Nobuharu Matsushita

Japanese racing driver From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Nobuharu Matsushita (松下信治, Matsushita Nobuharu, born 13 October 1993) is a Japanese racing driver currently competing in Super GT for ARTA and Super Formula for TGM Grand Prix.

Quick Facts Nationality, Born ...
Nobuharu Matsushita
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Matsushita in 2015
Nationality Japanese
Born (1993-10-13) 13 October 1993 (age 31)
Saitama, Japan
Super GT - GT500 career
Debut season2021
Current teamARTA
Car number8
Former teamsTeam Impul, Real Racing
Starts32
Wins3
Podiums9
Poles1
Fastest laps0
Best finish4th in 2022
Previous series
20202024
2017, 2019-20
20152016
2015-16
201314
2012
2011
Super Formula
FIA F2
GP2 Series
MRF Challenge
All-Japan Formula Three
Formula Challenge Japan
Formula Pilota China
Championship titles
2014
2012
All-Japan Formula Three
Formula Challenge Japan
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Early career

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Karting

Born in Saitama, Matsushita began his racing career in karting in 2005, competing the All-Japan Junior Kart Championship. In 2008, he clinched the championship title in the Open Masters Kart ARTA Challenge. He ended his karting participations in 2010, finishing third in the KF1 category of the All Japan Kart Championship.[1]

Formula Pilota China and Formula Challenge Japan

In 2011, Matsushita graduated to single–seaters into the Formula Pilota China with the Super License team.[2] He missed the Ordos round, but after his returning he showed better performance than in the first part of the season. He won the final race of the season at Sepang and finished the season fourth.[3]

For 2012, he switched to the Formula Challenge Japan mono-series. He scored ten podiums in twelve races, including five wins and took the championship title.[4]

All-Japan Formula Three

2013

In 2013, Matsushita stepped up to the All-Japan Formula Three Championship with the HFDP Racing.[5] He collected five podiums and another seven point-scoring finishes, to end the season fifth in the series standings, it was the best result for the Honda driver.[6]

2014

For the next season he decided to stay in the series with the same team.[7] He was victorious at Motegi, Fuji and Sugo, grabbing the championship title from Kenta Yamashita with a twelve-point gap.[8]

GP2 Series and FIA Formula 2

2015

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Matsushita in GP2 (Hungary 2015)

Matsushita made his début in the GP2 Series in 2015 with ART Grand Prix.[9] In the first race at Bahrain, he qualified second on the grid opposite teammate Stoffel Vandoorne and finished in the points in both races, setting the fastest lap in the sprint race. At the Red Bull Ring, Matsushita took his first GP2 podium by finishing third in the sprint race. He took his first victory in the sport in the sprint race at the Hungaroring as part of an ART 1–2. He finished 9th in the overall standings.

2016

In February 2016, it was announced Matsushita would reunite with ART for a second season, alongside fellow 2015 rookie Sergey Sirotkin. Matsushita was suspended for the 4th round of the season in Austria due to erratic driving at the previous event in Baku.[10]

2017

In 2017, Matsushita competed in the inaugural Formula 2 championship, driving for ART Grand Prix alongside Alexander Albon. He scored his first win in the sprint race in Spain, and his second one during the sprint race in Hungary. He scored two more podiums, in Monaco and in Monza and finished sixth in the final standings, beating Albon by 45 points.

2019

Matsushita returned to Formula 2 in 2019 with the Carlin team, partnering Louis Delétraz. He won the feature races at the Red Bull Ring and in Monza. He, again, finished 6th in the championship, two positions above his teammate.

2020

He was announced to drive for MP Motorsport in the 2020 FIA Formula 2 Championship together with Brazilian Felipe Drugovich. Matsushita announced that he would be leaving the F2 Championship with immediate effect on 22 September 2020.[11]

Formula One

On 20 February 2016, Matsushita was signed as a development driver for McLaren.[12]

Super Formula and Super GT career

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Super Formula

In 2018, Matsushita returned to Japan to compete in Super Formula for Honda team Dandelion. He returns to the series in 2020 racing with B-Max Racing, where he replaces Sérgio Sette Câmara who moved to Formula E. He continues racing with B-Max once again, competed from the second round. For 2022, he stays again with the same team. Matsushita clinched his first win of the series in Suzuka. For 2023, Matsushita continues racing with B-Max once again. Matsushita ended his association with B-Max as he moves to TGM Grand Prix last minute.[13]

Super GT

GT300

Matsushita made his debut in the Japanese Super GT Series in the last two rounds of the 2020 season, replacing Shinichi Takagi – who had sustained injuries from a crash in a Super Taikyu race – in the Honda NSX GT3 Evo of ARTA in the GT300 class.[14] Driving alongside co-driver Toshiki Oyu, the pair finished the races at Motegi and Fuji Speedway eighth and seventh, respectively. After He left Honda, Matsushita moves to their manufacturer's rival Nissan where he stepped up to GT500 racing with Team Impul alongside Kazuki Hiramine. Both pairs wins their first GT500 race, and clinched 8th in the standings. Matsushita returns to Honda, and moves to Real Racing to partner up with Koudai Tsukakoshi switching with Bertrand Baguette who moves to the other team.

GT500

For the 2021 season, Matsushita decided to join Nissan in the GT500 class, despite having been a Honda junior throughout his career. He was placed at Team Impul alongside Kazuki Hiramine. The duo won the fifth round at Sportsland Sugo, ending a five year win drought for the Impul team.[15] They nearly also won round seven at Motegi, but Hiramine ran out of fuel on the final lap while leading, although he was able to coast to the finish in third.[16] They finished the season eighth in the championship, the best result for Nissan drivers that year.

