​KCMG has unveiled an unusual car-sharing plan for next week’s Super Formula triple-header at Fuji Speedway, pairing Giuliano Alesi and Seita Nonaka in the team’s line-up. The Toyota-powered squad confirmed on Thursday that Alesi, the son of F1 legend Jean Alesi, will drive the #9 car for Rounds 6 and 7, while Nonaka is set to take on Sunday morning’s sprint race—the replacement event for the abandoned Autopolis round. Under the rules, KCMG is required to enter Nonaka in the sprint race, which will be shortened to 25 laps and will not require a pit stop, a decision influenced by his Autopolis qualifying performance. Nevertheless, it appears that Nonaka’s only practical chance to drive the Hitech-run machine before the race will be through reconnaissance laps, as KCMG prioritizes maximizing Alesi’s track time to ready him for a comeback in Super Formula.
Following the Fuji round, Alesi will assume the seat that was originally intended for Kalle Rovanpera before his withdrawal due to illness, and will remain in the car for the remainder of the season. Alesi made his return to Super Formula action at Fuji in an in-season test—the first time he had appeared in the championship since TOM’S released him midway through the 2023 season. The French driver had previously made headlines in 2021 by clinching a victory at Autopolis in only his second appearance, though his best result since then had been an eighth-place finish.
Nonaka, who lost his TOM’S drive, has mainly focused on Super GT with the same team, though he did participate in Rookie Racing’s 2024 title-winning Super Taikyu effort and more recently competed in both the Le Mans 24 Hours and the Nurburgring 24 Hours. In 2026, Nonaka’s best result in four starts has been 17th, and he is set to start 15th in the replacement race, with Autopolis’ qualifying results determining the grid for Fuji’s sprint. The 2021 Japanese F4 champion’s sole points finish came last year at Motegi, where he stood in for Kamui Kobayashi at KCMG and finished eighth. He subsequently failed to score in seven starts for TGM Grand Prix, losing his seat at the end of the year, and only earned a reprieve when Rovanpera was forced to withdraw.
Nonaka will return to his role as KCMG’s reserve driver for the remainder of the year. Meanwhile, KCMG’s single points finish of the season so far came from Kenta Yamashita, who finished seventh in the second leg of the Motegi season-opening double-header in April. For further coverage, see Also: Kakunoshin Ohta tops Super Formula Fuji test fresh from IMSA Watkins Glen round and Kalle Rovanpera’s return to motorsport after his health issue. To explore more Motorsport.com articles, visit our site. This report aims to optimize search visibility while delivering the essential details of KCMG’s Fuji round strategy, the timing of Alesi’s and Nonaka’s drives, and the broader context of their recent activities in Super Formula and related series.