Red Bull junior Iwasa gets 2024 Mugen Super Formula seat

Confirmed by Motorsport.com, Iwasa is set to join Mugen next season along with former two-time champion Tomoki Nojiri, stepping in to fill the vacancy left by Liam Lawson.

Furthermore, Iwasa is slated to experience his first drive in a Formula 1 car with AlphaTauri during the post-season test following the Abu Dhabi finale this weekend.

“I’m thrilled to compete in Super Formula for Team Mugen next season,” Iwasa stated. “I’m looking forward to racing alongside the experienced Nojiri, who has a history of winning championships.”

“To achieve my goal of racing in the top-tier category, I will aim for victories and the championship while learning from Nojiri’s strength and speed in each race.”

Prior to this, Iwasa spent the last two seasons in F2 with DAMS, securing five wins and currently sitting third in the standings with only the Abu Dhabi season finale left.

His previous experience includes racing in FIA F3 and French F4, making the 2024 season his first full year of car racing in Japan.

“The Super Formula car is faster than F2, which is intriguing to me,” Iwasa mentioned. “I’ve heard from people like Liam Lawson that the team dynamics and weekend approach differ, and I’ll need to adapt to that. Given my ambition to reach F1, immediate results are crucial.”

“It won’t be easy, as the series level is high, but I’m very motivated to see it through to the end,” he added.

Heading into the F2 finale, Iwasa has a slim chance of clinching the championship, trailing series leader Theo Pourchaire by 39 points with the same number of points available in the final two races.

Pourchaire is also expected to join Super Formula in 2024, with Team Impul as a likely destination.