# 2017 Super Formula Championship

The 2017 Japanese Super Formula Championship was the forty-fifth season of premier Japanese open-wheel motor racing, and the fifth under the moniker of Super Formula. Yuji Kunimoto was the defending series champion.
Hiroaki Ishiura won his second Driver's Championship in three years, finishing only half a point ahead of Pierre Gasly after the final round was cancelled due to Typhoon Lan. The Cerumo INGING team won their second successive Team Championship.

## Teams and drivers

Every Honda-powered car used a Honda HR-414E engine and every Toyota-powered car used a Toyota RI4A engine.
| Manufacturer | Engine | No. | Driver | Rounds |
| P.mu/cerumo・INGING | Toyota | 1 | Yuji Kunimoto | All |
| P.mu/cerumo・INGING | Toyota | 2 | Hiroaki Ishiura | All |
| Kondō Racing | Toyota | 3 | Nick Cassidy | All |
| Kondō Racing | Toyota | 4 | Kenta Yamashita | All |
| SUNOCO Team LeMans | Toyota | 7 | Felix Rosenqvist | All |
| SUNOCO Team LeMans | Toyota | 8 | Kazuya Oshima | All |
| Real Racing | Honda | 10 | Koudai Tsukakoshi | All |
| Team Mugen | Honda | 15 | Pierre Gasly | All |
| Team Mugen | Honda | 16 | Naoki Yamamoto | All |
| KCMG | Toyota | 18 | Kamui Kobayashi | All |
| Itochu Enex Team Impul | Toyota | 19 | Yuhi Sekiguchi | All |
| Itochu Enex Team Impul | Toyota | 20 | Jann Mardenborough | All |
| Vantelin Team Tom's | Toyota | 36 | André Lotterer | All |
| Vantelin Team Tom's | Toyota | 37 | Kazuki Nakajima | All |
| Docomo Team Dandelion Racing | Honda | 40 | Tomoki Nojiri | All |
| Docomo Team Dandelion Racing | Honda | 41 | Takuya Izawa | All |
| B-MAX Racing Team | Honda | 50 | Takashi Kogure | All |
| TCS Nakajima Racing | Honda | 64 | Daisuke Nakajima | All |
| TCS Nakajima Racing | Honda | 65 | Narain Karthikeyan | All |

### Driver changes
#### Leaving Super Formula

* Stoffel Vandoorne will leave the series to compete in Formula One with McLaren.
* Bertrand Baguette will leave the series to compete in Super GT Series.
* Yuichi Nakayama is replaced at the single car KCMG team by Kamui Kobayashi.
* Joao Paulo de Oliveira, 2010 Formula Nippon champion, leaves after seven seasons with Team Impul and ten in the series.

#### Entering Super Formula

* 2016 GP2 Series champion, Red Bull Racing and Scuderia Toro Rosso reserve driver Pierre Gasly moved to Super Formula with Team Mugen. He replaced Daniil Kvyat at Scuderia Toro Rosso from the 2017 Malaysian Grand Prix, but skipped the 2017 United States Grand Prix to finish the Super Formula season.
* Nick Cassidy and Kenta Yamashita, the 2015 and 2016 Japanese Formula 3 champions, join the series with Kondo Racing, replacing James Rossiter and William Buller.
* GT Academy winner Jann Mardenborough makes his series debut with Team Impul.
* 2015 European F3 champion Felix Rosenqvist joins the series. He is joined at Team LeMans by Kazuya Oshima, making his full-time return to Super Formula for the first time since 2012.

## Race calendar

| Round | Round | Circuit | Date | Pole Position | Fastest Lap | Winning Driver | Winning Team |
| 1 | 1 | Suzuka Circuit | 23 April | Kazuki Nakajima | Koudai Tsukakoshi | Kazuki Nakajima | Vantelin Team Tom's |
| 2 | R1 | Okayama International Circuit | 27 May | Yuhi Sekiguchi | Felix Rosenqvist | André Lotterer | Vantelin Team Tom's |
| 2 | R2 | Okayama International Circuit | 28 May | Hiroaki Ishiura | Kamui Kobayashi | Yuhi Sekiguchi | Itochu Enex Team Impul |
| 3 | 3 | Fuji Speedway | 9 July | Yuji Kunimoto | Felix Rosenqvist | Hiroaki Ishiura | P.mu/cerumo・INGING |
| 4 | 4 | Twin Ring Motegi | 20 August | Kenta Yamashita | Koudai Tsukakoshi | Pierre Gasly | Team Mugen |
| 5 | 5 | Autopolis | 10 September | Tomoki Nojiri | Jann Mardenborough | Pierre Gasly | Team Mugen |
| 6 | 6 | Sportsland SUGO | 24 September | Nick Cassidy | Hiroaki Ishiura | Yuhi Sekiguchi | Itochu Enex Team Impul |
| 7 | R1 | Suzuka Circuit | 22 October | André Lotterer | Races cancelled due to Typhoon Lan | Races cancelled due to Typhoon Lan | Races cancelled due to Typhoon Lan |
| 7 | R2 | Suzuka Circuit | 22 October | Jann Mardenborough | Races cancelled due to Typhoon Lan | Races cancelled due to Typhoon Lan | Races cancelled due to Typhoon Lan |
| Source: ||||||||

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

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | Pole |
| Rounds 1, 3-6 | 10 | 8 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 1 |
| Round 2 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 2.5 | 2 | 1.5 | 1 | 0.5 | 1 |
| Round 7 | 8 | 4 | 3 | 2.5 | 2 | 1.5 | 1 | 0.5 | 1 |

