Misplaced Pages

Nobuharu Matsushita
Matsushita in 2015
Nationality	Japanese
Born	(1993-10-13) 13 October 1993 (age 31) Saitama, Japan
Super GT career
Debut season	2020
Current team	ARTA GT500
Car number	8
Former teams	Team Impul ARTA GT300 Real Racing
Starts	40
Wins	3
Podiums	9
Poles	1
Fastest laps	0
Best finish	4th in 2022
Super Formula career
Debut season	2018
Current team	TGM Grand Prix
Car number	55
Former teams	B-Max Racing, Dandelion Racing
Starts	35
Wins	1
Podiums	4
Poles	1
Fastest laps	0
Best finish	8th in 2021
Previous series
2017, 2019-20 2015-2016 2015-16 2013–14 2012 2011	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

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.

Early career

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.

Formula Pilota China and Formula Challenge Japan

In 2011, Matsushita graduated to single–seaters into the Formula Pilota China with the Super License team. 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.

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.

All-Japan Formula Three

2013

In 2013, Matsushita stepped up to the All-Japan Formula Three Championship with the HFDP Racing. 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.

2014

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

GP2 Series and FIA Formula 2

2015

Matsushita made his début in the GP2 Series in 2015 with ART Grand Prix. 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.

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.

Formula One

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

Super Formula and Super GT career

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.

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. 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. 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. 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. For two seasons, he won only one race in Autopolis 2022.

Matsushita then return to ARTA to race with Tomoki Nojiri.

Racing record

Career summary

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)

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)

Half points awarded as less than 75% of race distance was completed.

References

1. "Profile" (in Japanese). nobunobuf1.wix.com. Archived from the original on 13 February 2015. Retrieved 13 February 2015.
2. "Teams & drivers 2011". Formula Pilota China. Archived from the original on 5 April 2012. Retrieved 19 February 2012.
3. "Formula Pilota China 2011 standings". driverdb.com. Driver Database. Retrieved 13 February 2015.
4. "Formula Challenge Japan 2012". Driver Database. Retrieved 13 February 2015.
5. "Honda 2013 Motorsports Overview". Honda Motor Co., Ltd. Honda Motor Co., Ltd. 8 February 2013. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 13 February 2015.
6. "Japanese Formula 3 Championship – Championship Class 2013". driverdb.com. Driver Database. Retrieved 24 August 2013.
7. "2014 Honda Global Motor Sports Activities Automobile[PDF]" (PDF). Honda Motor Co., Ltd. Honda Motor Co., Ltd. 7 February 2014. Retrieved 7 February 2014.
8. Allen, Peter (13 October 2014). "PaddockScout Roundup: GP2/GP3 Sochi, F3/F4 Imola". Paddock Scout. Retrieved 13 February 2015.
9. "Honda 2015 Motorsports Program Overview". Honda Motor Co., Ltd. Honda Motor Co., Ltd. 13 February 2015. Retrieved 13 February 2015.
10. "Matsushita suspended for next event". GP2 Series. GP2 Series Limited. 19 June 2016. Retrieved 21 June 2016.
11. @nobu_mat13 (22 September 2020). "Register" (Tweet). Retrieved 22 September 2020 – via Twitter.
12. "Matsushita named as McLaren F1 test driver". 20 February 2016. Retrieved 20 February 2016.
13. Klein, Jamie (5 March 2024). "Nobuharu Matsushita completes 2024 Super Formula grid". Japan Racing Insider. Retrieved 5 March 2024.
14. "Nobuharu Matsushita Replaces Injured Takagi at ARTA". www.dailysportscar.com. Retrieved 17 January 2022.
15. "Calsonic Team Impul Ends Five Year Winless Drought In Sugo Thriller". www.dailysportscar.com. Retrieved 17 January 2022.
16. "ARTA Wins On The Last Lap at Motegi, Sets Stage For Final Showdown at Fuji". www.dailysportscar.com. Retrieved 17 January 2022.
17. "New Honda NSX-GT "Type S" Spotted Testing At Motegi". dailysportscar.com. 17 December 2021. Retrieved 17 December 2021.
18. "Honda Announces 2022 Super GT Lineups". dailysportscar.com. 14 January 2022. Retrieved 14 January 2022.
19. "Honda 2024 Motorsports Program Overview". Honda Racing. 19 January 2024. Retrieved 19 January 2024.

External links

• Official website (in Japanese)
• Nobuharu Matsushita career summary at DriverDB.com

• 1993 births
• Living people
• Sportspeople from Saitama (city)
• Japanese racing drivers
• Formula Masters China drivers
• Japanese Formula 3 Championship drivers
• Formula Challenge Japan drivers
• GP2 Series drivers
• MRF Challenge Formula 2000 Championship drivers
• FIA Formula 2 Championship drivers
• Super Formula drivers
• Carlin racing drivers
• MP Motorsport drivers
• Super GT drivers
• Euroformula Open Championship drivers
• ART Grand Prix drivers
• Dandelion Racing drivers
• Team Aguri drivers
• Motopark Academy drivers
• B-Max Racing drivers