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Takuma Sato

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For the basketball player, see Takuma Sato (basketball).
The native form of this personal name is Satō Takuma. This article uses Western name order when mentioning individuals.

Takuma Sato
佐藤 琢磨
Sato at the 2021 Grand Prix of Long Beach
Born (1977-01-28) 28 January 1977 (age 47)
Shinjuku, Toyko, Japan
Spouse
Chiharu
​
(m. 2005)​
Children2
IndyCar Series career
221 races run over 15 years
Team(s)No. 75 (Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing)
Best finish7th (2020)
First race2010 São Paulo Indy 300 (São Paulo)
Last race2024 Indianapolis 500 (Indianapolis)
First win2013 Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach (Long Beach)
Last win2020 Indianapolis 500 (Indianapolis)
Wins Podiums Poles
6 14 10
Formula One World Championship career
NationalityJapan Japanese
Active years2002–2008
TeamsJordan, BAR, Super Aguri
EnginesHonda
Entries92 (90 starts)
Championships0
Wins0
Podiums1
Career points44
Pole positions0
Fastest laps0
First entry2002 Australian Grand Prix
Last entry2008 Spanish Grand Prix
Championship titles
2017, 2020
2001
2001
2001		Indianapolis 500
Macau Grand Prix
Masters of Formula 3
British Formula Three

Takuma "Taku" Sato (Japanese: 佐藤 琢磨, Hepburn: Satō Takuma, born 28 January 1977) is a Japanese racing driver, currently competing part-time in the IndyCar Series for RLL. Sato competed in Formula One from 2002 to 2008. In American open-wheel racing, Sato is a two-time winner of the Indianapolis 500 in 2017 and 2020, remaining the only Asian driver to win the event.

Born and raised in Tokyo, Sato began his career in karting before moving to Europe in 1999 with support from Honda. Progressing directly to Formula Three, Sato finished third in the British Championship in 2000 before dominating the series in 2001 with Carlin. During the latter, he also won the Macau Grand Prix and the Masters of Formula 3. Sato signed for Jordan in 2002, making his Formula One debut at the Australian Grand Prix, under Honda power. He moved with Honda to join BAR in 2003 as a reserve driver, replacing Jacques Villeneuve at his home Grand Prix in Japan and returning as a full-time driver in 2004. Sato achieved his only podium finish at the United States Grand Prix as he finished a career-best eighth in the World Drivers' Championship. Following struggles at BAR in 2005, Sato moved to Super Aguri for his 2006 campaign onwards. Amidst financial troubles, Super Aguri withdrew from the sport after the 2008 Spanish Grand Prix, ending both Sato and teammate Anthony Davidson's driving careers in Formula One.

After a year hiatus, Sato returned to open-wheel racing in the IndyCar Series with KV in 2010. He took his maiden pole position at the Iowa Corn Indy 250 in 2011, and became the first Asian driver to win an IndyCar race at the Grand Prix of Long Beach in 2013 with Foyt. His one-off entry in Formula E at the 2014 Beijing ePrix marked the first—and to this date, only—time that Sato competed without a Honda power unit in his professional career, using a spec McLaren powertrain. Sato signed for Andretti in 2017, winning the Indianapolis 500 for the first time. He took several further wins across his 2018 and 2019 seasons with RLL, before again winning at Indianapolis in 2020. Sato competed for DCR in 2022, before moving into part-time roles from 2023 onwards.

Sato is a widely popular figure amongst fans and media worldwide, renowned for his aggressive driving style and motto "No Attack, No Chance".[a]

Early career

[edit]

Born in Tokyo,[1] Sato began karting in Japan at the age of 19.[2] After winning the national karting title in 1997, he moved to Europe with backing from Honda.[3] He briefly raced in Vauxhall Junior and Formula Opel, before debuting in Class B of the British Formula 3 Championship mid-way through 1999 British Formula Three Championship with class wins at the British Grand Prix and Spa for Diamond Racing.[3] He moved to the top class of the championship with Carlin Motorsport in 2000, taking four wins and third place in the championship. In 2001, he won 12 out of 26 races to take a dominant championship win, the first for a Japanese driver in the series.[2] In 2001 he also won the prestigious Macau Grand Prix and Masters of Formula 3 non-championship F3 races.[3]

Formula One career

[edit]

Jordan (2002)

[edit]

In 2002 Sato graduated to Formula One with the Honda-powered Jordan team, and was paired with Giancarlo Fisichella. His low point was a tremendous crash in Austria, caused when Nick Heidfeld lost control of his Sauber under braking and hit the side of Sato's car, punching a hole in the side of the cockpit.[4] Throughout he showed flashes of speed but also wild driving, nevertheless the team's faith in Sato was repaid by a fine drive to fifth at his home Grand Prix in Suzuka.

