The new chairman of championship promoter JRP, whose eponymous Kondo Racing team is active in both Super Formula and SUPER GT, has previously expressed his desire to broaden the category's international appeal.
In order to achieve this goal, Kondo wants to welcome more drivers from overseas following a recent slump in foreign representation as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
However, speaking during an informal media gathering at last month’s Suzuka race, he acknowledged that both Honda and Toyota will have to change their attitudes towards defaulting to promoting their domestic junior drivers in order to make this a reality.
“I want the series to welcome more and more talented foreign drivers,” said Kondo. “That’s something we also have to request to Honda and Toyota.
“I don’t want the manufacturers to use Super Formula as a training ground for their young drivers with an eye on the future, rather I want to make the here and now more exciting.
“I want to make an environment so the manufacturers say, ‘wouldn’t it be best to sign that foreign driver?’ Maybe that’s not something we can achieve immediately, but I want to do it gradually.
“I want people to take notice that the number of foreign drivers has increased.”
The number of non-Japanese drivers in Super Formula stood at approximately one third of the grid immediately prior to the pandemic in 2019.
But with new foreign drivers largely unable to enter the series from 2020 owing to Japan’s strict travel restrictions, Honda and Toyota resorted to filling holes in their rosters with their own junior drivers racing in Super Formula Lights.
Ritomo Miyata, Sena Sakaguchi and Ren Sato are some examples of drivers to have been promoted in this way, while Kazuto Kotaka and Kakunoshin Ota both stepped up from the feeder series for the 2023 season.
However, Kotaka (pictured above) was only handed the seat departed by Sacha Fenestraz at Kondo Racing after talks between the team and Formula 2 front-runner Theo Pourchaire broke down.
Next in line for promotions from SF Lights would be Toyota youngsters Hibiki Taira and Seita Nonaka, both of whom have tested for Toyota-powered teams in Super Formula, and Honda juniors Iori Kimura and Shun Koide.
The number of international drivers in Super Formula slumped to just two full-timers in 2021-22, but has rebounded to four for 2023, with TOM'S driver Giuliano Alesi being joined by Red Bull junior Liam Lawson (Mugen), HPD scholarship winner Raoul Hyman (B-Max) and Cem Bolukbasi (TGM Grand Prix).
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