How fears over Super Formula’s 2025 tweaks proved to be unfounded

‘There is not any tyre degradation!’ ‘There gained’t be any technique!’ ‘Virtually everyone will pit on lap one!’ Forward of final weekend’s Tremendous Formulation season opening double-header at Suzuka, there have been no scarcity of individuals within the paddock airing issues about how the primary weekend of the brand new season would go.

That was due to two key adjustments heading into 2025: the introduction of a brand new Yokohama spec tyre, that includes the next proportion of renewable supplies than earlier than (46% versus the 33% of the earlier tyre), and a few small however vital adjustments to the race format, which collection organiser JRP had made following the rise in double-header race weekends.

In a bid to try to make every race in double-header weekends extra distinct, the choice was made to chop the space of the Saturday contest by 20km, which meant 4 laps at Suzuka. However, extra considerably, whereas the Saturday race retained the normal lap 10 pit window, the longer Sunday race was made fully free for the primary time since 2019.

This meant that drivers might are available in to finish their obligatory tyre change on the opening tour. And a few did, however not as many as predicted – solely 5 out of twenty-two the truth is.

Certainly, each races at Suzuka have been very entertaining, vindicating the selections made by JRP that had attracted a wholesome diploma of scepticism within the build-up to the season.

Looking back, it might be truthful to say {that a} pre-season impacted by dangerous climate had clouded the image to a level. The only two-day check at Suzuka in February was impacted by snow, inflicting the second day to be referred to as off fully. And with the primary day beginning with a moist observe, significant dry operating was basically restricted to a single two-and-a-half hour session.

Just about no driver had completed any consultant lengthy runs heading into final Friday’s opening observe session, with issues not helped by the partial resurfacing of Suzuka that had taken place over the winter, protecting the ultimate chicane by means of to Flip 7 (previously Dunlop Nook).

The brand new asphalt featured some unwelcome bumps, which notably caught out no lesser driver than Sho Tsuboi through the check, because the reigning champion uncharacteristically spun into the gravel on the finish of the morning session on the one and solely day of operating. A number of drivers voiced issues on the bumps, with two-time champion Tomoki Nojiri stating: “The form of the observe is identical, but it surely looks like a very completely different Suzuka.”

However the Honda-owned venue quickly swung into motion, and by the point the paddock reconvened at Suzuka on Thursday, barely two weeks on from the check, the areas the place the bumps had been at Turns 3 and seven had been re-resurfaced, and the drivers amazed at how easy the observe had develop into. “I used to be stunned at how rapidly they have been in a position to repair it,” mentioned Naoki Yamamoto, the now retired three-time champion who has taken up a job with JRP.

Nonetheless, with the main target of Friday observe for many drivers being very a lot loaded in direction of quick runs, it wasn’t till Saturday’s opening race that drivers would uncover how the brand new tyres would behave over an extended stint. And the degradation, whereas lower than current seasons, was nonetheless vital sufficient to trigger some drivers complications, resulting in some fierce battles.

There was nonetheless loads of strategic selection on supply and, whereas Ohta’s penalty took the sting out of the lead battle, there have been no scarcity of overtakes occurring up and down the sphere

The irony was that, within the race that featured the lap 10 pit window, your complete discipline pitted in unison as an incident involving Toshiki Oyu and Kazuto Kotaka had introduced out the protection automotive simply previous to the window opening. A number of groups have been compelled into double-stacking their drivers, which served to take away Crew Mugen’s Nojiri and Dandelion Racing’s Tadasuke Makino from the equation, as they’d been operating behind respective team-mates Ayumu Iwasa and Kakunoshin Ohta.

With all ingredient of technique eliminated, the race might have simply been a procession, however as a substitute Iwasa and Ohta delivered a thriller, with Ohta utilizing his superior tyre warm-up to get the higher of Iwasa as soon as the race resumed after which holding off the Crimson Bull junior driver by a scant 0.197 seconds, the fourth-closest end in collection historical past.

The leisure issue misplaced from the lesser degradation was arguably made up for by the truth that the brand new, stiffer rubber – one engineer described them to this author as ‘plastic tyres’ – was proving tough to rise up to temperature within the comparatively chilly situations at Suzuka.

Ohta beat Iwasa to take victory within the opener, however a misjudged transfer within the second race price him dearly

Picture by: Masahide Kamio

Nonetheless, sufficient groups have been involved by the degradation that pitting on lap one – which Makino had boldly predicted could be the selection of as much as 15 drivers after Friday observe – was a lot much less common than anticipated, as solely 5 drivers took the plunge, and greater than half of the sphere went for what could possibly be referred to as a ‘lengthy’ technique of attempting to make use of a mix of the gasoline impact (the automotive getting lighter and lighter on decrease gasoline) and contemporary tyres to their benefit.

First and second locations went to Makino and Tsuboi, who did precisely that. Saturday winner Ohta, who pitted on lap one, was heading in the right direction to be third after selecting up a five-second penalty for illegally passing fellow early stopper Iwasa on the chicane. However a late security automotive, triggered by rookie Zak O’Sullivan coming to grief, bunched up the pack and meant Ohta plummeted to twelfth as soon as his penalty was utilized, regardless of ending second on the highway.

When all was mentioned and completed, there was nonetheless loads of strategic selection on supply and, whereas Ohta’s penalty took the sting out of the lead battle, there have been no scarcity of overtakes occurring up and down the sphere as the opposite late stoppers made up time on contemporary rubber.

In different phrases, it was the identical previous Tremendous Formulation that we all know and love, and JRP can definitely really feel a way of reduction that the paddock’s worst fears proved unfounded.

The established prime groups can even draw consolation from the truth that the brand new tyres didn’t herald a serious reshuffle within the acquainted pecking order. Solely three groups have gained races for the reason that starting of the SF23 period, Mugen, TOM’S and Dandelion and, on the proof of Suzuka, that specific state of affairs isn’t going to vary any time quickly.

Regardless of falling quick but once more of a primary Tremendous Formulation win, it’s Iwasa who holds the early championship lead forward of Tsuboi – who obtained his title defence off to a powerful begin round what is just not often a very good observe for Toyota – Ohta, Makino and Nojiri, who began on pole in each races however ended up ending seventh and fourth.

The battle traces are effectively and actually drawn, and it seems to be like we could possibly be in for a monumental five-way scrap for the title in Tremendous Formulation’s longest-ever season.

Iwasa leaves the Tremendous Formulation opening spherical with a seven-point lead over Tsuboi

Picture by: Masahide Kamio