The JAF established the All-Japan Formula 2000 Championship in 1973 as Japan's first top-level formula series, modelled on the European Formula Two Championship. Unlike European F2, which restricted engines to those based on mass production models, the JAF approved purpose-built racing engines from manufacturers including Mitsubishi Motors.
Earlier formula racing in Japan had struggled for popularity; the original Japanese Grand Prix, run between 1963 and 1969, was a touring and sports car event, and the inaugural JAF Grand Prix at Fuji Speedway in 1969 — Japan's first major single-seater race — did not replicate that event's attendance.
When the FIA modified Formula Two regulations in 1976 to allow purpose-built racing engines, the "Formula 2000" designation lost its rationale and the series was renamed the All-Japan Formula Two Championship from 1978. The era's leading drivers included Kunimitsu Takahashi, Kazuyoshi Hoshino, Masahiro Hasemi, Keiji Matsumoto, and Satoru Nakajima — who later became the first Japanese driver to compete full-time in Formula One.
During the transition from Formula 2000 to Formula 2, several foreign drivers from European F2 began entering and winning in Japan. 1981 European F2 champion Geoff Lees became the series' first non-Japanese champion, winning the All-Japan F2 title in 1983.
The Suzuka Formula Two Championship (established in 1977 as the Suzuka Formula 2000 Championship) ran concurrently at all events at Suzuka Circuit from 1977 to 1986 and was considered of equal prestige to the All-Japan Formula 2 Championship.
The series switched to the open Formula 3000 standard in 1987, with the All-Japan Formula 3000 Championship officially starting in 1988. Popularity surged in the late 1980s driven by Honda-powered F1 teams winning championships, the return of the Japanese Grand Prix to the F1 calendar in 1987, Satoru Nakajima's full-time F1 entry, and the asset-driven bubble economy. Veterans such as Hoshino, Hasemi, Takahashi, and Matsumoto gave way to a new generation including 1988 champion Aguri Suzuki and 1991 champion Ukyo Katayama, both of whom went on to F1 careers.
The series also attracted foreign talent: future F1 race winners Jean Alesi, Johnny Herbert, Eddie Irvine, and Heinz-Harald Frentzen competed in the series. Most notably, future seven-time Formula One World Champion Michael Schumacher made a one-off appearance at Sportsland Sugo in 1991.
The burst of Japan's bubble economy led to declining popularity in the early to mid 1990s. The series diverged from European technical regulations in 1996 when the International Formula 3000 series adopted a one-make format.
In 1995, Japan Race Promotion (JRP) was established by Fuji Television and became the series' promoter. JRP opted to continue with open chassis and engine competition while F3000 went spec abroad. For the 1996 season the series was renamed Formula Nippon.
Pedro de la Rosa became the first "double champion" in 1997, winning both the Formula Nippon title and the All-Japan GT Championship GT500 title in the same year. Satoshi Motoyama and Richard Lyons later repeated the feat in 2003 and 2004 respectively. Drivers continued to use Formula Nippon as a pathway to F1, including de la Rosa, Ralf Schumacher, Shinji Nakano, Toranosuke Takagi, and Ralph Firman. By the late 2000s this F1 pathway had diminished. The 2008 financial crisis — referred to in Japan as the bankruptcy of Lehman Brothers — saw the grid shrink from 20 cars in 2008 to 13 in 2009.
On 5 August 2012, JRP announced the series would be renamed Super Formula in 2013, stating a desire to establish it on equal footing with Formula One and IndyCar as the "undisputed, standard-bearer top formula racing in Asia."
International interest was renewed when 2015 GP2 Series champion Stoffel Vandoorne entered full-time in 2016 with Docomo Team Dandelion Racing, winning two races before moving to F1 with McLaren in 2017. The following year, 2016 GP2 Series champion Pierre Gasly joined Team Mugen, bringing Red Bull sponsorship; he finished runner-up in the standings by half a point and was named Rookie of the Year.
Several drivers went on from Super Formula to IndyCar success: Felix Rosenqvist, Alex Palou, and Patricio O'Ward all became IndyCar race winners. Palou, who was the 2019 Super Formula Rookie of the Year, won the IndyCar Series championship in 2021, 2023, 2024, and 2025. Liam Lawson, the 2023 Super Formula runner-up, drove in F1 for AlphaTauri/RB Formula One Team in parts of 2023 and 2024, and completed two races in 2025 for Red Bull Racing before returning to Racing Bulls.
In 2023, Masahiko Kondo succeeded Satoru Nakajima as Chairman of JRP; during his first season annual attendance increased by 64 percent. In 2025, Princess Yōko of Mikasa was named special honorary president of JRP, and the Princess Yōko Cup was established for the series champion.
