Oliver Rowland will fly out to Japan next week to visit Super Formula outfit Team LeMans as he continues to evaluate his next career move after finishing third in the 2017 FIA Formula 2 Championship.
The Renault Sport Formula 1 Team Development Driver has been testing this week in Formula 2 machinery once again, with the Briton not ruling out another campaign in Formula 1’s main feeder series, but his options for next season also include Super Formula, where both Stoffel Vandoorne and Pierre Gasly raced before advancing into F1.
Team LeMans fielded FIA Formula E star Felix Rosenqvist in 2017, with the Swede taking three podium finishes on his way to third place in the final standings, and Rowland is excited to see whether his future lies in Japan next season.
“I’m really looking forward to heading out to Japan to meet with Team LeMans,” said Rowland. “It’s a fantastic country and my trip will bring back special memories as I won the world championship there in 2010 during my karting career.
“Super Formula has really progressed in recent years and has provided a great platform for Stoffel Vandoorne and Pierre Gasly to progress to Formula 1.
“To follow in their footsteps would be fantastic but we will have to see.”
Team LeMans will test FIA European Formula 3 Championship racer Maximilian Günther, Indy Lights star Felix Serralles and Formula 2 racer Ralph Boschung during the test, as well as their 2017 driver Kazuya Oshima.
Other drivers set to join the test include Alex Palou – who raced in Formula 2, World Series Formula V8 3.5 and Japanese Formula 3 in 2017 – with Nakajima Racing, Japanese Formula V8 3.5 racer Yu Kanamaru with Team Impul, GP3 Series star Nirei Fukuzumi with Team Mugen, and Japanese Formula 3 Champion Mitsunori Takaboshi with B-Max Racing, while former Formula 1 racer Rio Haryanto will share testing duties in the Honda Test Car with rising Japanese star Hiroki Otsu.