Latest news with #SuperFormula
Newsweek
3 days ago
- Automotive
- Newsweek
Super Formula Champion Sho Tsuboi Eyes Haas F1 Test
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. Super Formula driver Sho Tsuboi believes he is close to achieving his lifelong dream of testing a Formula 1 car. Tsuboi is the reigning Super Formula champion who races for Toyota. Apart from winning the Japanese race series title, he also won his third SUPER GT title for the Japanese automaker. More F1 news: How Lewis Hamilton Made the F1 Movie Production More Expensive Given his success on Toyota's roster, Tsuboi hopes for a potential test with Haas F1's older cars. F1 features a Testing Previous Cars program, which allows teams to give drivers the opportunity to run in older machinery to assess their ability to drive the machinery. ho Tsuboi (36) of Japan and VANTEL'S TEAM TOM'S drives on track during the Super Formula Round Seven at Fuji Speedway on October 13, 2024 in Oyama, Japan. ho Tsuboi (36) of Japan and VANTEL'S TEAM TOM'S drives on track during the Super Formula Round Seven at Fuji Speedway on October 13, 2024 in Oyama, Japan. Photo by/Getty Images Toyota and Haas formed a partnership last year. The team features Toyota Racing logos on their cars as a sponsorship. Toyota also lends its facilities for car testing, giving Haas infrastructure and money in its racing pursuits. In return, Haas grants several Toyota-affiliated drivers tests with its cars. Ryo Hirakawa is one of the drivers who was given opportunities with Haas. He is the team's reserve driver for this season and has already gotten two free practice runs. In an interview with Autosport, Tsuboi explained why he believes an F1 test is in his future. "Before I won the Super Formula title, I wasn't really thinking about anything beyond that as I didn't think I'd have other options as long as I didn't win it," Tsuboi told Autosport. "But getting the double title means I've won everything I can in Japanese racing and I can start to consider more possibilities. "Lately Toyota has entered into a partnership with Haas in F1, and it seems the environment is starting to take shape where I could have the chance to drive an F1 car and take part in some testing. "Becoming an F1 driver has been my dream since I was a kid, so I definitely want to drive an F1 car at least once." Tsuboi is riding a wave of belief after capturing the Japanese racing double. His hopes of one day racing in F1 went up after his success this past season, along with Toyota's resurgence in F1. "Of course, my dream was always to succeed as an F1 driver," Tsuboi added. "Winning the double title means it was a year that I took a step towards that goal. "Until that point, it really felt just like a pipe dream, something that I would never be able to grasp, and that I just had to focus on the thing that was right in front of me. That meant my only goal was becoming Super Formula champion. "Winning the championship allowed me to have a new goal beyond that, and the idea of having a chance in F1 as part of Toyota has become a big motivation for me, so I would like to aim for that." While a full-time drive may never come to fruition, Tsuboi should get a chance to drive an F1 soon, and it will come well-deserved, given his racing success. More F1 news: Hamilton Heartbroken After Hitting Animal Mid-Race, Damaging Car For more F1 news, head on over to Newsweek Sports.
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Can Kakunoshin Ohta's switch to IndyCar emulate Alex Palou's success?
