Takuma Sato
Takuma Sato (born 28 January 1977 in Tokyo, Japan) is a Japanese racing driver mostly known for his appearances in Formula One or Super Formula.
Formula One
2002-2003: Jordan
Sato made his Formula One debut for Jordan in 2002, after serving in 2001 as the team's test driver. He scored his first Formula One points with a fifth place at the French Grand Prix. He finished his first career season with a points finish at Suzuka, a massive achievement for Japanese motorsport.
After scoring two eighth place finishes in 2003 at the British and German Grands Prix, he was injured in a big practice crash in Hungary. While recovering, Honda announced they will not re-sign with Jordan in 2004, and that Sato left the team after a mutual agreement was reached between himself and the Jordan team. He was replaced by HWNSNBM and Daniel Melrose.
2003-: BAR Honda
Sato made one more appearance in 2003 at Suzuka, finishing 6th at the wheel of a BAR, a drive that, along with his connections to Honda (who had bought a 45% stake in BAR), secured him a seat with the team for 2004.
Sato flourished in the shortened 2004 season, with a vast amount of the races taking place in the Asia-Pacific region. Sato's first strong result came in the season opening Australian Grand Prix, where he took his maiden podium with a third place behind the two Ferrari cars. Sato scored consistently and finished the season with an emotional third place finish in his home Japanese Grand Prix - enough for fifth place in the World Driver's Championship and the best of the non-Ferrari or Williams drivers.
