibility of additional Honda-powered cars joining the series with Servus Japan, which contested last week's post-season rookie test at Suzuka as 'Team TBD'.

Super Formula 2023 provisional entry list:

Team/Engine No. Driver
Mugen/Honda 1 Japan Tomoki Nojiri
15 New Zealand Liam Lawson
Kondo Racing/Toyota 3 Japan Kenta Yamashita
4 Japan Kazuto Kotaka
Dandelion Racing/Honda 5 Japan Tadasuke Makino
6

Japan Kakunoshin Ota

KCMG/Toyota 7

Japan Kamui Kobayashi

18

Japan Yuji Kunimoto

Drago Corse/Honda 12

Japan Nirei Fukuzumi

Rookie Racing/Toyota 14

Japan Kazuya Oshima

Impul/Toyota 19

Japan Yuhi Sekiguchi

20

Japan Ryo Hirakawa 

TOM'S/Toyota 36

TBA

37

Japan Ritomo Miyata

Inging/Toyota 38

Japan Sho Tsuboi

39

Japan Sena Sakaguchi

B-Max Racing/Honda 50

Japan Nobuharu Matsushita

51

United Kingdom Raoul Hyman

Nakajima Racing/Honda 64

Japan Naoki Yamamoto

65

Japan Ren Sato

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