TGM Grand Prix recently disclosed that it had been in talks with former Formula 1 driver Daniil Kvyat about taking over the Super Formula seat previously held by Nobuharu Matsushita.
The TGM team, which uses Honda engines, initially paired Matsushita with Juju Noda for the first three races of the season. However, due to financial issues, Matsushita was let go.
Hiroki Otsu replaced Matsushita starting with the fourth race at Fuji and was confirmed by TGM to continue for the rest of the season.
Before finalizing Otsu as Matsushita’s replacement, TGM boss Kazuhiro Ikeda revealed that the team was negotiating with an unnamed international driver for the seat. Ikeda later confirmed to Autosport that this driver was Kvyat. However, due to sanctions imposed by Japan on Russia following the 2022 invasion of Ukraine, the deal could not proceed.
“As a Japanese team, we are unable to employ him,” Ikeda explained. “Although he could enter Japan on a visa, he could not work or receive a salary. This was the main issue. We tried to find a solution through his sponsors, but the obstacles were too significant.”
Last year, Kvyat expressed his interest in racing in Super Formula and nearly joined Nakajima Racing for a post-season test at Suzuka, but the agreement fell through. He had hoped to add this program to his current Lamborghini World Endurance Championship commitments, having tested the Dallara SF23 with the A2RL autonomous series.
Ikeda noted that choosing Otsu for the rest of the season was aimed at restoring TGM’s performance to its previous level. Otsu had impressed the team last year while substituting for an injured driver, providing valuable technical feedback.
“We felt we had lost our way with the car’s setup, which is why we brought Otsu in. We wanted to return to the performance level we had in the middle of last year,” Ikeda said. “He understands how the car should perform, and we wanted to avoid frequent driver changes, which could affect fans and the championship.”
Otsu finished 15th in the recent Motegi race. Since Matsushita’s eighth-place finish in the season opener at Suzuka in March, TGM has not scored any points.