In last month's Indianapolis 500, Takuma Sato demonstrated once again that age is a mere number as he led a significant number of laps on his way to ninth place. Indeed, only the smallest of braking misjudgements on pitlane cost him a shot at a third victory at the Speedway. But, no matter how impressive his run at the wheel of a one-off additional Honda-powered Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing car at Indy, in which he led a field-high 51 laps, there's no escaping the fact that 48-year-old Sato is approaching the twilight of his career. Advertisement Since 2002, thanks largely to the efforts of engine supplier Honda, there has always been at least one Japanese driver on the grid for the 500. However, for years, there was no clear candidate to take over the baton from Sato, who made his debut way back in 2010 after the collapse of the Super Aguri team brought his Formula 1 career to a premature end. Read Also: Former F1 racer Sato lands executive advisor role at Honda That has changed in the last six months or so with Super Formula driver Kakunoshin Ohta emerging as someone who could, one day, keep the Japanese flame at Indy burning. Those who follow Super Formula closely will need no introduction to Ohta, who has scored five victories in the single-seater series for the Honda-powered Dandelion Racing team in the last 18 months or so and is right in the thick of this year's title battle. Advertisement Off the back of those performances, as well as some strong form in Super GT, Ohta was selected by Honda to participate in three races in the IMSA SportsCar Championship at the wheel of a Meyer Shank Racing Acura LMDh, beginning with the Daytona 24 Hours. Kakunoshin Ohta, DOCOMO TEAM DANDELION RACING Kakunoshin Ohta, DOCOMO TEAM DANDELION RACING But it isn't just his on-track abilities that convinced Honda to support Ohta to become the first Japanese driver to race at the top-level in the United States since Sato 15 years ago. As HRC president Koji Watanabe explained in an exclusive interview with Autosport, Ohta's strong desire to spread his wings beyond Japan – far from universal among Super Formula drivers – and his English ability, further honed driving Mercedes GT3 machinery for Hong Kong outfit Craft-Bamboo Racing in recent times, were also key factors. Advertisement 'Especially those drivers who are young and express a strong desire to race abroad, we want to support them in doing so,' Watanabe told "I was there at Daytona so I could see his driving and his communication with the team with my own eyes, and he was communicating with the team in the way I had hoped" Koji Watanabe 'Ohta in particular has shown his skills and that he has a tremendous amount of margin to grow, which means we have high expectations of him. He is also fluent in English and very good at communicating with the team, both on the technical side and private conversation. 'He has always indicated a strong desire to race overseas, a strong will, that we wanted to support. Those were the big points in terms of selecting Ohta.' So far, Ohta's IMSA campaign has been forgettable in terms of results. Not long after his first race stint in the #93 Acura ARX-06 at Daytona, the car dropped many laps off the pace due to a suspension problem, and while he was set for further mileage at Sebring in an LMP2 car, an early accident for one of his Era Motorsport team-mates meant he didn't even get to drive. The Japanese driver is getting extra racing experience with LMP2 outings for Era Motorsport in IMSA The Japanese driver is getting extra racing experience with LMP2 outings for Era Motorsport in IMSA But Ohta will have two more chances to shine in the Acura, one at Watkins Glen this weekend and the other at Indianapolis later in the year, as well as a further outing for Era Motorsport in LMP2 at Road America as he builds up his experience in the US – all while jetting back and forth to Japan to fight for the Super Formula title. Advertisement 'I think so far Ohta has done a great job in quite a challenging environment,' added Watanabe. 'I was there at Daytona so I could see his driving and his communication with the team with my own eyes, and he was communicating with the team in the way I had hoped. Sadly due to an issue with the car he wasn't able to get a result, but I am looking forward to seeing how he does in the next race at Watkins Glen. I have high hopes for him.' Ohta has made it clear in previous conversations with that he is hoping to use his new-found connections with Meyer Shank Racing to land a test in IndyCar machinery. Indeed, the 25-year-old who goes by 'Kaku' in the IMSA paddock visited the Indy 500 last month straight after a test at Watkins Glen, soaking in the action together with Watanabe. But Watanabe is keen to stress that Ohta must first prove his worth in IMSA before any serious discussions about a future in IndyCar can take place. 'I know he has various goals and ambitions, as top athletes should have,' said Watanabe. 'What I have said to him is that I want to see him focus on what is in front of him, get good results in IMSA, perform well, then we can think about the next step. Advertisement 'So in this year's IMSA races, although there aren't many opportunities left, I am hoping he can get good results, such as a podium finish. This is our expectation. As for future possibilities for him, we want to see what aspirations he has for himself, and then we would also have to consider what HRC's circumstances are like.' Sato can still call on support from Honda, but his personal backers enable him to continue to compete in IndyCar Sato can still call on support from Honda, but his personal backers enable him to continue to compete in IndyCar Asked whether a full-time IMSA ride would be the logical next step for Ohta, Watanabe replied: 'That is one possibility. At the appropriate timing we'll decide based on his results.' Advertisement Financial considerations will of course play a role in any ambitions Ohta may have to race in IndyCar. With his profile and connections, Sato has been able to gather the sponsorship money needed to race at Indy through largely his own efforts in recent years, and it's far from clear whether any other HRC driver would be able to raise the required sums. 'Takuma's Indy 500 programme is not so much a works Honda programme, but rather it's a result of his love for Indy and his strong desire to compete, which has allowed him to gather support from various sources, including from Honda,' clarified Watanabe, adding he "personally believes" Sato will still be on the grid next season. "If we find someone that ticks these boxes, we'll make a decision on whether to support them" Koji Watanabe 'In the future, we will consider if there is a driver with the same determination to race at Indy as Takuma, as well as someone with the required level of talent. If we find someone that ticks these boxes, we'll make a decision on whether to support them.' As Watanabe stresses, there are no guarantees at this stage, but Ohta being given the chance to race in IMSA this year already marks the biggest opportunity handed to a Japanese Honda driver outside of the traditional ladder to F1 for many years. Advertisement And if Ohta was ever to make the move to IndyCar from Super Formula, he would be following the same path taken by a certain Alex Palou five years ago – a move that most would probably agree didn't work out too badly… Palou and Ohta were team-mates at the Daytona 24 Hours, but can the Japanese driver follow the path the Spaniard took to reach IndyCar? Palou and Ohta were team-mates at the Daytona 24 Hours, but can the Japanese driver follow the path the Spaniard took to reach IndyCar? To read more articles visit our website.
