Japanese
Nobuharu Matsushita (born 13 October 1993 in Saitama, Japan) is a Japanese racing driver who became one of the most prolific race winners in GP2/Formula 2 across the late 2010s, backed throughout by Honda and the Honda Formula Dream Project.
GP2 and the move to Formula 2
Matsushita stepped up to the GP2 Series with ART Grand Prix in 2015, taking his maiden win in the Hungaroring sprint race as a rookie. ART retained him for 2016, when he added a further victory. When the category was rebranded as the FIA Formula 2 Championship for 2017, Matsushita stayed with ART and enjoyed his strongest title campaign, scoring two feature-race wins (including a victory at the Red Bull Ring) alongside several podiums in a season dominated by champion Charles Leclerc.
Later F2 returns
After a season away, Matsushita returned to F2 in 2019 with Carlin, winning the Spielberg feature race from a lowly grid slot in a chaotic, attrition-hit event. For 2020 he switched to MP Motorsport, where he delivered the Dutch team's first-ever Formula 2 feature-race victory at Barcelona, charging from deep in the field to the front through strategy and overtaking. He partnered the eventual 2022 champion Felipe Drugovich that year.
After F2
Matsushita returned to racing in Japan, competing in Super Formula and Super GT, where his combative, late-braking style remained a calling card. He is remembered in F2 circles as a driver who could win from almost anywhere on the grid on his day, even if consistency held back a title bid.