Shinji Nakano

Template:Short description Template:About Template:Multiple issues Template:Use dmy dates {{#invoke:Infobox|infobox}}Template:Template other{{#invoke:Check for unknown parameters | check | ignoreblank = y | unknown = Template:Main other | preview = Page using Template:Infobox F1 driver with unknown parameter "_VALUE_" | embed | child | subbox | name | Name | image | Image | image_size | upright | image_upright | alt | caption | birth_name | birth_date | birth_place | death_date | death_place | relations | relatives | nationality | Nationality | years | Years | teams | Teams | Team(s) | team | Team | engines | Engines | current_team | current team | Current team | 2025 Team | 2026 Team | car_number | car number | Car number | races | Races | championships | Championships | wins | Wins | podiums | Podiums | points | Points | poles | Poles | fastest_laps | fastest laps | Fastest laps | first_race | first race | First race | first_win | first win | First win | last_win | last win | Last win | last_race | last race | Last race | last_position | last position | Last position | last_season | last season | Last season | bf1_years | bf1 years | BF1 Years | bf1_races | bf1 races | BF1 Races | bf1_championships | bf1 championships | BF1 Championships | bf1_wins | bf1 wins | BF1 Wins | bf1_podiums | bf1 podiums | BF1 Podiums | bf1_points | bf1 points | BF1 Points | bf1_poles | bf1 poles | BF1 Poles | bf1_fastest_laps | bf1 fastest laps | BF1 Fastest laps | signature | signature_size | signature alt | signature_alt | website | module | module1 | module2 | module3 | module4 | module5 | record template1 | record template2 | record template3 | record template4 | record template5 | career template1 | career template2 | career template3 | career template4 | career template5 | updated | Updated }} Shinji Nakano (中野 信治, born 1 April 1971<ref name="WATN">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>) is a Japanese professional racing driver.

His father, Tsuneharu, was also a racing driver. He competed in the All-Japan Formula Three Championship.Template:Fact

Racing career

Pre Formula One Career

1984-'88:	Karting, several Japanese titles.(Mugen)
1989:	7th in Japanese Formula 3 championship
1990:	European Formula Opel Lotus Championship, 1 victory
1991:	Formula Opel Lotus Euroseries
1992:	Japanese Formula 3 and Formula 3000 championship
1993-'94:	Japanese Formula 3 championship
1995-'96:	Japanese Formula 3000 championship

Formula One Career

File:Nakano 1998 Spanish GP.jpg

Nakano in the 1998 Spanish Grand Prix, driving a Minardi.

Nakano made his debut at the 1997 Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne for the Prost Grand Prix team, owned by legendary four times Formula One World Champion Alain Prost. The Template:F1 season saw him score two world championship points with a pair of sixth places.

With his place at Prost heavily reliant on their engine partners Mugen-Honda, Nakano was dropped in favour of Jarno Trulli, with the second cockpit taken by Olivier Panis, when Prost switched to Peugeot engines. He subsequently joined Minardi for the Template:F1 season, alongside Esteban Tuero.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Nakano struggled in the under-powered, under-financed Italian team. He failed to score any points in 1998 and bowed out of Formula One racing for good at his home Grand Prix at Suzuka, Japan, having contested a total of 33 Grands Prix. He spent Template:F1 as an occasional test driver for the Jordan team, which also used Mugen-Honda engines.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

After Formula One

After Formula One, Nakano went to race in CART for Walker Racing and Fernandez Racing. He made 56 starts from 2000 to 2002 with a best points finish of seventeenth in 2002 and a best race result of 4th at the 2002 Molson Indy Toronto. He also started fifteenth in the 2003 Indianapolis 500 for Beck Motorsports, finishing fourteenth. He competed in the 2006 and 2008 24 Hours of Le Mans races and returned to the event in 2011 with OAK Racing and 2012 with the Boutsen Ginon squad.

Helmet

Nakano's helmet was black with a black circle on the top surrounded by a white halo, with a red and silver flame design surrounding the visor and a black and silver checkered flag behind of it, in CART he changed the black for white, the halo became blue, the black circle became red, the checkered flag disappeared and the flame became red with blue outline. in LeMans, he added more flames in the point where the checkered flag was.

