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Takuma Sato

Takuma Sato, Grand Prix testing, Barcelona, Spain, 17th November 2008. Copyright LAT Photographic (www.latphoto.co.uk), 2010. Used with permission.

Takuma Sato, Grand Prix testing, Barcelona, Spain, 17th November 2008. Copyright LAT Photographic 2010. Used with permission.

Takuma Sato, Indianapolis 500, 2014. Copyright Brian Crowe, 2015. Used with Permission.

Takuma Sato, Indianapolis 500, 2014. Copyright Brian Crowe, 2015. Used with Permission.

Born:

28 Jan 1977
Tokyo

Nationality:

Japan

Grands Prix:

92 (2002-2008)

Indy 500s:

15 (2010-2024)

Was the Super Aguri F1 driver, until the team's collapse. After a long time without a drive, he moved to the Indycar Championship in 2010. Sato has generally found more success in America, winning the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach in 2013, than a F1 spell which showed promise but never translated into tangible success. He was also very lucky to survive a monumental crash in 2002 at the Austrian Grand Prix. In 2017, Sato realised his potential and won the Indianapolis 500, becoming the first Japanese driver to do so and won a 2nd Indianapolis 500 in 2020. In 2024, after many years of full-time racing, he switched to racing only on ovals in Indycar and dovetailed that with a IMSA racing programme. In 2024, he was also named as an advisor to Honda, and is in a management role as well as looking after their young driver programme.

Biography last updated 31 May 2024