Tatiana Calderón faces a new challenge for the 2020 season and is set to compete in Super Formula, the top racing series in Japan, where the Colombian will become the first female in the history of the series, driving for the ThreeBond Drago Corse team, powered by Honda.
“I’m very happy to continue to race at a very high level in 2020 and take on the challenge of Super Formula. Everything will be new for me, which means there will be a lot to learn, but that motivates me as it will help me to continue developing. It’s a new country, a different language, new tracks and a new car, which seems to be massively quick. I thank Ryo Michigami, ThreeBond and Honda for their trust and I’m glad to count on them for my debut in Japan,” said Tatiana.
The Super Formula championship, which is technically on a par with Formula 2 but takes place in Japan in its entirety, has been a platform to Formula 1 for drivers such as Pierre Gasly and Stoffel Vandoorne recently. Former F1 drivers and local heroes Kamui Kobayashi and Kazuki Nakajima, who currently star in the World Endurance Championship in parallel, are also part of a high-level field which mixes up-and-coming international racers with the best Japanese drivers.
ThreeBond Drago Corse is a Japanese squad with experience across the best series in the country and is led by former Honda driver Ryo Michigami. This season marks his team’s return to Super Formula after a couple of years away from the series.
“I’m happy to be back racing with ThreeBond Drago Corse pursuing my desire to be a team that constantly strives for new challenges and making history. We would like to thank ThreeBond Co., Ltd. for this opportunity and everyone who has made an effort to make this possible. Expect the Girl Power of Three Bond Drago Corse and Tatiana Calderon in the 2020 season!” said Ryo Michigami.
The Super Formula car runs a Dallara SF19 chassis which resembles a Formula 2 car but is around 80 kilos lighter and is equipped with a Honda 2.0-litre turbocharged engine which produces around 550 horsepower. It runs on Yokohama tyres, wider in size relative to F2, and lap times are less than ten seconds away from Formula 1 at the fast Suzuka Circuit, home of the Japanese Grand Prix.
The series’ calendar runs from April to November and consists of seven events split almost monthly, with one 250-kilometre race including refueling and tyre pitstops taking place on each race meeting.
Tatiana completed the 2019 Formula 2 championship with the BWT Arden team and finished 22nd overall in the championship. Tatiana’s best result was 11th in the Feature Race at Circuit Paul Ricard in France. It will be exciting to watch how Tatiana progresses throughout the year in Japan.
Photo Credit: Dutch Photo Agency