Media appearances

Since 2016, Nakano has served as a commentator on Formula One races for DAZN Japan.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> He was a guest on the TV Asahi variety programme Aruaru Gijido in March 2017.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Career statistics

Complete Japanese Formula 3000/Formula Nippon results

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position; races in italics indicate fastest lap)

Year	Entrant	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	DC	Points
1992	Nakajima Racing	SUZ Template:Small	FUJ Template:Small	MIN Template:Small	SUZ Template:Small	AUT Template:Small	SUG Template:Small	FUJ Template:Small	FUJ Template:Small	SUZ Template:Small	FUJ Template:Small	SUZ Template:Small	NC	0
1994	Team Nova	SUZ	FUJ	MIN	SUZ	SUG	FUJ	SUZ Template:Small	FUJ	FUJ			NC	0
	Nakajima Racing										SUZ Template:Small
1995	Speed Star Wheel Racing	SUZ Template:Small	FUJ Template:Small	MIN Template:Small	SUZ Template:Small	SUG Template:Small	FUJ Template:Small	TOK Template:Small	FUJ Template:Small	SUZ Template:Small			11th	6
1996	Team Dome with Mugen	SUZ Template:Small	MIN Template:Small	FUJ Template:Small	TOK Template:Small	SUZ Template:Small	SUG Template:Small	FUJ Template:Small	MIN Template:Small	SUZ Template:Small	FUJ Template:Small		6th	20
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Complete Formula One results

(key)

Year	Team	Chassis	Engine	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	WDC	Points
Template:F1	Prost Gauloises Blondes	Prost JS45	Mugen-Honda MF-301HB 3.0 V10	AUS Template:Small	BRA Template:Small	ARG Template:Small	SMR Template:Small	MON Template:Small	ESP Template:Small	CAN Template:Small	FRA Template:Small	GBR 11†	GER Template:Small	HUN Template:Small	BEL Template:Small	ITA Template:Small	AUT Template:Small	LUX Template:Small	JPN Template:Small	EUR Template:Small	18th	2
Template:F1	Fondmetal Minardi Team SpA	Minardi M198	Ford JD Zetec-R 3.0 V10	AUS Template:Small	BRA Template:Small	ARG Template:Small	SMR Template:Small	ESP Template:Small	MON Template:Small	CAN Template:Small	FRA 17†	GBR Template:Small	AUT Template:Small	GER Template:Small	HUN Template:Small	BEL Template:Small	ITA Template:Small	LUX Template:Small	JPN Template:Small		18th	0
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^† Driver did not finish the Grand Prix, but was classified as they had completed over 90% of the race distance.

Complete American Open-Wheel Racing results

(key)

CART

Year	Team	No.	Chassis	Engine	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	Rank	Points	Ref
2000	Walker Racing	5	Reynard 2Ki	Honda HR-0 V8t	MIA Template:Small	LBH	RIO	MOT Template:Small	NZR Wth	MIL Template:Small	DET Template:Small	POR Template:Small	CLE Template:Small	TOR Template:Small	MIS Template:Small	CHI Template:Small	MDO Template:Small	ROA Template:Small	VAN Template:Small	LS Template:Small	STL Template:Small	HOU Template:Small	SRF Template:Small	FON Template:Small		24th	12	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
2001	Fernández Racing	52	Reynard 01i	Honda HR-1 V8t	MTY Template:Small	LBH Template:Small	TXS NH	NZR Template:Small	MOT Template:Small	MIL Template:Small	DET Template:Small	POR Template:Small	CLE Template:Small	TOR Template:Small	MIS Template:Small	CHI Template:Small	MDO Template:Small	ROA Template:Small	VAN Template:Small	LAU Template:Small	ROC Template:Small	HOU Template:Small	LS Template:Small	SRF Template:Small	FON Template:Small	26th	11	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
2002	Fernández Racing		Lola B02/00	Honda HR-2 V8t	MTY Template:Small	LBH Template:Small	MOT Template:Small	MIL Template:Small	LS Template:Small	POR Template:Small	CHI Template:Small	TOR Template:Small	CLE Template:Small	VAN Template:Small	MDO Template:Small	ROA Template:Small	MTL Template:Small	DEN Template:Small	ROC Template:Small	MIA Template:Small	SRF Template:Small	FON Template:Small	MXC Template:Small			17th	43	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>

