Will common dampers really make an impact on Super Formula in 2024?

Teams and drivers had their first taste of the new standard Ohlins dampers in last week's Suzuka test - but will they really change things?

Photo: JRP

In July last year, I revealed writing for Motorsport.com that Super Formula had made plans to ban open damper development for 2024 in favour of introducing standard components. Those parts, supplied by Ohlins, finally made their debut in last week’s three-day post-season test at Suzuka, and how they will impact the competitive order is sure to be one of the main talking points heading into next season.

While the change has been presented by series organiser JRP primarily as a cost-saving measure, paddock rumour suggests that there was a push from several teams, notably Toyota outfits TOM’S, Team Impul and Rookie Racing, for the change. Certainly, this theory gained credibility when Ohlins, which supplied dampers to almost all of the Toyota teams this year, was selected as the sole supplier.

Regardless of the rights and wrongs, the decision to mandate common dampers has long been made and the new parts purchased, with the Suzuka test marking the first time they were used (although they were not mandatory and some teams are known to have spent at least part of the test using their previous material). A glance at the timesheets - the top 10 overall were split by around four tenths - suggest that the new dampers might have closed things up, but then if you look at the times from last year’s December test, it was around the same, even with top drivers like Tomoki Nojiri and Tadasuke Makino absent. It seems most teams and drivers can produce a good lap time whenever the conditions are cool and the downforce effect magnified.