Scottish Sun
16-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Scottish Sun
Formula E star Dan Ticktum says Red Bull have not had a better junior driver since he was dropped by Christian Horner
Ticktum, 25, has earned a reputation as the bad boy of motor sport over the years. Tick-ed off Formula E star Dan Ticktum says Red Bull have not had a better junior driver since he was dropped by Christian Horner Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) DAN TICKTUM says Red Bull have not had a better junior driver since he was dropped by the team in 2019. The British racing driver now races for Idris Elba's backed Formula E team Kiro Racing Co and stars in the sport's new fly-on-the-wall series - Driver. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 3 Dan Ticktum has found his home in Formula E after earning a bad boy reputation in motorsport Credit: Getty 3 Ticktum and English actor Idris Elba who has backed Formula E team Kiro Racing Co. Credit: Getty 3 Ticktum spent two-years at Red Bull's academy Credit: Getty Ticktum, 25, has earned a reputation as the bad boy of motor sport over the years. He was banned for a year from ignoring a safety car to purposefully crash into a karting rival. He was later signed by both Red Bull and Williams' F1 driver academies and was axed by both. Ticktum has got a smile back on his face in Formula E though and has recalled his time in Red Bull's academy ahead of this weekend's double header in Tokyo. He said: "Red Bull has got their reputation for being quite ruthless. I understand how it operates and I quite like it. 'I don't necessarily agree with all the decisions. It's very black and white and if the results aren't on paper that's it really. 'Marko knows how to spot a good driver, he does get knocked for some of his harsher decisions. 'I had the year of F3 which was a very successful year. I was double world champion that year, some pretty political stuff went on there, I won't go into too much detail. BEST ONLINE CASINOS - TOP SITES IN THE UK 'I didn't have enough super licence points because the new super license came out, I had 38 not 40 points so the FIA wouldn't allow me in F1. 'Red Bull were keen to have me at Torro Rosso at the time in 2019 so I had to do some Super Formula stuff in 2019. Man City legend Sergio Aguero's new career as a racing driver for Porsche 'Some more political stuff went on which I can't talk about, it was a bit unfair but that's life, that's racing, it happens. 'I didn't quite get to F1 with them, I would have fit in well and to be brutally honest I would have been better than pretty much any junior they've had since me.' Max Verstappen's teammate at Red Bull has been a hot-topic over the past few years with a series of brutal hiring and firings. Christian Horner's ruthless axing of Liam Lawson for Yuki Tsunoda after just two races this season showed he is still taking no prisoners. Ticktum felt the wrath of Horner and Helmut Marko when he was axed from the programme when he was driving for their junior team in Super Formula six-years ago. It was speculated that Ticktum would replace Brendon Hartley at Toro Rosso for the 2019 F1 season, but it was given to Daniil Kvyat. His Red Bull exit came shortly after stalling his car and spinning on a curb at Autopolis in qualifying before finishing the race in 15th. Wild rumours swirled that physically assaulted his engineer - which have since been put to bed by him. Ticktum has a glittering trophy cabinet and rubbed shoulders with Lando Norris in his karting days. His accolades include winning the Macau Grand Prix in 2017 and 2018, becoming the youngest winner at the event, and a McLaren Autosport BRDC Award winner in 2017. He has several F2 victories to his name including a win at Silverstone in his rookie season and he finished fourth in the FIA F2 standings in 2021, with three victories. When asked about his battles with Norris during his karting days, he said: 'I remember having a rivalry with him in 2013 because we were both at Ricky Flynn. 'He was obviously an exceptional driver, he was particularly exceptional in karting that time because other people had started to grow. 'He was very, very light and you had to put lead on the car and you could bolt it to the bottom of the seat. 'He had a much lower centre of gravity than anyone plus he was very good, so he was very successful in karting. 