BAR (2003–2005)

[edit]
Sato celebrates his only Formula One podium finish, at the 2004 United States Grand Prix.

With Honda's focus shifting solely to British American Racing for 2003, Sato joined the Brackley-based outfit as a test driver. For the final round in Japan, Sato replaced Jacques Villeneuve and scored the second points finish of his career with sixth place, after a battle with Michael Schumacher. He was signed to race full-time in 2004. During the 2004 season, Sato qualified four times in the top-three, including a front row start and an overall lap record at the European Grand Prix.[2] Sato's aggressive driving style paid dividends at the United States Grand Prix, where, after the team did not pit under safety car conditions, Sato fought back with some daring overtaking moves to score his first podium finish and the first for a Japanese driver since Aguri Suzuki at the 1990 Japanese Grand Prix. Reliability issues caused him to retire six times, but he scored points in nine of the 11 races he completed to finish eighth in the championship with 34 points, the best-ever result for a Japanese driver in Formula One.[5] His efforts helped BAR-Honda to finish second in the Constructors' Championship.

Sato was retained by BAR-Honda for the 2005 season, but the 2005 car was not as close to the front of the pack as the previous year's design. Sato missed the Malaysian Grand Prix with illness, and both drivers were disqualified from the San Marino Grand Prix and the entire team banned from the two subsequent races for using cars that were underweight when all fuel was removed. The Court did not find that this was deliberate. Sato's season never recovered from that point, and he ended the season with eighth-place at the Hungarian Grand Prix as his only points finish, despite qualifying seven times in the top ten.[6] Sato was not re-signed for 2006, despite Honda taking full control of the team.

Super Aguri (2006–2008)

[edit]

Sato joined the new Super Aguri F1 team for 2006, run by Japanese former driver Aguri Suzuki. The new outfit was in effect a Honda B-team but ran the first half of the season with a modified version of a 2002 Arrows A23 chassis. Nevertheless, Sato's reputation improved thanks to his professional attitude and competitive spirit. The team introduced a new car, the SA06 at the German Grand Prix and by the end of the season, Sato was outpacing the Midland cars. At the season finale in Brazil Sato finished tenth just two places short of a points finish and comfortably ahead of both Toro Rossos and the Spyker MF1s.

Sato driving the Super Aguri SA07 in 2007. He scored the team's only points.

For 2007, Super Aguri ran a reworked version of the previous year's Honda RA106 chassis. Their performance improved drastically as Sato made it through to Q3 at the Australian Grand Prix. He then scored the first point for the team at the Spanish Grand Prix. At the Canadian Grand Prix, Sato finished sixth after having a race that had seen him move from the middle of the grid to a high of fifth, passing Ferrari's Kimi Räikkönen before a pit-stop error dropped him back to eleventh. He moved up five places in the last 15 laps, passing Toyota's Ralf Schumacher and then on lap 67 the McLaren-Mercedes of Fernando Alonso; the latter pass was met with cheers around the track and received him the "Overtake of the Year" award from F1 Racing magazine.[7][8]

Financial problems began to affect the team in the off-season and the squad only just made it to the opening round of the 2008 season in Australia. The team used a modified Honda RA107 chassis, which was launched just before the first Friday Practice session that weekend. A transmission issue in Australia ended an opportunity to score points in a race of attrition, and 13th in Spain turned out to be Sato's best result of the season. Due to the financial struggles, Super Aguri withdrew from Formula One after the Spanish Grand Prix, leaving Sato without a drive after four races in 2008.

In late 2008, Sato took part in tests at Jerez with Scuderia Toro Rosso, to become a candidate to fill the seat vacated by Sebastian Vettel. He was competing against former Toro Rosso driver Sébastien Bourdais and Red Bull Racing test and reserve driver Sébastien Buemi for one of the two race seats.[9] He first drove on 18 September, more than four months since Super Aguri's withdrawal, and tested for the team again for two days in November, setting the fastest time on the 17th,[10] 3 tenths ahead of Buemi, and proceeded by setting the second-fastest time on the 18th.[11] The race seat was eventually given to Bourdais, and in March 2009 it was announced that Sato would not be the reserve driver for the Red Bull team.[12]

IndyCar career

[edit]

KV Racing Technology (2010–2011)

[edit]
Sato driving for KV Racing at the 2011 Indy Japan 300.

