Race report

Weather forces Autopolis Super Formula race cancellation

The Autopolis Super Formula race has been cancelled due to “inclement weather”, the organisers of the Japanese single-seater series have confirmed.

Rachit Thukral May 13, 2018, 5:33 AM

Upd: Nov 22, 2023, 9:56 AM

As had been predicted, rain arrived in the early hours of Sunday, not only leading to a damp circuit but also reducing visibility levels.

The warm-up session was delayed by an hour and soon truncated after Kazuya Oshima and Ryo Hirakawa reportedly went off.

With conditions not improving by the time the race was scheduled to start, it was decided to cancel the event on safety grounds.

Dandelion pairing Tomoki Nojiri and Nobuharu Matsushita were due to start from the the front row of the grid, ahead of defending Super GT champions Nick Cassidy and Hirakawa.

Hirakawa had originally qualified on pole position, but was demoted to fourth on the grid on account of a penalty carried forward from Suzuka.

This is the second time a Super Formula race had been cancelled in recent times due to poor weather conditions; last year’s season finale was also scrapped with the threat of a looming typhoon, preventing then-Red Bull Formula 1 junior Pierre Gasly having a shot at the title.