Takuma Sato, also known by his nickname “Taku,” is a professional Japanese racing driver. He’s a two-time Indianapolis 500 winner in 2017 and 2020. Sato is the first Asian driver to win the Indy500 and the 12th driver to have multiple Indy500 wins. He also became the first Japanese racer to win in the IndyCar race after winning in 2013 at the Grand Prix of Long Beach. Taku presently drives Dallara-Honda No. 30 for Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing. He has successfully raced full-time in the IndyCar Series for the Andretti, Foyt, RLL, and KV teams in 2010 and all with Honda.
From 2002 to 2008, Takuma Sato competed in Formula One for Honda-powered Super Aguri, BAR, and Jordan teams, marking one podium at the United States Grand Prix. The racer has also become widely known among media and fans for his “No attack, no chance” motto regarding his racing style. Formula One plays a significant role in his racing career as it’s where Taku started, particularly for Jordan in 2002. In 2003, he moved to BAR for the season, and when one of its drivers was sacked before the season ended, he filled the vacant spot for his home race, where he then finished sixth. In 2004, he achieved his first and only podium finish at Indianapolis at the US Grand Prix. In 2005, BAR retained Taku for one more season. However, the racer experienced difficulty with BAR 007 scoring just one point. Takuma Sato wasn’t retained for the following year’s season.
| Team |
Super Aguri F1
|
| Born | 28 Jan 1977 |
| Nationality |
Japan
|
| Nickname | Taku |
| Team History | |
|
Super Aguri F1
|
2008 - present |
Sato started his IndyCar career in 2010 but first visited the Indianapolis 500 in 2009. He later drove in the 2010 IndyCar Series season, where he finished in 21st place by signing with KV Racing Technology. Sato still signed for the team in 2011, improving his form and taking three top 5 finishes and two pole positions, finishing 13th in the season. He joined several teams over the following years - A.J. Foyt’s team from 2013 to 2016, Andretti Autosport in 2017, and Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing in 2018 to the present. Under his current team, Sato won his third career race. In 2019, he won the third race at Barber Motorsports Park, later winning the season. Sato won in the 104th running of the Indianapolis 500 in 2020.
Career Summary:
- Races entered: 351
- Race win percentage: 8.3%
- Wins: 29
- Podiums: 48
- Podium percentage: 13.7%
- Pole Positions:23
- Fastest laps: 30