Sato visited the Indianapolis 500 in May 2009. He signed with KV Racing Technology to drive in the 2010 IndyCar Series season[13] finishing in 21st place. He signed for the same team for 2011 and improved his form, scoring three top-five finishes and two pole positions during the season to finish 13th.[14]

Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing (2012)

[edit]

At the 2012 Indianapolis 500, driving for Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing, Sato chased Dario Franchitti to the finish making a move for the lead and the race win at the first turn of the last lap. While not successful, Sato was respected by Indianapolis 500 fans for "going for it" on the last lap.

A. J. Foyt Enterprises (2013–2016)

[edit]
Sato at the 2013 Grand Prix of Long Beach, where he took his first IndyCar win and became the first Japanese driver to do so.

For 2013, Sato joined A. J. Foyt's team, driving the No. 14 car vacated by Mike Conway. In the third race of the season at Long Beach, Sato scored his first IndyCar win, in his 52nd start in the series, making him the first Japanese driver to win an IndyCar race.[15] He then scored six top-five finishes, including two podiums and two pole positions, until he left the team at the end of 2016.

Andretti Autosport (2017)

[edit]
Takuma Sato after winning the Indianapolis 500 on 28 May 2017

Sato joined Andretti Autosport for the 2017 season. He went on to become the first Asian driver to win the Indianapolis 500.[16] After the 500 win, he went on to win a pole at the Dual in Detroit on Belle Isle. He also ended up winning another pole at Pocono Raceway in August.

Return to Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing (2018–2021)

[edit]

On 26 August 2017, it was reported that in 2018, Sato would rejoin RLL to drive the 30 car with Graham Rahal as his teammate as Andretti Autosport considered a move to Chevrolet in 2018. That move by Andretti subsequently did not happen. After numerous weeks of bad luck including crashing early in the Indianapolis 500 and wrecking early at Pocono and a failed pit strategy at Gateway, Sato played the strategy right and held off Ryan Hunter-Reay in the IndyCar return to Portland, winning his third career race and his first on a permanent road course, doing so from 20th starting position. Sato started his 2019 season with a win in the third race at Barber Motorsports Park; he started the race from pole position and ran away to the finish. Sato won later in the season at World Wide Technology Raceway at Gateway.

On 23 August 2020, after qualifying on the outside of the front row for the 104th running of the Indianapolis 500, Sato won the race for a second time.[17]

On 5 October 2021, it was announced that Sato would not return to the team for the 2022 IndyCar season. His spot in the team was taken over by Danish driver, Christian Lundgaard.

Dale Coyne Racing (2022)

[edit]
Sato during the 2022 XPEL 375

On 9 December 2021, it was announced that Sato had signed with Dale Coyne Racing with Rick Ware Racing for the 2022 season, replacing Romain Grosjean, who had signed with Andretti Autosport.[18] He finished 25th at the Indianapolis 500.

Chip Ganassi Racing (2023)

[edit]

Chip Ganassi Racing signed Sato to run in the oval rounds for the 2023 season, making it the first time the Japanese driver does not have a full-time IndyCar seat since 2010.[19]

Second return to Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing (2024)

[edit]

On March 18th, 2024, Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing (RLL) announced that Sato will attempt to win his third Indianapolis 500 victory in the 108th running of the race on May 26. This will be Sato's only scheduled IndyCar race for the 2024 season. [20] He finished fourteenth.

Other categories

[edit]

Formula Nippon / Super Formula

[edit]

On 14 June 2012, Team Mugen announced that Sato would race with the team in the last three rounds of the 2012 Formula Nippon season.[21] He also raced with Team Mugen in the opening round of the renamed 2013 Super Formula season, and later in the year returned to the team to compete in the last three races of the season; he scored his first points with an eighth-place finish in the season finale.