IRL IndyCar Series

Year	Team	No.	Chassis	Engine	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	Rank	Points	Ref
2003	Beck Motorsports	Dallara IR-03	54	Honda	HMS	PHX	MOT Template:Small	INDY Template:Small	TXS	PPIR	RIR	KAN	NSH	MIS	STL	KTY	NZR	CHI	FON	TX2	29th	35	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Complete JGTC results

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap)

Year	Team	Car	Class	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	DC	Points
2004	Team Kunimitsu with Mooncraft	Honda NSX	GT500	TAI Template:Small	SUG Template:Small	SEP Template:Small	TOK Template:Small	MOT Template:Small	AUT Template:Small	SUZ Template:Small	13th	9
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24 Hours of Le Mans results

Year	Team	Co-Drivers	Car	Class	Laps	Template:Tooltip	Template:Tooltip
Template:24hLM	Template:Flagicon Courage Compétition	Template:Flagicon Jonathan Cochet Template:Flagicon Bruce Jouanny	Courage C60H-Judd	LMP1	52	DNF	DNF
Template:24hLM	Template:Flagicon Courage Compétition	Template:Flagicon Jean-Marc Gounon Template:Flagicon Haruki Kurosawa	Courage LC70-Mugen	LMP1	35	DNF	DNF
Template:24hLM	Template:Flagicon Creation Autosportif Ltd.	Template:Flagicon Jamie Campbell-Walter Template:Flagicon Felipe Ortiz	Creation CA07-Judd	LMP1	55	DNF	DNF
Template:24hLM	Template:Flagicon Epsilon Euskadi	Template:Flagicon Stefan Johansson Template:Flagicon Jean-Marc Gounon	Epsilon Euskadi EE1-Judd	LMP1	158	DNF	DNF
Template:24hLM	Template:Flagicon OAK Racing	Template:Flagicon Nicolas de Crem Template:Flagicon Jan Charouz	OAK Pescarolo 01 Evo-Judd	LMP2	313	14th	5th
Template:24hLM	Template:Flagicon Boutsen Ginion Racing	Template:Flagicon Bastien Brière Template:Flagicon Jens Petersen	Oreca 03-Nissan	LMP2	325	24th	10th
Template:24hLM	Template:Flagicon Delta-ADR	Template:Flagicon Tor Graves Template:Flagicon Archie Hamilton	Oreca 03-Nissan	LMP2	101	DNF	DNF
Template:24hLM	Template:Flagicon Team Taisan	Template:Flagicon Martin Rich Template:Flagicon Pierre Ehret	Ferrari 458 Italia GT2	GTE Am	327	28th	8th
Template:24hLM	Template:Flagicon Race Performance	Template:Flagicon Nicolas Leutwiler Template:Flagicon James Winslow	Oreca 03R-Judd	LMP2	289	44th	17th
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Complete FIA World Endurance Championship results

Year	Entrant	Class	Car	Engine	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	Rank	Points
2012	ADR-Delta	LMP2	Oreca 03	Nissan VK45DE 4.5 L V8	SEB	SPA	LMS	SIL	SÃO	BHR	FUJ Template:Small	SHA		41st	4
2013	Delta-ADR	LMP2	Oreca 03	Nissan VK45DE 4.5 L V8	SIL	SPA	LMS Template:Small	SÃO	COA	FUJ Template:Small	SHA	BHR		26th	6
2016	Manor	LMP2	Oreca 05	Nissan VK45DE 4.5 L V8	SIL	SPA	LMS	NÜR	MEX	COA	FUJ Template:Small	SHA	BHR	32nd	0.5
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External links

• Shinji Nakano official website
• Template:DriverDB driver