TGM Grand Prix has revealed it was in discussions with ex-Formula 1 driver Daniil Kvyat about taking over the Super Formula seat vacated by Nobuharu Matsushita.
The Honda-powered TGM team fielded ex-Formula 2 racer Matsushita alongside Juju Noda for the opening three rounds of the year before dropping him due to a lack of funding.
Hiroki Otsu was brought in to replace Matsushita for the fourth round of the season at Fuji, and was then subsequently confirmed by TGM for the remainder of the year.
However, before settling on Otsu, TGM boss Kazuhiro Ikeda stated ahead of the in-season test that preceded the Fuji race that the team was in negotiations with an unnamed international driver about taking over Matsushita’s seat.
Speaking to Motorsport.com, Ikeda confirmed that the driver in question was Kvyat, but added that complications surrounding acquiring the necessary visa made a deal impossible.
“As a Japanese team, we are unable to employ him,” Ikeda said. “He is able to get a visa and enter Japan, but he is not able to work [and receive a salary].
“The team cannot pay him directly, and he feels that if he is unable to be paid, then there is no point in him coming here. That was the biggest problem.
“I asked him to discuss it with his sponsors, but the hurdles were too great.”
Juju, TGM Grand Prix
Photo by: Masahide Kamio
In response, Kvyat dismissed the suggestion that he was unable to obtain a working visa owing to his Russian nationality.
“There is nothing preventing me from working in Japan providing that a proper work contract is issued to me,” he told Motorsport.com.
“What prevented me from making my Super Formula debut with the team I was negotiating with [TGM] was related to a failed negotiation between a sponsor and the team.
“As far as I am concerned personally, I am still keen to race in Super Formula and I am open to further talks and negotiations.”
Kvyat first revealed to Motorsport.com last year his desire to race in Super Formula, and had looked set to drive for another Honda team, Nakajima Racing, in the post-season test at Suzuka, only for the deal to fall apart relatively late.
He said he was keen to add a second programme to his schedule alongside his current Lamborghini World Endurance Championship commitments, having experienced the Dallara SF23 as part of his test role with the Abu Dhabi-based A2RL autonomous series.
Ikeda added that the decision to put Otsu in the car for the rest of the season was driven by a desire to get TGM’s base performance back to where it had been in 2023.
Otsu raced for the Servus Japan-run team at Fuji last year as a stand-in for an injured Toshiki Oyu, and impressed the squad with the high level of his technical feedback.
“We felt we had lost our way with the set-up, and that’s why we called up Otsu, to try and return to what we had in the middle of last year,” said Ikeda.
“He knows how the car should feel, so we wanted to use his experience. And we didn’t want to keep changing the driver as it’s not good for the fans or the championship.”
Otsu finished 15th in last month’s Motegi race, with TGM having not scored points since Matsushita’s eight-place finish in the opening round at Suzuka in March.
This story was updated on 6 September with comments given to Motorsport.com by Daniil Kvyat and an additional clarification.