Formula E

[edit]

In November 2013, Sato became a test and development driver for the FIA Formula E Championship.[22] In September 2014, Sato joined his former Formula One team Amlin Aguri to race in the first-ever Formula E race, the 2014 Beijing ePrix, replacing the team's regular driver Antonio Félix da Costa as he could not participate due to other commitments.[23] Sato scored two points after he set the fastest lap of the race with a time of 1:45.101, but had to retire from the race with mechanical issues. As it was Sato's only Formula E race, he became the only driver in the series' history with a 100% fastest lap record.[24]

Reception

[edit]

Sato is a widely popular figure amongst fans and media, renowned for his aggressive driving style and motto "No Attack, No Chance".[25][26][27]

Honors

[edit]

In 2024, Sato became the first Japanese-born driver to be inducted into the Long Beach Motorsports Walk of Fame.[28]

Personal life

[edit]

Sato is married to Chiharu Sato, with whom he has two children.[29] The eldest, Rintaro Sato, made his racing debut in 2024 F4 Japanese Championship.[30] He lives in Carmel, Indiana with his manager, Steve Fusek, during the racing season, and spends the offseason in Japan.[31] Sato was a national cycling champion in high school, and still uses cycling as part of his physical training for his racing career.[8]

Racing record

[edit]

Career summary

[edit]
Season Series Team Races Wins Poles Points Position
1998 All-Japan Formula Three Championship Dome Project 1 0 0 0 NC
1999 British Formula 3 Championship - National Class Diamond Racing 7 2 2 103 4th
Europa Cup Britain ? 1 ? 48 2nd
Formula Opel European Union Series ? 1 ? 115 6th
2000 British Formula 3 Championship Carlin Motorsport 12 4 6 129 3rd
European Formula 3 Cup 1 0 0 N/A NC
Macau Grand Prix 1 0 0 N/A 14th
Masters of Formula 3 1 0 0 N/A 28th
Korea Super Prix 1 0 0 N/A 8th
2001 British Formula 3 Championship Carlin Motorsport 25 12 6 345 1st
European Formula 3 Cup 1 0 0 N/A NC
Macau Grand Prix 1 1 0 N/A 1st
Masters of Formula 3 1 1 1 N/A 1st
Formula One Lucky Strike BAR Honda Test driver
2002 Formula One DHL Jordan Honda 17 0 0 2 15th
2003 Formula One Lucky Strike BAR Honda 1 0 0 3 18th
2004 Formula One Lucky Strike BAR Honda 18 0 0 34 8th
2005 Formula One Lucky Strike BAR Honda 16 0 0 1 23rd
2006 Formula One Super Aguri F1 Team 18 0 0 0 23rd
2007 Formula One Super Aguri F1 Team 17 0 0 4 17th
2008 Formula One Super Aguri F1 Team 4 0 0 0 21st
Scuderia Toro Rosso Test driver
2010 IndyCar Series KV Racing Technology 17 0 0 214 21st
2011 IndyCar Series KV Racing Technology - Lotus 17 0 2 282 13th
2012 IndyCar Series Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing 15 0 0 281 14th
Formula Nippon Team Mugen 3 0 0 0 15th
2013 IndyCar Series A. J. Foyt Enterprises 19 1 2 322 17th
Super Formula Team Mugen 4 0 0 0.5 18th
2014 IndyCar Series A. J. Foyt Enterprises 18 0 2 350 18th
2014–15 Formula E Amlin Aguri 1 0 0 2 24th
2015 IndyCar Series A. J. Foyt Enterprises 16 0 0 323 14th
2016 IndyCar Series A. J. Foyt Enterprises 16 0 0 320 17th
2017 IndyCar Series Andretti Autosport 17 1 2 441 8th
2018 IndyCar Series Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing 17 1 0 351 12th
2019 IndyCar Series Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing 17 2 2 415 9th
2020 IndyCar Series Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing 14 1 1 348 7th
2021 IndyCar Series Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing 16 0 0 324 11th
2022 IndyCar Series Dale Coyne Racing with Rick Ware Racing 17 0 0 258 19th
2023 IndyCar Series Chip Ganassi Racing 5 0 0 70 29th
2024 IndyCar Series Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing 1 0 0 19 37th*

* Season still in progress.