Until 2002, Formula Nippon was an open formula with chassis from Lola, Reynard, and G-Force; engines from Mugen-Honda, Cosworth, and Judd; and tyres from Bridgestone, Yokohama, and Dunlop. Bridgestone became the sole tyre supplier in 1997 and Mugen-Honda the sole engine supplier in 1998. After Reynard's bankruptcy and G-Force's withdrawal, the Lola B03/51 became the spec chassis from 2003.
In 2006 the Lola FN06 was introduced alongside new 3.0-litre V8 engines from Toyota and Honda, based on engine blocks the manufacturers used in the 2005 IndyCar Series. The Swift FN09, produced by American manufacturer Swift Engineering, replaced it in 2009 and ran to 2013, accompanied by a new 3.4-litre V8 common to Formula Nippon and the Super GT GT500 class, plus a "push-to-pass" overtaking system still used today.
The Dallara SF14 ran from 2014 to 2018, featuring 2.0-litre single-turbo engines under the Nippon Race Engine (NRE) formula requiring at least 30% Japanese-manufactured components. The 2014 regulation changes produced historically close lap times to F1: at the 2014 season opener at Suzuka, André Lotterer set a Q2 lap of 1:36.996 — 4.49 seconds slower than Nico Rosberg's 2014 Japanese Grand Prix pole time. Yokohama Rubber replaced Bridgestone as sole tyre supplier in 2016.
The Dallara SF19, unveiled at Suzuka in October 2017 and used from 2019 to 2022, weighed 670 kg and introduced a halo crash protection system. The Dallara SF23, a modified version of the SF19 unveiled on December 13, 2022 and used from 2023, weighs 677 kg and features upgraded aerodynamics to improve overtaking. Engines in Super Formula are detuned relative to the GT500 counterparts, but retain the push-to-pass Overtaking System (OTS) permitting an additional 5 kg/h fuel burn for up to 200 seconds per race.
Super Formula races are traditionally held at Japan's six major national circuits. Suzuka Circuit, home of the Japanese Grand Prix, has appeared on the calendar every year since 1973 and typically hosts two rounds: the JAF Suzuka Grand Prix in autumn and, until 2025, the Suzuka 2&4 Race in spring. Fuji Speedway has been on the calendar in almost every season, including the inaugural 1973 season; it did not host racing in 2004 during a wholesale circuit renovation. Mobility Resort Motegi (known as Twin Ring Motegi until 2022) and Sportsland Sugo have been on the calendar every year since 1997 and 1987 respectively.
Miné Circuit (formerly Nishinihon Circuit) was a regular fixture until it closed for spectator events after 2005. Autopolis in Kyushu and Okayama International Circuit have since served as the westernmost venues, though Okayama is no longer on the calendar as of 2021. Tokachi International Speedway in Hokkaido briefly hosted the series from 1995 to 1996. Sepang International Circuit in Malaysia hosted the only championship round outside Japan, in 2004. Planned events at Inje Speedium in South Korea for 2013 and 2025 were both cancelled.
A top-six points system was used from 1988 to 2006, followed by a top-eight system from 2007, with a pole position bonus point added in 2008. In 2020, Super Formula adopted a top-ten system awarding 20 points to the race winner, with qualifying bonus points of three for pole, two for second, and one for third.
Super Formula's grid consists mainly of professional factory drivers contracted to Honda or Toyota — the two engine manufacturers since 2006 — who also typically compete in Super GT. The series is not a feeder or junior category; most Japanese drivers aim for long-term careers within it. Among the foreign drivers who used Super Formula to reach prominent F1 roles are Michael Schumacher, Eddie Irvine, Ralf Schumacher, Pedro de la Rosa, Stoffel Vandoorne, Pierre Gasly, and Liam Lawson. Drivers who built long careers in Japan include André Lotterer, Benoît Tréluyer, Loïc Duval, and João Paulo de Oliveira.
The primary feeder series is Super Formula Lights, known as the Japanese Formula 3 Championship prior to 2020. Below it sit the Formula Regional Japanese Championship and F4 Japanese Championship. Honda Performance Development (now Honda Racing Corporation US) offered a US$600,000 annual scholarship to the Formula Regional Americas Championship winner for a Honda-powered Super Formula seat from 2021; 2022 series champion Raoul Hyman was the only driver to accept it before Honda was replaced by Ligier as engine supplier in US F4/FR.
This article is based solely on the supplied corpus. No external sources were consulted; claims that could not be substantiated against the corpus were omitted under the drop-the-claim rule.
Gallery · 4 related images
