From November 21 to 23 (Fri–Sun), as the first signs of winter appeared, the 2025 Super Formula finale — the 24th JAF Suzuka Grand Prix — took place at Suzuka Circuit (Mie Pref.) After R10 was cancelled at Fuji Speedway due to dense fog, organizers hastily added R10 to the weekend at Suzuka that had originally been planned as a double‑header (R11 & R12). The change brought the total to three races, as shown below.

• November 21 (Fri) — Free practice sessions

• November 22 (Sat) — Morning: Qualifying for R11 and R12; Afternoon: R11

• November 23 (Sun) — Morning: R10; Afternoon: R12

Prior to the last three rounds of the 2025 Super Formula series, four Honda-powered drivers remained mathematically capable of winning the championship, with up to 66 points available from the remaining races.

Ayumu Iwasa (#15 TEAM MUGEN) — 2nd (championship standings)

Kakunoshin Ohta (#6 DOCOMO TEAM DANDELION RACING) — 3rd

Tadasuke Makino (#5 DOCOMO TEAM DANDELION RACING) — 4th

Tomoki Nojiri (#16 TEAM MUGEN) — 5th

Point allocation (for reference): 1st — 20 points; 2nd — 15; 3rd — 11; 4th — 8; 5th — 6; 6th — 5; 7th — 4; 8th — 3; 9th — 2; 10th — 1. Additionally, the top three qualifiers receive 3, 2, and 1 points, respectively.

In free practice on Friday the 21st, Makino set the fastest time in the first session, followed by Igor Omura Fraga (#65 PONOS NAKAJIMA RACING), Ohta and Nojiri in second, third and fourth, respectively. In the second session, Omura Fraga, Iwasa and Ren Sato (#64 PONOS NAKAJIMA RACING) occupied the top three spots, with Ohta and Makino in fifth and sixth, highlighting the Honda/M-TEC users' dominance at the top.

R11 Practice Sessions

On Saturday the 22nd, the atypical three-race weekend required the R11 qualifying sessions to begin earlier than usual, at 8:00 a.m. After the Q1 and Q2 sessions, Iwasa, who was second in the standings, captured pole position, adding three points to his championship total. Nojiri, fifth in the standings, qualified second, earning two championship points, while Omura Fraga qualified third, picking up one. Sato and Ohta, tied with Iwasa for second in the standings, set the fourth- and fifth-fastest times, once again underscoring the dominance of Honda/M‑TEC users at the top of the starting grid.

R11 The Race

At 14:30 the field began the formation lap for R11, but the start was delayed after a car encountered a problem. Race control reduced the scheduled distance from 27 laps to 26 laps, and the formation lap was re‑started at 14:45.

Starting second on the grid, Nojiri produced an excellent launch. Pole-sitter Iwasa was slow off the line, allowing Nojiri to lead into Turn 1 by a narrow margin. Omura Fraga closed in on Iwasa and pulled up alongside him from the S‑curves to Gyaku Bank (reverse camber). At the same point, Iwasa’s right‑rear wheel made contact with Omura Fraga’s front‑left, pitching Iwasa off the track into the sponge barrier and forcing him to retire prematurely.

The incident brought out the Safety Car (SC) as early as the opening lap, with Nojiri leading the pack and Omura Fraga and Makino close behind. Meanwhile, Ohta, who had started fifth on the grid, got a poor getaway and fell back to 12th.

As the race restarted on lap 6, Omura Fraga attempted to make a move on Nojiri, who in turn defended his position by deploying the Overtake System (OTS). On lap 9 a two‑car crash in the midfield brought out the SC again. The pit‑stop window opened when the race leader completed ten laps, and with the field still behind the SC, the cars pitted on the following lap.

As part of the pit‑stop procedure, Omura Fraga, running second, was given priority over his teammate Ren Sato, who was running third, and Sato therefore fell back into the midfield. Makino, on the other hand, moved up from fourth to third as he rejoined the SC-led procession, and the race was restarted on Lap 12.

Omura Fraga chased Nojiri hard and set the fastest lap. But Nojiri’s masterful defense kept him at bay, and Nojiri even began to pull clear. Behind the leading duo, the fight for third between Makino and Sho Tsuboi (#1 Toyota) intensified. Meanwhile Ohta, who had fallen out of the points, mounted a dramatic comeback—overtaking six cars in as many laps—and charged onto Tsuboi’s tail in fifth. His OTS ran out before he could do more, and the order held to the flag.

Nojiri controlled the gap to Omura Fraga, ran the remaining laps of the 26‑lap race and claimed his first victory of the season. Second place was a career best for Omura Fraga. Makino held off Tsuboi to take third, completing a Honda/M‑TEC podium sweep.

At the end of the day, an opening‑lap mistake left Iwasa with no points. Ohta added six to bring his total to 96; Makino’s third put him on 92; and race winner Nojiri increased his tally to 87.5. A total of four Honda drivers head into the penultimate round still in contention for the championship.