Complete Formula One results

[edit]

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

Year Entrant Chassis Engine 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 WDC Points
2002 DHL Jordan Honda Jordan EJ12 Honda RA002E 3.0 V10 AUS
Ret 		MAL
9 		BRA
9 		SMR
Ret 		ESP
Ret 		AUT
Ret 		MON
Ret 		CAN
10 		EUR
16 		GBR
Ret 		FRA
Ret 		GER
8 		HUN
10 		BEL
11 		ITA
12 		USA
11 		JPN
5 		15th 2
2003 Lucky Strike BAR Honda BAR 005 Honda RA003E 3.0 V10 AUS MAL BRA SMR ESP AUT MON CAN EUR FRA GBR GER HUN ITA USA JPN
6 		18th 3
2004 Lucky Strike BAR Honda BAR 006 Honda RA004E 3.0 V10 AUS
9 		MAL
15† 		BHR
5 		SMR
16† 		ESP
5 		MON
Ret 		EUR
Ret 		CAN
Ret 		USA
3 		FRA
Ret 		GBR
11 		GER
8 		HUN
6 		BEL
Ret 		ITA
4 		CHN
6 		JPN
4 		BRA
6 		8th 34
2005 Lucky Strike BAR Honda BAR 007 Honda RA005E 3.0 V10 AUS
14 		MAL
PO 		BHR
Ret 		SMR
DSQ 		ESP MON EUR
12 		CAN
Ret 		USA
DNS 		FRA
11 		GBR
16 		GER
12 		HUN
8 		TUR
9 		ITA
16 		BEL
Ret 		BRA
10 		JPN
DSQ 		CHN
Ret 		23rd 1
2006 Super Aguri F1 Team Super Aguri SA05 Honda RA806E 2.4 V8 BHR
18 		MAL
14 		AUS
12 		SMR
Ret 		EUR
Ret 		ESP
17 		MON
Ret 		GBR
17 		CAN
15† 		USA
Ret 		FRA
Ret 		23rd 0
Super Aguri SA06 GER
Ret 		HUN
13 		TUR
NC 		ITA
16 		CHN
DSQ 		JPN
15 		BRA
10
2007 Super Aguri F1 Team Super Aguri SA07 Honda RA807E 2.4 V8 AUS
12 		MAL
13 		BHR
Ret 		ESP
8 		MON
17 		CAN
6 		USA
Ret 		FRA
16 		GBR
14 		EUR
Ret 		HUN
15 		TUR
18 		ITA
16 		BEL
15 		JPN
15† 		CHN
14 		BRA
12 		17th 4
2008 Super Aguri F1 Team Super Aguri SA08 Honda RA808E 2.4 V8 AUS
Ret 		MAL
16 		BHR
17 		ESP
13 		TUR MON CAN FRA GBR GER HUN EUR BEL ITA SIN CHN JPN BRA 21st 0

† Did not finish the race, but was classified as he had completed more than 90% of the race distance.

American open–wheel racing

[edit]