'We were tit for tat for a little bit in that season and yeah I think it was pretty clear that me and him were the most talented people doing it at that time.' Ticktum is one of the stars of Formula E's new docu-series called Driver which is available to watch on Amazon. Ticktum was the culprit of a swear-laden rant in last season's race in Jeddah, screaming 'f***ing hell guys' at his team. When asked about the FIA's strict current rules on swearing, he said: 'If I give any answer I will end up with a £30,000 fine so no comment.' On the series, he added: 'The series is really cool. It's great to have more behind the scenes stuff. "I guess I've been edited to fit the mould of being villain, but people think I come across genuinely and tell truth which is what I am. "Hopefully if there is season two then if they follow this year again then there will be more episodes. "It's great for the championship. The deal is incredible with Amazon." Watch Dan Ticktum in Formula E: Driver on Amazon Prime Video now and at Formula E's Tokyo E-Prix on 17th and 18th May
The Irish Sun
16-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Irish Sun
Formula E star Dan Ticktum says Red Bull have not had a better junior driver since he was dropped by Christian Horner
DAN TICKTUM says Red Bull have not had a better junior driver since he was dropped by the team in 2019. The British racing driver now races for Idris Elba's backed Formula E team Kiro Racing Co and stars in the sport's new fly-on-the-wall series - Driver. Advertisement 3 Dan Ticktum has found his home in Formula E after earning a bad boy reputation in motorsport Credit: Getty 3 Ticktum and English actor Idris Elba who has backed Formula E team Kiro Racing Co. Credit: Getty 3 Ticktum spent two-years at Red Bull's academy Credit: Getty Ticktum, 25, He was banned for a year from ignoring a safety car to purposefully crash into a karting rival. He was later signed by both Red Bull and Williams' F1 driver academies and was axed by both. Ticktum has got a smile back on his face in Formula E though and has recalled his time in Red Bull's academy ahead of this weekend's double header in Tokyo. Advertisement READ MORE ON MOTORSPORT He said: "Red Bull has got their reputation for being quite ruthless. I understand how it operates and I quite like it. 'I don't necessarily agree with all the decisions. It's very black and white and if the results aren't on paper that's it really. 'Marko knows how to spot a good driver, he does get knocked for some of his harsher decisions. 'I had the year of F3 which was a very successful year. I was double world champion that year, some pretty political stuff went on there, I won't go into too much detail. Advertisement Most read in Sport BEST ONLINE CASINOS - TOP SITES IN THE UK 'I didn't have enough super licence points because the new super license came out, I had 38 not 40 points so the FIA wouldn't allow me in F1. 'Red Bull were keen to have me at Torro Rosso at the time in 2019 so I had to do some Super Formula stuff in 2019. Man City legend Sergio Aguero's new career as a racing driver for Porsche 'Some more political stuff went on which I can't talk about, it was a bit unfair but that's life, that's racing, it happens. Advertisement 'I didn't quite get to F1 with them, I would have fit in well and to be brutally honest I would have been better than pretty much any junior they've had since me.' Max Verstappen's teammate at Red Bull has been a hot-topic over the past few years with a series of brutal hiring and firings. Ticktum felt the wrath of Horner and Helmut Marko when he was axed from the programme when he was driving for their junior team in Super Formula six-years ago. Advertisement It was speculated that Ticktum would replace Brendon Hartley at Toro Rosso for the 2019 F1 season, but it was given to Daniil Kvyat. His Red Bull exit came shortly after stalling his car and spinning on a curb at Autopolis in qualifying before finishing the race in 15th. Wild rumours swirled that physically assaulted his engineer - which have since been put to bed by him. Ticktum has a glittering trophy cabinet and rubbed shoulders with Advertisement His accolades include winning the Macau Grand Prix in 2017 and 2018, becoming the youngest winner at the event, and a McLaren Autosport BRDC Award winner in 2017. He has several F2 victories to his name including a win at Silverstone in his rookie season and he finished fourth in the FIA F2 standings in 2021, with three victories. When asked about his battles with Norris during his karting days, he said: 'I remember having a rivalry with him in 2013 because we were both at Ricky Flynn. 