#### Driver standings

| Pos | Driver | SUZ | OKA | OKA | FUJ | MOT | AUT | SUG | SUZ | SUZ | Points |
| 1 | Hiroaki Ishiura | 4 | 8 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 4 | 6 | C | C | 33.5 |
| 2 | Pierre Gasly | 10 | 19 | 7 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 2 | C | C | 33 |
| 3 | Felix Rosenqvist | 11 | 12 | 4 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 5 | C | C | 28.5 |
| 4 | Yuhi Sekiguchi | 12 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 16 | 10 | 1 | C | C | 25 |
| 5 | Kazuki Nakajima | 1 | 9 | 18 | 7 | 11 | 6 | 3 | C | C | 22 |
| 6 | André Lotterer | 5 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 7 | Ret | 10 | C | C | 21 |
| 7 | Kamui Kobayashi | 9 | 4 | 5 | 15 | 2 | 7 | 7 | C | C | 16.5 |
| 8 | Yuji Kunimoto | 3 | 10 | 9 | Ret | 15 | 5 | 4 | C | C | 16 |
| 9 | Naoki Yamamoto | 2 | 5 | 8 | Ret | 13 | 16 | 18 | C | C | 10.5 |
| 10 | Nick Cassidy | 17 | 3 | 11 | Ret | 5 | Ret | 19 | C | C | 8 |
| 11 | Kenta Yamashita | 14 | 7 | 6 | Ret | 6 | 13 | 11 | C | C | 6.5 |
| 12 | Kazuya Oshima | Ret | 15 | 12 | 12 | 10 | 3 | 15 | C | C | 6 |
| 13 | Takuya Izawa | 8 | 14 | Ret | 6 | Ret | 15 | 8 | C | C | 5 |
| 14 | Jann Mardenborough | 18 | 6 | 17 | 8 | 14 | 8 | 9 | C | C | 4.5 |
| 15 | Koudai Tsukakoshi | 6 | 11 | 16 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 16 | C | C | 3 |
| 16 | Daisuke Nakajima | 7 | 16 | 14 | 11 | 12 | 11 | 17 | C | C | 2 |
| 17 | Tomoki Nojiri | 16 | 13 | 10 | 10 | 8 | 14 | 12 | C | C | 2 |
| 18 | Takashi Kogure | 15 | 18 | 15 | 13 | 17 | 12 | 14 | C | C | 0 |
| 19 | Narain Karthikeyan | 13 | 17 | 13 | 14 | Ret | Ret | 13 | C | C | 0 |
| Pos | Driver | SUZ | OKA | OKA | FUJ | MOT | AUT | SUG | SUZ | SUZ | 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 | No. | SUZ | OKA | OKA | FUJ | MOT | AUT | SUG | SUZ | SUZ | Points |
| 1 | P.mu/cerumo・INGING | 1 | 3 | 10 | 9 | Ret | 15 | 5 | 4 | C | C | 47.5 |
| 1 | P.mu/cerumo・INGING | 2 | 4 | 8 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 4 | 6 | C | C | 47.5 |
| 2 | Team Mugen | 15 | 10 | 19 | 7 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 2 | C | C | 43.5 |
| 2 | Team Mugen | 16 | 2 | 5 | 8 | Ret | 13 | Ret | 18 | C | C | 43.5 |
| 3 | Vantelin Team TOM's | 36 | 5 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 7 | Ret | 10 | C | C | 41 |
| 3 | Vantelin Team TOM's | 37 | 1 | 9 | 18 | 7 | 11 | 6 | 3 | C | C | 41 |
| 4 | SUNOCO Team LeMans | 7 | 11 | 12 | 4 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 5 | C | C | 34.5 |
| 4 | SUNOCO Team LeMans | 8 | Ret | 15 | 12 | 12 | 10 | 3 | 15 | C | C | 34.5 |
| 5 | ITOCHU ENEX Team Impul | 19 | 12 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 16 | 10 | 1 | C | C | 27.5 |
| 5 | ITOCHU ENEX Team Impul | 20 | 18 | 6 | 17 | 8 | 14 | 8 | 17 | C | C | 27.5 |
| 6 | KCMG | 18 | 9 | 4 | 5 | 15 | 2 | 7 | 7 | C | C | 16.5 |
| 7 | Kondo Racing | 3 | 17 | 3 | 11 | Ret | 5 | Ret | 19 | C | C | 12.5 |
| 7 | Kondo Racing | 4 | 14 | 7 | 6 | Ret | 6 | 13 | 11 | C | C | 12.5 |
| 8 | DOCOMO Team Dandelion Racing | 40 | 16 | 13 | 10 | 10 | 8 | 14 | 12 | C | C | 6 |
| 8 | DOCOMO Team Dandelion Racing | 41 | 8 | 14 | Ret | 6 | Ret | 15 | 8 | C | C | 6 |
| 9 | Real Racing | 10 | 6 | 11 | 16 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 16 | C | C | 3 |
| 10 | TCS Nakajima Racing | 64 | 7 | 16 | 14 | 11 | 12 | 11 | 17 | C | C | 2 |
| 10 | TCS Nakajima Racing | 65 | 13 | 17 | 13 | 14 | Ret | Ret | 13 | C | C | 2 |
| 11 | B-MAX Racing Team | 50 | 15 | 18 | 15 | 13 | 17 | 12 | 14 | C | C | 0 |
| Pos | Team | No. | SUZ | OKA | OKA | FUJ | MOT | AUT | SUG | SUZ | SUZ | Points |