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

IndyCar Series

[edit]
Year Team Chassis No. Engine 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 Rank Points Ref
2010 KV Racing Technology Dallara IR-05 5 Honda SAO
22 		STP
22 		ALA
25 		LBH
18 		KAN
24 		INDY
20 		TXS
25 		IOW
19 		WGL
15 		TOR
25 		EDM
9 		MDO
25 		SNM
18 		CHI
26 		KTY
27 		MOT
12 		HMS
18 		21st 214 [32]
2011 KV Racing Technology – Lotus STP
5 		ALA
17 		LBH
21 		SAO
8 		INDY
33 		TXS
5 		TXS
12 		MIL
8 		IOW
19 		TOR
20 		EDM
21 		MDO
4 		NHM
7 		SNM
18 		BAL
18 		MOT
10 		KTY
15 		LVS1
C 		13th 282 [33]
2012 Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing Dallara DW12 15 STP
22 		ALA
24 		LBH
8 		SAO
3 		INDY
17 		DET
20 		TXS
22 		MIL
20 		IOW
12 		TOR
9 		EDM
2 		MDO
13 		SNM
27 		BAL
21 		FON
7 		14th 281 [34]
2013 A. J. Foyt Enterprises 14 STP
8 		ALA
14 		LBH
1 		SAO
2 		INDY
13 		DET
19 		DET
23 		TXS
11 		MIL
7 		IOW
23 		POC
22 		TOR
24 		TOR
20 		MDO
22 		SNM
23 		BAL
24 		HOU
17 		HOU
14 		FON
17 		17th 322 [35]
2014 STP
7 		LBH
22 		ALA
13 		IMS
9 		INDY
19 		DET
18 		DET
18 		TXS
18 		HOU
22 		HOU
19 		POC
21 		IOW
22 		TOR
23 		TOR
5 		MDO
18 		MIL
15 		SNM
4 		FON
6 		18th 350 [36]
2015 STP
13 		NLA
22 		LBH
18 		ALA
17 		IMS
9 		INDY
13 		DET
11 		DET
2 		TXS
16 		TOR
10 		FON
18 		MIL
14 		IOW
19 		MDO
24 		POC
6 		SNM
8 		14th 323 [37]
2016 STP
6 		PHX
15 		LBH
5 		ALA
13 		IMS
18 		INDY
26 		DET
11 		DET
10 		RDA
17 		IOW
11 		TOR
5 		MDO
9 		POC
22 		TXS
20 		WGL
17 		SNM
14 		17th 320 [38]
2017 Andretti Autosport 26 STP
5 		LBH
18 		ALA
9 		PHX
16 		IMS
12 		INDY
1 		DET
8 		DET
4 		TXS
10 		RDA
19 		IOW
16 		TOR
16 		MDO
5 		POC
13 		GTW
19 		WGL
19 		SNM
20 		8th 441 [39]
2018 Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing 30 STP
12 		PHX
11 		LBH
21 		ALA
8 		IMS
10 		INDY
32 		DET
5 		DET
17 		TXS
7 		RDA
4 		IOW
3 		TOR
22 		MDO
17 		POC
21 		GTW
9 		POR
1 		SNM
25 		12th 351 [40]
2019 STP
19 		COA
7 		ALA
1 		LBH
8 		IMS
14 		INDY
3 		DET
3 		DET
13 		TXS
15 		RDA
10 		TOR
22 		IOW
20 		MDO
19 		POC
21 		GTW
1 		POR
15 		LAG
21 		9th 415 [41]
2020 TXS
DNS 		IMS
10 		ROA
9 		ROA
8 		IOW
10 		IOW
21 		INDY
1 		GTW
2 		GTW
9 		MDO
17 		MDO
18 		IMS
18 		IMS
14 		STP
10 		7th 348 [42]
2021 ALA
13 		STP
6 		TXS
9 		TXS
14 		IMS
16 		INDY
14 		DET
4 		DET
12 		ROA
8 		MDO
10 		NSH
25 		IMS
10 		GTW
6 		POR
12 		LAG
27 		LBH
9 		11th 324 [43]
2022 Dale Coyne Racing
with Rick Ware Racing 		51 STP
10 		TXS
20 		LBH
16 		ALA
13 		IMS
7 		INDY
25 		DET
13 		ROA
15 		MDO
14 		TOR
25 		IOW
21 		IOW
10 		IMS
15 		NSH
21 		GTW
5 		POR
18 		LAG
23 		19th 258 [44]
2023 Chip Ganassi Racing 11 STP
 TXS
28 		LBH
 ALA
 IMS
 INDY
7 		DET
 ROA
 MDO
 TOR
 IOW
9 		IOW
25 		NSH
 IMS
 GTW
26 		POR
 LAG
 29th 70 [45]
2024 Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing 75 STP
 THE
 LBH
 ALA
 IMS
 INDY
14 		DET
 ROA
 LAG
 MDO
 IOW
 IOW
 TOR
 GTW
 POR
 MIL
 MIL
 NSH
 37th 19 [46]

1 The 2011 Las Vegas Indy 300 was abandoned after Dan Wheldon died from injuries sustained in a 15-car crash on lap 11.

Years Teams Races Poles Wins Podiums Top 5s Top 10s Indianapolis 500
wins 		Championships
15* 6 222* 10 6 14 28* 76* 2 0

* Results as of June 2, 2024

Indianapolis 500

[edit]
Year Chassis Engine Start Finish Team
2010 Dallara Honda 31 20 KV Racing Technology
2011 Dallara Honda 10 33 KV Racing Technology – Lotus
2012 Dallara Honda 19 17 Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing
2013 Dallara Honda 18 13 A. J. Foyt Enterprises
2014 Dallara Honda 23 19 A. J. Foyt Enterprises
2015 Dallara Honda 24 13 A. J. Foyt Enterprises
2016 Dallara Honda 12 26 A. J. Foyt Enterprises
2017 Dallara Honda 4 1 Andretti Autosport
2018 Dallara Honda 16 32 Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing
2019 Dallara Honda 14 3 Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing
2020 Dallara Honda 3 1 Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing
2021 Dallara Honda 15 14 Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing
2022 Dallara Honda 10 25 Dale Coyne Racing with Rick Ware Racing
2023 Dallara Honda 8 7 Chip Ganassi Racing
2024 Dallara Honda 10 14 Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing

Complete FIA World Endurance Championship results

[edit]
Year Entrant Class Chassis Engine 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Rank Points
2012 OAK Racing LMP1 OAK Pescarolo 01 Honda LM-V8 3.4 L V8 SEB SPA LMS SIL SÃO BHR FUJ
16 		SHA
14 		80th 1

Complete Formula Nippon / Super Formula results

[edit]
Year Entrant 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 DC Points
2012 Team Mugen SUZ MOT AUT FUJ MOT SUG
9 		SUZ
17 		SUZ
10 		15th 0
2013 SUZ
15 		AUT FUJ MOT SUG
11 		SUZ
9 		SUZ
8 		18th 0.5

Complete Formula E results

[edit]

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

Year Team Chassis Powertrain 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 Pos Points
2014–15 Amlin Aguri Spark SRT01-e SRT01-e BEI
Ret 		PUT PDE BUE MIA LBH MCO BER MSC LDN LDN 24th 2

Notes

[edit]
  1. ^ Japanese: 攻撃がなければチャンスはない

See also

[edit]
  • Andrew Gilbert-Scott – his manager since his Junior Formula career in Europe until 2009
  • Steve Fusek has been his manager since 2012. Fusek is a long-time racing professional who has worked in IndyCar Racing since 1987. He was VP of Business Operations at PacWest Racing Group from 1995-2001 as well as the VP of Sales and Marketing at CART from 2001-2003.