'He was obviously an exceptional driver, he was particularly exceptional in karting that time because other people had started to grow. Advertisement 'He was very, very light and you had to put lead on the car and you could bolt it to the bottom of the seat. 'He had a much lower centre of gravity than anyone plus he was very good, so he was very successful in karting. 'We were tit for tat for a little bit in that season and yeah I think it was pretty clear that me and him were the most talented people doing it at that time.' Ticktum is one of the stars of Formula E's new docu-series called Driver which is available to watch on Amazon. Advertisement Ticktum was the culprit of a swear-laden rant in last season's race in Jeddah, screaming 'f***ing hell guys' at his team. When asked about the FIA's strict current rules on swearing, he said: 'If I give any answer I will end up with a £30,000 fine so no comment.' On the series, he added: 'The series is really cool. It's great to have more behind the scenes stuff. "I guess I've been edited to fit the mould of being villain, but people think I come across genuinely and tell truth which is what I am. Advertisement "Hopefully if there is season two then if they follow this year again then there will be more episodes. "It's great for the championship. The deal is incredible with Amazon." Watch Dan Ticktum in Formula E: Driver on Amazon Prime Video now and at Formula E's Tokyo E-Prix on 17th and 18th May
Daily Mirror
29-04-2025
- Automotive
- Daily Mirror
'I spent 14 years in F1 but only raced for just one and a half laps'
Andre Lotterer was eyeing F1 opportunities for 14 years before eventually getting his shot - but the one race he competed in at the Belgian Grand Prix lasted less than two laps Andre Lotterer has made a name for himself in a number of motorsport formulas without ever cracking F1 despite being in and around the environment for 14 years. During that time though he would race on the grid for just over one lap. Opportunities simply didn't come knocking for the German, whose stock is incredibly high depending on what type of car he sits in. He has enjoyed Super Formula and Super GT success and has recently been competitive in Formula E. Lotterer enjoyed a strong junior career, which certainly put him in the shop window. Helmut Marko even had a look at him in the late 1990s but the first sniff of F1 came in 2000 with Jaguar when he was among those being allowed to test the car on almost a weekly basis. It looked as if his moment was going to come in a Monza test when Lotterer stood in for an Eddie Irvine, who was unwell, and performed strongly. He impressed the team with his pace and technical feedback, but then senior figures changed and those backing him were gone. He told The Race: "Things were not looking bad at all. But then the management completely changed and Niki Lauda came in and it seemed that the people who were supporting me were either gone or focusing on other things. I was just not in the right place at the right time I guess." And so Lotterer's wait went on, but the opportunities were drying up. He admits he wishes he'd pushed to see what options were available when he was on his A-game. "I kind of regret I didn't push more when things were good to maybe have an opportunity elsewhere," he said. Sauber showed interest and a test was booked but Felipe Massa, before his Ferrari days, went down beforehand and greatly impressed. Lotterer's manager cancelled the test, fearful that failing to match Massa's pace would reflect badly, and so the German headed to IndyCar and then Japan, where he's enjoyed the bulk of his success. Several drivers in the past, the likes of Irvine and Heinz-Harald Frentzen, had used Japanese success as a route into F1. Lotterer race with Nakajima and attempted to get an agreement in place that a championship success would grant him a shot with Honda. Instead a shock call came in 2014 from Caterham, owing to the recommendation of his first endurance racing boss Colin Kolles, who was in charge of the team. Lotterer's opportunity would come at the Belgian Grand Prix in Spa, racing for a team that were struggling on the off the track. He was never expected to match the pace of Kamui Kobayashi, for whom he was filling in for. Despite those expectations he would out qualify Marcus Ericsson by almost a second in a wet session. On the Sunday Lotterer would race for just seven miles. "I went over the exit kerb a bit at Blanchimont on lap two and some fuse popped out and that was it," he said.
