Racing victories don’t come easy and at times it takes a lot of perseverance. In Takuma Sato’s case it took 11 years and 141 Formula One and IndyCar races to finally snag a win at the Grand Prix of Long Beach. To Sato’s credit it was next to impossible to win a race for some of his Formula One teams, but now since he has a victory – he wants to taste another.

After driving for KV Racing for two years and Rahal Letterman Lanigan last year, Sato is having his best year at A.J. Foyt Racing. He almost made it back-to-back victories after Long Beach, but was passed on the last turn of the Sao Paolo Indy 300 by Canadian James Hinchcliffe. Sato was close to winning a few races last year, but he’s finally putting it altogether and seeing results for A.J. Foyt Racing.

Sato has always had a great relationship with every team he’s been on, but feels there’s a special connection between him and the A.J. Foyt team, calling it the best team relationship he’s had throughout his entire racing career. “I’m very happy with my situation and the team is so close together. We’ve really bonded to the point that at every race we know we’re going to be competitive,” explains Sato.

Sato’s victory at Long Beach and result in Sao Paolo has helped to spark more IndyCar coverage back in his native country of Japan. He had hoards of fans waiting for his arrival back home after Long Beach with many greetings and congratulations. 

“It was an incredible feeling. The coverage even expanded to the morning and evening news. It didn’t matter what channel you turned on, I was there and it was cool,” said Sato.

Sato currently sits in tenth place in the IndyCar driver’s standings, but major points are up for grabs this weekend at the Honda Indy Toronto doubleheader. Sato understands how crucial these next two races in Toronto are and is confident he can get some good results.  

“The whole idea is to come here, have a solid two races and jump right back into the driver’s championship race. I feel it’s very important to start the second half of the season well and the results of this race will mean a lot for me to carry the momentum to the end of the season,” said Sato.

When asked whether he might have an advantage with the new standing start for the first race of the doubleheader as a former Formula One driver – Sato shrugged it off and said the hand clutch that’s used in IndyCar is totally different. However, Sato is used to the red and green light procedure and won’t be panicking. He was able to practice the standing starts today and we will soon see if he can make some moves from his 11th position on the starting grid. 

To gain a more up-close and personal look into the life of Takuma Sato, here are some questions and answers that will help you get to know him better.

Takuma Sato