Matsushita rejoined Honda as a factory driver and signed with Astemo Real Racing to race with Koudai Tsukakoshi. Matsushita replaced Bertrand Baguette, who went to Team Impul.[17][18] For two seasons, he won only one race in Autopolis 2022.

Matsushita then return to ARTA to race with Tomoki Nojiri.[19]

Racing record

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Career summary

More information Season, Series ...
Season Series Team Races Wins Poles FLaps Podiums Points Position
2011 Formula Pilota China Super License 10 1 1 2 4 89 4th
2012 Formula Challenge Japan HFDP with ARTA 12 5 1 5 10 91 1st
2013 Japanese Formula 3 Championship HFDP Racing 15 0 0 0 5 43 5th
2014 Japanese Formula 3 Championship HFDP Racing 15 6 5 5 9 102 1st
2015 GP2 Series ART Grand Prix 22 1 0 1 3 68.5 9th
2015–16 MRF Challenge Formula 2000 MRF Racing 4 2 1 3 2 80 6th
2016 GP2 Series ART Grand Prix 20 1 0 4 2 92 11th
Formula One McLaren Honda Formula 1 Team Development driver
2017 FIA Formula 2 Championship ART Grand Prix 22 2 1 2 4 131 6th
Formula One Sauber F1 Team Development driver
2018 Super Formula Docomo Team Dandelion Racing 6 0 0 0 0 7 11th
2019 FIA Formula 2 Championship Carlin 22 2 1 4 5 144 6th
Euroformula Open Championship 2 0 1 1 1 20 18th
Euroformula Open Winter Series 2 1 1 1 1 27 4th
2020 FIA Formula 2 Championship MP Motorsport 17 1 0 1 1 42 15th
Super GT - GT300 ARTA 2 0 0 0 0 7 23rd
Super Formula Buzz Racing with B-Max 4 0 0 0 1 16 15th
2021 Super GT - GT500 Team Impul 8 1 0 0 2 45 8th
Super Formula B-Max Racing 6 0 1 0 2 33.5 8th
2022 Super Formula B-Max Racing 10 1 0 0 1 21 13th
Super GT - GT500 Astemo Real Racing 8 1 0 0 3 60 4th
2023 Super Formula B-Max Racing 9 0 0 0 0 4 19th
Super GT - GT500 Astemo Real Racing 8 0 0 0 1 45 6th
2024 Super GT - GT500 ARTA 8 1 1 0 2 43 9th
Super Formula TGM Grand Prix 3 0 0 0 0 3 15th
2025 Super GT - GT500 ARTA
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Complete GP2 Series/FIA Formula 2 Championship results

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap)

Complete Super Formula results

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap)

More information Year, Team ...
Year Team Engine 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 DC Points
2018 Docomo Team Dandelion Racing Honda SUZ
12
AUT
C
SUG
10
FUJ
9
MOT
4
OKA
9
SUZ
7
11th 7
2020 Buzz Racing with B-Max Honda MOT OKA SUG AUT
6
SUZ
Ret
SUZ
14
FUJ
3
15th 16
2021 B-Max Racing Honda FUJ SUZ
13
AUT
3‡
SUG
4
MOT
3
MOT
6
SUZ
12
8th 33.5
2022 B-Max Racing Honda FUJ
Ret
FUJ
19
SUZ
1
AUT
10
SUG
Ret
FUJ
Ret
MOT
11
MOT
11
SUZ
17
SUZ
Ret
13th 21
2023 B-Max Racing Honda FUJ
13
FUJ
12
SUZ
12
AUT
Ret
SUG
Ret
FUJ
13
MOT
Ret
SUZ
13
SUZ
7
19th 4
2024 TGM Grand Prix Honda SUZ
8
AUT
16
SUG
19
FUJ MOT FUJ FUJ SUZ SUZ 15th 3
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Half points awarded as less than 75% of race distance was completed.

Complete Super GT results

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap)

More information Year, Team ...
Year Team Car Class 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 DC Points
2020 ARTA Honda NSX GT3 Evo GT300 FUJ FUJ SUZ MOT FUJ SUZ MOT
8
FUJ
7
23rd 7
2021 Team Impul Nissan GT-R Nismo GT500 GT500 OKA
10
FUJ
9
MOT
11
SUZ
6
SUG
1
AUT
7
MOT
3
FUJ
9
8th 45
2022 Astemo Real Racing Honda NSX-Type S GT500 GT500 OKA
9
FUJ
9‡
SUZ
2
FUJ
10
SUZ
2
SUG
12
AUT
1
MOT
5
4th 60
2023 Astemo Real Racing Honda NSX-Type S GT500 GT500 OKA
7
FUJ
3
SUZ
9
FUJ
7
SUZ
4
SUG
DSQ
AUT
6
MOT
3
6th 45
2024 ARTA Honda Civic Type R-GT GT500 GT500 OKA
8
FUJ
14
SUZ
Ret
FUJ
1
SUG
15
AUT
11
MOT
2
SUZ
12
9th 43
2025 ARTA Honda Civic Type R-GT GT500 GT500 OKA
FUJ
SEP
FUJ
SUZ
SUG
AUT
MOT
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Half points awarded as less than 75% of race distance was completed.

References

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