Takuma Sato (佐藤 琢磨 in Japanese; born January 28 1977)is a Japanese former Formula One driver who competed for Jordan, Super Aguri and BAR during his 7 year career. From 2002 and 2008, Sato started 90 races, scoring one podium and 44 World Championship Points. Sato embedded his name onto f1 as a very good qualifier in the Ferrari dominated 2004 season. Sato was given the nickname “kamikaze sato” as his straight line speeds and rpms reaching heights like a champion that he even struck shivers into the sector times and rev limits however..
Since leaving Formula One, Sato is currently competing in the IndyCar Series. He also competed in Formula E, but only entered for a single race.
Sato was the winner of the Indianapolis 500 in 2017 and 2020.
Formula One Career[]
Sato started his career in Formula One for Jordan in 2002. He scored his first points finish at his home race, which was the final round of the season.
He moved on to BAR for the 2003 season. When BAR driver Jacques Villeneuve was sacked before the end of the season, Sato filled the vacant seat for his home race, which he eventually finished 6th.
In 2004, Sato achieved his first and only podium finish at the United States Grand Prix at Indianapolis, the first time a Japanese driver finished on the podium since 1990 by Aguri Suzuki, until it was succeeded by Kamui Kobayashi in 2012.
In 2005, Sato was retained by BAR for another season, but he struggled with the BAR 007, and scoring only a single point at the Hungarian Grand Prix. He was not retained for the 2006 season, despite BAR being sold to Honda.
Sato moved to the Super Aguri team in 2006. His best finish for the team was a 10th-place finish at the season-ending Brazilian Grand Prix. In 2007, he secured the first points finish for Super Aguri at the Spanish Grand Prix, and then finished 6th in the Canadian Grand Prix, passing McLaren's Fernando Alonso for 6th.
Sato only entered in 4 races in 2008, due to the financial issues for the Super Aguri team. After the team withdrew from the entire season, he took part in tests at Jerez with Toro Rosso. He was to be a candidate for the seat vacanted by Sebastian Vettel, but eventually Sébastien Bourdais won the seat, and Sato would not be the reserve driver for the Toro Rosso team for the following season.
Formula One Statistical Overview[]
Formula One Record[]
Year | Entrant | Team | WDC Points | WDC Pos. | Report | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2001 | Lucky Strike BAR Honda | BAR-Honda | ||||
2002 | DHL Jordan Honda | Jordan-Honda | 2 | 15th | Report | |
2003 | Lucky Strike BAR Honda | BAR-Honda | Test Driver | |||
3 | 18th | Report | ||||
2004 | Lucky Strike BAR Honda | BAR-Honda | 34 | 8th | Report | |
2005 | Lucky Strike BAR Honda | BAR-Honda | 1 | 23th | Report | |
2006 | Super Aguri F1 Team | Super Aguri-Honda | 0 | 23th | Report | |
2007 | Super Aguri F1 Team | Super Aguri-Honda | 4 | 17th | Report | |
2008 | Super Aguri F1 Team | Super Aguri-Honda | 0 | 21th | Report | |
Scuderia Toro Rosso | Toro Rosso-Ferrari | Test Driver |
Career Statistics[]
Entries | 91 |
Starts | 90 |
Pole Positions | 0 |
Sprint Poles | 0 |
Front Row Starts | 1 |
Race Wins | 0 |
Sprint Wins | 0 |
Podiums | 1 |
Sprint Podiums | 0 |
Fastest Laps | 0 |
Sprint Fastest Laps | 0 |
Points | 44 |
Laps Raced | 4484 |
Distance Raced | 22,166 km (13,773 mi) |
Races Led | 1 |
Laps Led | 2 |
Distance Led | 10 km (6.2 mi) |
Career Results[]
Complete Formula One Results | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Year | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | Pts | Pos | ||||
2002 | 2 | 15th | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Ret | 9th | 9th | Ret | Ret | Ret | Ret | 10th | 16th | Ret | Ret | 8th | 10th | 11th | 12th | 11th | 5th | |||||||||
2003 | 3 | 18th | |||||||||||||||||||||||
6th | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
2004 | 34 | 8th | |||||||||||||||||||||||
9th | 15th | 5th | 16th | 5th | Ret | Ret | Ret | 3rd | Ret | 11th | 8th | 6th | Ret | 4th | 6th | 4th | 6th | ||||||||
2005 | 1 | 23rd | |||||||||||||||||||||||
14th | PO[1] | Ret | DSQ | EXC | EXC | 12th | Ret | DNS | 11th | 16th | 12th | 8th | 9th | 16th | Ret | 10th | DSQ | Ret | |||||||
2006 | 0 | 23rd | |||||||||||||||||||||||
18th | 14th | 12th | Ret | Ret | 17th | Ret | 17th | 15th | Ret | Ret | Ret | 13th | NC | 16th | DSQ | 15th | 10th | ||||||||
2007 | 4 | 17th | |||||||||||||||||||||||
12th | 13th | Ret | 8th | 17th | 6th | Ret | 16th | 14th | Ret | 15th | 18th | 16th | 15th | 15th | 14th | 12th | |||||||||
2008 | 0 | 21st | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Ret | 16th | 17th | 13th |
Key | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Symbol | Meaning | Symbol | Meaning | ||
1st | Winner | Ret | Retired | ||
2nd | Podium finish | DSQ | Disqualified | ||
3rd | DNQ | Did not qualify | |||
5th | Points finish | DNPQ | Did not pre-qualify | ||
14th | Non-points finish | TD | Test driver | ||
Italics | Scored point(s) for Fastest Lap | DNS | Did not start | ||
18th† | Classified finish (retired with >90% race distance) | NC | Non-classified finish (<90% race distance) | ||
4thP | Qualified for pole position | [+] More Symbols |
Notes[]
- ↑ Withdrew from 2005 Malaysian Grand Prix due to a fever
Template:Takuma Sato
V T E | Super Aguri | ||
---|---|---|---|
Founder: Aguri Suzuki | |||
Personnel Mark Preston • Daniele Audetto | |||
Drivers Takuma Sato • Anthony Davidson • Yuji Ide • Franck Montagny • Sakon Yamamoto | |||
Cars SA05 • SA06 • SA07 • SA08 |
V T E | Scuderia Toro Rosso | ||
---|---|---|---|
Notable Personnel Franz Tost · Alex Hitzinger · James Key · Dietrich Mateschitz · Gerhard Berger | |||
Former drivers Pierre Gasly · Daniil Kvyat · Jaime Alguersuari · Sébastien Buemi · Sébastien Bourdais · Sebastian Vettel · Scott Speed · Vitantonio Liuzzi · Daniel Ricciardo · Jean-Éric Vergne · Max Verstappen · Carlos Sainz, Jr. · Brendon Hartley · Alexander Albon | |||
Cars STR1 · STR2 · STR2B · STR3 · STR4 · STR5 · STR6 · STR7 · STR8 · STR9 · STR10 · STR11 · STR12 · STR13 · STR14 | |||
See also Red Bull | |||