# 2011 Formula Nippon Championship

The 2011 Formula Nippon Championship was the thirty-ninth season of the premier Japanese open-wheel motor racing series. The series for Formula Nippon racing cars was contested over seven rounds.

## Teams and drivers

| Team | No. | Driver | Engine | Rounds |
| Team Impul | 1 | João Paulo de Oliveira | Toyota RV8K | All * |
| Team Impul | 2 | Kohei Hirate | Toyota RV8K | All * |
| Kondō Racing | 3 | Andrea Caldarelli | Toyota RV8K | All * |
| Team LeMans | 7 | Kazuya Oshima | Toyota RV8K | All * |
| Team Kygnus Sunoco | 8 | Hiroaki Ishiura | Toyota RV8K | All * |
| Real Racing | 10 | Takashi Kobayashi | Honda HR10E | All * |
| Real Racing | 11 | Hideki Mutoh | Honda HR10E | 4, 7 |
| Team Mugen | 16 | Naoki Yamamoto | Honda HR10E | All * |
| SGC by KCMG | 18 | Alexandre Imperatori | Toyota RV8K | All |
| SGC by KCMG | 18 | Tsugio Matsuda | Toyota RV8K | * |
| Nakajima Racing | 31 | Daisuke Nakajima | Honda HR10E | All * |
| Nakajima Racing | 32 | Takashi Kogure | Honda HR10E | All * |
| Project μ/cerumo・INGING | 33 | Yuji Kunimoto | Toyota RV8K | All * |
| Petronas Team TOM'S | 36 | André Lotterer | Toyota RV8K | 1, 3–7 * |
| Petronas Team TOM'S | 36 | Takuto Iguchi | Toyota RV8K | 2 |
| Petronas Team TOM'S | 37 | Kazuki Nakajima | Toyota RV8K | All * |
| Docomo Team Dandelion Racing | 40 | Takuya Izawa | Honda HR10E | All * |
| Docomo Team Dandelion Racing | 41 | Koudai Tsukakoshi | Honda HR10E | All * |
| Le Beausset Motorsports | 62 | Koki Saga | Toyota RV8K | All * |
* Drivers who participated in the non-championship round at Fuji Speedway.

## Race calendar and results

* All races will be held in Japan. A non-championship round, entitled Super GT and Formula Nippon Sprint Cup 2011, will be held at the conclusion of the season. The opening round at Suzuka was rescheduled from 16–17 April to 14–15 May due to the Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami that hit Japan in March. As a result, the first Twin Ring Motegi round scheduled for that weekend was rescheduled to 6 November with the originally scheduled Suzuka race moved forward to September.
| Round | Circuit | Date | Pole Position | Fastest Lap | Winning Driver | Winning Team |
| 1 | Suzuka Circuit | 15 May | Naoki Yamamoto | Naoki Yamamoto | André Lotterer | Petronas Team TOM'S |
| 2 | Autopolis | 5 June | Koudai Tsukakoshi | Kohei Hirate | Kazuki Nakajima | Petronas Team TOM'S |
| 3 | Fuji Speedway | 17 July | João Paulo de Oliveira | João Paulo de Oliveira | André Lotterer | Petronas Team TOM'S |
| 4 | Twin Ring Motegi | 7 August | João Paulo de Oliveira | João Paulo de Oliveira | João Paulo de Oliveira | Team Impul |
| 5 | Suzuka Circuit | 4 September | Race cancelled due to Typhoon Talas | Race cancelled due to Typhoon Talas | Race cancelled due to Typhoon Talas | Race cancelled due to Typhoon Talas |
| 6 | Sportsland SUGO | 25 September | Kazuya Oshima | Hiroaki Ishiura | André Lotterer | Petronas Team TOM'S |
| 7 | Twin Ring Motegi | 6 November | André Lotterer | Kazuki Nakajima | André Lotterer | Petronas Team TOM'S |
| 7 | Twin Ring Motegi | 6 November | André Lotterer | André Lotterer | André Lotterer | Petronas Team TOM'S |
| NC | Fuji Speedway | 13 November | João Paulo de Oliveira | João Paulo de Oliveira | João Paulo de Oliveira | Team Impul |