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Takuma Sato". oldracingcars.com. Retrieved 14 August 2023.
  2. ^ a b c "Why didn't F1 work out for Sato?". The Race. 25 August 2020. Retrieved 26 August 2020.
  3. ^ a b c "Takuma Sato | Motor Sport Magazine Database". Motor Sport Magazine. 12 June 2017. Retrieved 26 August 2020.
  4. ^ Henry (ed.) (2002) Autocourse Haymarket publishing p.139
  5. ^ "Japan • STATS F1". www.statsf1.com. Retrieved 7 August 2019.
  6. ^ "F1｜佐藤琢磨 オフィシャルサイト｜takumasato.com". www.takumasato.com. Retrieved 27 August 2020.
  7. ^ Benson, Andrew (10 June 2007). "Canadian Grand Prix". BBC Sport. BBC. Retrieved 15 February 2016.
  8. ^ a b "Takuma Sato". IndyCar.com. Retrieved 30 May 2017.
  9. ^ "Sato in shoot-out for '09 STR drive". ITV-F1. 2 September 2008. Archived from the original on 3 September 2008.
  10. ^ "Barcelona day one – Sato sets test pace for Toro Rosso". FOM. 17 November 2008.
  11. ^ "Barcelona day two – Vettel fastest for Red Bull". FOM. 18 November 2008.
  12. ^ Beer, Matt (4 March 2009). "Sato no longer in Red Bull reserve frame". Autosport. Haymarket Publications. Retrieved 15 February 2016.
  13. ^ "Sato secures KV IndyCar deal". Autosport.
  14. ^ Beer, Matt (4 February 2011). "Sato and Viso retain KV seats". Autosport. Haymarket Publications. Retrieved 15 February 2016.
  15. ^ "Sato becomes first Japanese driver to win IndyCar race". USA Today. 21 April 2013. Retrieved 5 July 2013.
  16. ^ Malsher, David (28 May 2017). "Indy 500: Sato wins after thrilling shootout with Castroneves". Motorsport.com. Motorsport Network. Retrieved 28 May 2017.
  17. ^ Glendenning, Mark (23 August 2020). "Sato outlasts Dixon for second Indy 500 win". RACER. Archived from the original on 23 August 2020. Retrieved 28 August 2020.
  18. ^ Brown, Nathan (9 December 2021). "Dale Coyne Racing confirms addition of Takuma Sato to replace Romain Grosjean". The Indianapolis Star. Retrieved 9 December 2021.
  19. ^ Malsher-Lopez, David (17 January 2023). "Ganassi signs Sato for IndyCar's oval rounds in 2023". Motorsport.com. Retrieved 19 January 2023.
  20. ^ something, dino (18 March 2024). "Japanese Partners Join Two-Time Indy 500 Champion Takuma Sato's 2024 Indy 500 Effort with Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing; Panasonic Automotive, Niterra, Deloitte Tohmatsu Consulting and NAC to Appear on the No. 75 Honda-Powered Entry". Rahal Letterman Lanigan. Retrieved 27 April 2024.
  21. ^ "Takuma Sato will join TEAM MUGEN to challenge Formula NIPPON Round6 SPORTSLAND SUGO, Round7 SUZUKA CIRCUIT, and JAF GP FUJI SPRINT CUP". Mugen Motorsports. M-TEC Co., Ltd. 14 June 2012. Archived from the original on 30 May 2014. Retrieved 15 February 2016.
  22. ^ DiZinno, Tony (20 November 2013). "Takuma Sato will test for Formula E, which could alter Foyt seat". NBC Sports. Retrieved 25 February 2015.
  23. ^ "Sato signs up for Formula E opener". ESPN. 11 September 2014. Retrieved 25 May 2015.
  24. ^ "2014 Beijing ePrix". Racing-Reference. Retrieved 25 May 2015.
  25. ^ "No Attack, No Chance: Takuma Sato Wins 104th Indianapolis 500". sports.yahoo.com. 24 August 2020. Retrieved 2 September 2020.
  26. ^ Weaver, Matt (24 August 2020). "No Attack, No Chance: Takuma Sato Wins 104th Indianapolis 500". Autoweek. Retrieved 2 September 2020.
  27. ^ "No Attack, No Chance: The Takuma Sato Story". 7 July 2021.
  28. ^ Lloyd, Jonathan; Service • •, City News (18 April 2024). "Katherine Legge and Takuma Sato join Long Beach Motorsports Walk of Fame".
  29. ^ "Takuma Sato announces birth of second child". f1sa.com. 1 October 2008. Archived from the original on 10 December 2008. Retrieved 2 October 2008.
  30. ^ https://japanracinginsider.substack.com/p/super-formula-contingent-suffers?publication_id=1794418&post_id=151627563&triggerShare=true&isFreemail=true&r=4qi2f2&triedRedirect=true
  31. ^ "Two-time Indy 500 winner Takuma Sato permanent houseguest in Carmel". wthr.com. 31 August 2020. Retrieved 20 October 2020.
  32. ^ "Takuma Sato – 2010 IZOD IndyCar Series Results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved 1 August 2023.
  33. ^ "Takuma Sato – 2011 IZOD IndyCar Series Results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved 1 August 2023.
  34. ^ "Takuma Sato – 2012 IZOD IndyCar Series Results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved 1 August 2023.
  35. ^ "Takuma Sato – 2013 IZOD IndyCar Series Results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved 1 August 2023.
  36. ^ "Takuma Sato – 2014 Verizon IndyCar Series Results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved 1 August 2023.
  37. ^ "Takuma Sato – 2015 Verizon IndyCar Series Results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved 1 August 2023.
  38. ^ "Takuma Sato – 2016 Verizon IndyCar Series Results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved 1 August 2023.
  39. ^ "Takuma Sato – 2017 Verizon IndyCar Series Results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved 1 August 2023.
  40. ^ "Takuma Sato – 2018 Verizon IndyCar Series Results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved 1 August 2023.
  41. ^ "Takuma Sato – 2019 NTT IndyCar Series Results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved 1 August 2023.
  42. ^ "Takuma Sato – 2020 NTT IndyCar Series Results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved 1 August 2023.
  43. ^ "Takuma Sato – 2021 NTT IndyCar Series Results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved 1 August 2023.
  44. ^ "Takuma Sato – 2022 NTT IndyCar Series Results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved 1 August 2023.
  45. ^ "Takuma Sato – 2023 NTT IndyCar Series Results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved 1 August 2023.
  46. ^ "Takuma Sato – 2024 NTT IndyCar Series Results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved 19 May 2024.
[edit]
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Takuma Sato.
Sporting positions
Preceded by British Formula Three Champion
2001 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Masters of Formula 3
Winner
2001 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Macau Grand Prix
Winner
2001 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Indianapolis 500
Winner
2017 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Indianapolis 500
Winner
2020 		Succeeded by
Awards and achievements
Preceded by Autosport
National Racing Driver of the Year
2001 		Succeeded by
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Takuma_Sato&oldid=1258395232"