GP1 Championship

The **GP1 Championship**, currently known as the Toshiba GP1 Championship due to sponsorship, is the premier level of national open wheel racing in Japan. The series began in 1996, with developmental series GP2 forming in 1999, and GP3 forming in 2003. Currently, the series is contested across 8-10 races a year, with a field of 20 drivers per race. In recent years, the series has begun to host races outside of Japan.

## Background

Prior to the formation of the series, Japan's highest level of open wheel racing was All-Japan Formula 3, which has been in existence since 1973. Chita Racing Formula (CRF) moved to create the series, which was called Super GP from 1996 until 1999, to capitalize on the popularity of both Formula One, and the IndyCar Series, both of which visited different parts of the country. Formula One visited Suzuka, Fuji, and Okayama during the 1990s, with great success, while IndyCar (now Champ Car) visited Fuji, and then Motegi in the late 1990s. In the early years of the series, regulations were loose, allowing for multiple chassis builders and engine suppliers to have a presence. With the formation of GP2 for 1999, the series refined its own unique formula, aiming to be faster than their North American counterparts, but still cost-friendly. A current GP1 chassis is 8.5 seconds slower on average than a contemporary Formula 1 machine. Likewise, the GP1 chassis, built by Dallara, is only slightly slower than the Champ Car machines of 2021 in dry-weather conditions. Both GP1 and Champ Car are over two seconds faster than Formula 2, making both series viable alternatives for drivers unable to get into Formula 1.

## Regulations

### Current Regulations (2019-present)

#### Cars

Currently, Dallara is the exclusive chassis maker for the GP1 Championship, producing the GP1-19 for the series. The car features a halo protective device, a standard feature in most Asian and European open wheel cars. In GP1, car weight is the only weight that matters, with cars required to weigh 610 kilograms without a driver. This places particular emphasis on drivers being fit and healthy. Honda, Toyota, and Nissan are the engine suppliers of the series, with all three using engines that also are supplied to the All-Japan GT Championship's GT1 Class. The cars also feature a push to pass system, which gives an extra 15 brake horsepower when applied during the races. Each driver has 200 seconds of push to pass per event, but penalties restricting push to pass usage have been used to punish drivers following avoidable accidents or other infractions.

#### Specifications

* **Engine Formula:** 2.2 liter DOHC inline 4 engines.
* **Gearbox:** 6 speed paddle shift gearbox
* **Weight:** 610 kilograms (1,345 pounds)
* **Power Output:** 780-800 brake horsepower (581-597 kilowatts)
* **Fuel:** 102 RON unleaded gasoline
* **Fuel Delivery:** Direct fuel injection
* **Aspiration:** Twin turbocharged
* **Length:** 5,233 mm (206 in)
* **Width:** 1,910 mm (75 in)
* **Wheelbase:** 3,115 mm (123 in)
* **Steering:** Electric power-assisted rack and pinion
* **Tires:** Yokohama ADVAN radial dry slicks and treaded rain tyres

## Drivers

GP1 Championship, despite being a Japanese national championship, has maintained a high international profile since its inception. Numerous drivers, such as Kunimitsu Kinoshita, have gone from GP1 to be successful in Formula 1, while drivers such as Asumi Matsuo have gone from GP1 to Champ Car with high levels of success. Due to its relaxed schedule, the series sees overlaps in drivers that compete in it, as well as either Formula 2, All-Japan GT, or the GT1 World Challenge. To date, no driver has actively competed in GP1, as well as either Formula 1, or Champ Car, at the same time.

Additionally, the series has employed development processes similar to what the Indy Lights Series used to provide in North America, where the champion of a lower level was guaranteed a secured ride in the next tier the following season. All but four drivers currently in GP1 have competed in one of the lower two series before debuting in the series.

## Teams

Teams are permitted to field up to two cars per race. There's no limits on drivers utilized during the season, and some teams have previously shown up to each round with a completely different driver lineup across a single season. Most high profile teams field two cars, with a notable exception being the Kearny-Fushida Drive Force team, which has been the most successful single car team in recent years. Almost every team in the series also maintains a presence in another premier-level series, making the series highly competitive amongst not only drivers, but entire teams.

## Reception

GP1 is seen in a generally positive manner in the international community. Pundits have credited the series for creating or reviving open wheel racing stars, while also not diluting its competitions with what some Japanese media have called "wasteful showmanship" in reference to the massive tech evolutions seen in Formula 1. The series has undergone regulation changes five times, with the most recent generation of GP1 competition having been implemented in 2019. Due to the uses of powertrains shared by GP1, Champ Car, and AJGTC, the CRF has announced it has no immediate plans to alter the engine formula, seeing the benefit of allowing teams to learn and use the same engine equipment throughout multiple competitions. Many have also praised its driver development ladder, which will celebrate 20 years of existence in 2023.

Criticism has been levied hard against the series' lack of interest in moving towards more environmentally-friendly fuels. GP1, and its support series, are the only major open wheel series to remain on a pure gasoline fuel supply. North American open wheel racing began using ethanol and methanol in the 1990s, and are credited with popularizing the alternative fuel. Formula 1 uses hybrid technologies, which has dramatically increased its environmental standing. Other series, such as Formula 2, use butanol, a synthetically produced green fuel. The CRF has resisted all calls for change on this front, despite Champ Car, and AJGTC's GT1 Class using the same ethanol blend with the same engines.

GP1 is widely regarded as one of the safest top-level open wheel championships in the world. Since 1996, it has not seen a single driver fatality, while Formula 1 has seen two driver fatalities in that time span, and Champ Car has seen ten driver deaths since 2000 alone. It was the first series to require all drivers to wear body monitors and g-force censors, which became mandatory in 2009. Since 2010, only two drivers have suffered minor injuries, and no drivers have missed events due to injuries received in the series since its inception.

## Broadcasting

Since 1996, TNT Sports has held broadcasting rights of the series across all of Asia and Europe. The series has never been broadcasted live in North or South America, however it has been available on demand through TNT Sports' online streaming service globally since 2018. Since 2016, the series has averaged around 1 million viewers per race in Japan, outperforming Champ Car, but drawing less viewership than Formula 1, the All-Japan GT Championship, and the International Endurance Championship.