The first Japanese top formula championship was established in 1973 as the All-Japan Formula 2000 Championship, based on the European Formula Two regulations but with the additional allowance of purpose-built racing engines from manufacturers such as Mitsubishi. Formula car racing had struggled to find a foothold in Japan during the 1960s, where touring and sports car racing dominated the national motorsport scene.
When the FIA revised Formula Two regulations in 1976 to permit purpose-built engines, the series was renamed the All-Japan Formula Two Championship from 1978. The early years were led by drivers including Kunimitsu Takahashi, Kazuyoshi Hoshino, Masahiro Hasemi, and Satoru Nakajima, who would later become the first Japanese driver to compete full-time in Formula One. Foreign drivers from the European circuit also began competing: Geoff Lees, the 1981 European F2 champion, became the first non-Japanese champion when he won the All-Japan F2 title in 1983.
The series moved to the Formula 3000 technical standard in 1987, with the All-Japan Formula 3000 Championship officially commencing in 1988. A surge in popularity followed, driven by increased television coverage of Formula One on Fuji Television, Honda's success in Formula One with Williams and McLaren, and the return of the Japanese Grand Prix to the Formula One calendar in 1987.
The championship attracted significant international talent during this era. Future Formula One Grand Prix winners Jean Alesi, Johnny Herbert, Eddie Irvine, and Heinz-Harald Frentzen all competed. Michael Schumacher, who would become a seven-time Formula One World Champion, made a one-off appearance at Sportsland Sugo in 1991. Japanese champions of the period included Aguri Suzuki and Ukyo Katayama, both of whom went on to race in Formula One.
Japan Race Promotion was established in 1995 and took over management of the series the following year, renaming it Formula Nippon. As the international F3000 series moved to a single-make format to reduce costs, Japan's series retained open chassis and engine competition. Pedro de la Rosa became the first driver to win both Formula Nippon and the All-Japan GT500 title in the same year when he achieved the double in 1997.
The series continued to serve as a route to Formula One for drivers including Ralf Schumacher, Shinji Nakano, and Toranosuke Takagi. By the late 2000s, however, Formula Nippon's profile as a Formula One feeder had diminished, and the global financial crisis of 2008 hit grid numbers hard, dropping from 20 cars in 2008 to 13 in 2009.
In August 2012, Japan Race Promotion announced the series would be renamed Super Formula from 2013, expressing a desire to position it on equal footing with Formula One and IndyCar as the top formula series in Asia. The rebrand was accompanied by new technical regulations introducing the Dallara SF14 chassis in 2014, powered by shared 2.0-litre single-turbocharged four-cylinder engines from Honda and Toyota under the Nippon Race Engine formula.
The Dallara SF14 demonstrated the series' performance level sharply: in the opening round of the 2014 season at Suzuka, Andre Lotterer set a lap time in qualifying that was just 4.49 seconds slower than Nico Rosberg's Formula One pole time at the same circuit, placing him ahead of two F1 cars on the grid on pace. The SF14 produced 543 bhp from its 2.0-litre turbocharged unit.
The series gained renewed international profile when GP2 champion Stoffel Vandoorne raced full-time in 2016, winning twice before moving to McLaren in Formula One. Pierre Gasly entered in 2017, bringing Red Bull sponsorship, and finished runner-up. Patricio O'Ward, Felix Rosenqvist, and Alex Palou all competed in Super Formula before becoming IndyCar race winners; Palou went on to win the IndyCar title in 2021, 2023, 2024, and 2025. Liam Lawson, the 2023 series runner-up, drove in Formula One with AlphaTauri and Red Bull.
Super Formula races exclusively at Japan's six major national circuits. Suzuka Circuit has hosted more rounds than any other venue and has been on the calendar since 1973. Fuji Speedway, Mobility Resort Motegi, and Sportsland Sugo are all regular fixtures. Rounds have taken place at Autopolis and Okayama International Circuit at various points. The only championship round held outside Japan was at Sepang in Malaysia during the 2004 season.
The current specification Dallara SF23, introduced for the 2023 season as a modified evolution of the SF19, weighs 677 kg including the driver and produces around 550 bhp from its 2.0-litre turbocharged inline-four engine. Cars are fitted with a halo crash protection system and feature a push-to-pass Overtaking System allowing an additional fuel burn rate for up to 200 seconds per race. Yokohama supplies tyres exclusively.
Super Formula stands as the highest level of formula racing in Japan and one of the premier formula series globally. It has been a genuine talent pipeline across multiple eras, producing Formula One world champions, race winners, and IndyCar champions. The series is unique in that it functions as both a proving ground for aspiring international drivers and a top-level career destination in its own right for Japanese professionals, many of whom also race in Super GT simultaneously.