## Championship standings
### Drivers' Championship
#### Scoring system

| Round | Position | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | 5th | 6th | 7th | 8th | Pole |
| 1–6 | Points | 10 | 8 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 1 |
| 7 | Points | 8 | 4 | 3 | 2.5 | 2 | 1.5 | 1 | 0.5 | 1 |
| Pos | Driver | SUZ | AUT | FUJ | MOT | SUZ | SUG | MOT | MOT | FUJ | Points |
| 1 | André Lotterer | 1 | | 1 | 2 | C | 1 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 56 |
| 2 | Kazuki Nakajima | 3 | 1 | 3 | 3 | C | 3 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 42 |
| 3 | João Paulo de Oliveira | 6 | 4 | 4 | 1 | C | DSQ | 9 | 3 | 1 | 28 |
| 4 | Koudai Tsukakoshi | 7 | 3 | 5 | 4 | C | 4 | 3 | 8 | 7 | 26.5 |
| 5 | Kazuya Oshima | 5 | 2 | 12 | 8 | C | 6 | Ret | 5 | 4 | 19 |
| 6 | Hiroaki Ishiura | 8 | 10 | 6 | 7 | C | 2 | 6 | 6 | 2 | 17 |
| 7 | Takashi Kogure | 2 | Ret | 7 | Ret | C | 7 | 5 | 4 | 12 | 16.5 |
| 8 | Kohei Hirate | 9 | 8 | 2 | 5 | C | 8 | 7 | Ret | 10 | 15 |
| 9 | Takuya Izawa | 4 | 6 | 10 | 6 | C | DSQ | Ret | 10 | 6 | 11 |
| 10 | Yuji Kunimoto | 13 | 11 | 15 | 12 | C | 5 | 4 | Ret | Ret | 6.5 |
| 11 | Naoki Yamamoto | Ret | 5 | 9 | 14 | C | 11 | 12 | NC | 8 | 5 |
| 12 | Alexandre Imperatori | 10 | 7 | Ret | 11 | C | 12 | 8 | 12 | | 2.5 |
| 13 | Daisuke Nakajima | 11 | Ret | 8 | 9 | C | 10 | 11 | 7 | Ret | 2 |
| 14 | Takashi Kobayashi | Ret | 9 | 11 | 15 | C | Ret | 10 | 11 | 11 | 0 |
| 15 | Hideki Mutoh | | | | 10 | | | Ret | 9 | | 0 |
| 16 | Andrea Caldarelli | Ret | Ret | 13 | 13 | C | 9 | Ret | Ret | 9 | 0 |
| 17 | Koki Saga | 12 | Ret | 14 | 16 | C | 13 | 13 | Ret | 13 | 0 |
| 18 | Takuto Iguchi | | 12 | | | | | | | | 0 |
| | Tsugio Matsuda | | | | | | | | | 14 | 0 |
| Pos | Driver | SUZ | AUT | FUJ | MOT | SUZ | SUG | MOT | MOT | FUJ | Points |
| Colour | Result |
| Gold | Winner |
| Silver | Second place |
| Bronze | Third place |
| Green | Points finish |
| Blue | Non-points finish |
| Blue | Non-classified finish (NC) |
| Purple | Retired (Ret) |
| Red | Did not qualify (DNQ) |
| Red | Did not pre-qualify (DNPQ) |
| Black | Disqualified (DSQ) |
| White | Did not start (DNS) |
| White | Withdrew (WD) |
| White | Race cancelled (C) |
| Blank | Did not practice (DNP) |
| Blank | Did not arrive (DNA) |
| Blank | Excluded (EX) |

### Teams' Championship

| Pos | Team | SUZ | AUT | FUJ | MOT | SUZ | SUG | MOT | MOT | Points |
| 1 | Petronas Team TOM'S | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | C | 1 | 1 | 1 | 96 |
| 1 | Petronas Team TOM'S | 3 | 12 | 3 | 3 | C | 3 | 2 | 2 | 96 |
| 2 | Team Impul | 6 | 4 | 2 | 1 | C | 8 | 7 | 3 | 41 |
| 2 | Team Impul | 9 | 8 | 4 | 5 | C | DSQ | 9 | Ret | 41 |
| 3 | Docomo Team Dandelion Racing | 4 | 3 | 5 | 4 | C | 4 | 3 | 8 | 36.5 |
| 3 | Docomo Team Dandelion Racing | 7 | 6 | 10 | 6 | C | DSQ | Ret | 10 | 36.5 |
| 4 | Team LeMans Team Kygnus Sunoco | 5 | 2 | 6 | 7 | C | 2 | Ret | 5 | 32 |
| 4 | Team LeMans Team Kygnus Sunoco | 8 | 10 | 12 | 8 | C | 6 | | | 32 |
| 5 | Nakajima Racing | 2 | Ret | 7 | 9 | C | 7 | 5 | 4 | 18.5 |
| 5 | Nakajima Racing | 11 | Ret | 8 | Ret | C | 10 | 11 | 7 | 18.5 |
| 6 | Project μ/cerumo・INGING | 13 | 11 | 15 | 12 | C | 5 | 4 | Ret | 6.5 |
| 7 | Team Mugen | Ret | 5 | 9 | 14 | C | 11 | 12 | NC | 4 |
| 8 | Team Kygnus Sunoco | | | | | | | 6 | 6 | 3 |
| 9 | SGC by KCMG | 10 | 7 | Ret | 11 | C | 12 | 8 | 12 | 2.5 |
| 10 | HP Real Racing | Ret | 9 | 11 | 10 | C | Ret | 10 | 9 | 0 |
| 10 | HP Real Racing | | | | 15 | | | Ret | 11 | 0 |
| 11 | Kondō Racing | Ret | Ret | 13 | 13 | C | 9 | Ret | Ret | 0 |
| 12 | Le Beausset Motorsports | 12 | Ret | 14 | 16 | C | 13 | 13 | Ret | 0 |
| Pos | Team | SUZ | AUT | FUJ | MOT | SUZ | SUG | MOT | MOT | Points |
| Colour | Result |
| Gold | Winner |
| Silver | Second place |
| Bronze | Third place |
| Green | Points finish |
| Blue | Non-points finish |
| Blue | Non-classified finish (NC) |
| Purple | Retired (Ret) |
| Red | Did not qualify (DNQ) |
| Red | Did not pre-qualify (DNPQ) |
| Black | Disqualified (DSQ) |
| White | Did not start (DNS) |
| White | Withdrew (WD) |
| White | Race cancelled (C) |
| Blank | Did not practice (DNP) |
| Blank | Did not arrive (DNA) |
| Blank | Excluded (EX) |