Kvyat appears likely to participate in the Japanese single-seater’s traditional so-called ‘rookie test’ with Honda squad Nakajima Racing on December 6-8.
The former Red Bull driver hasn’t raced a single-seater since his final season in F1 with AlphaTauri in 2020, although he did test a Formula E car for the NIO squad earlier this year in Berlin.
But an opportunity to sample the Super Formula car comes thanks to Kvyat’s former AlphaTauri/Toro Rosso boss Franz Tost and his long-standing links to Nakajima team manager Katsuhisa Homma, forged during Ralf Schumacher’s title-winning 1996 Formula Nippon campaign.
The final day of the Suzuka test is expected to be reserved for rookie drivers, meaning Kvyat would most likely get three days to sample the Dallara SF23.
While Nakajima’s full line-up for the test remains unclear, Naoki Yamamoto is highly unlikely to participate, having already been ruled out of this month’s Suzuka finale due to the neck injury he sustained in a crash in last month’s Sugo SUPER GT round.
Kvyat driving in the Suzuka test inevitably raises the prospect of the 29-year-old becoming a full-season Super Formula driver in 2024.
Super Formula’s looming change to the damper regulations, with the series banning open damper development in favour of standard components, is likely to mean teams will aim to run their regular drivers for 2024 in the rookie test.
The Suzuka test will mark the first time that teams run the Ohlins dampers that will be mandated for use next year.
Kvyat has already been named as a factory Lamborghini driver for the Italian marque’s LMDh project, which will see it contest both the World Endurance Championship and IMSA SportsCar Championship next season, but specific driver line-ups have not been revealed.
A Super Formula campaign would not be precluded by a campaign in the WEC, as the two series feature no date conflicts. Toyota duo Ryo Hirakawa and Kamui Kobayashi have successfully combined the two championships in recent seasons.
The potential for a high-profile name such as Kvyat to join the Super Formula grid next year comes as good news for the Japanese championship, especially with Liam Lawson looking unlikely to return in 2024.
While Lawson has missed his target of being promoted to a F1 race seat with AlphaTauri in 2024, Red Bull is likely to want to have the New Zealander on call at all 24 grands prix next season as a reserve driver for both its teams.
The 2024 Super Formula calendar features six clashes with F1 events as things stand.
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