Takuma Sato Eyeing a Podium Finish for Malaysian Grand Prix 2005
Takuma Sato, BAR Honda driver, is one of two Asians now in Formula 1, the other being newcomer Narain Karthikeyan in the Jordan team. Sato has the better chance to get onto the podium, being more experienced, and in a much faster car. There was a time last year when it looked like he would be the first Asian to win a Formula 1 race, but a blown engine put paid to that.
For this Sunday’s race, Malaysians will be rooting for Sato to win, and at the Honda pre-race party two nights ago, Sato made a solemn promise that he would do his level best. Having withdrawn from the race before its completion in Melbourne, the team will be starting the Malaysian Grand Prix with brand new engines, while everyone else will be running engines that are one race old.
Sato, a naturally friendly person, interacted well with the audience at the Honda Pre Race party, and appeared very confident about his chances. He was certainly a lot different from the time I saw him two years ago, when he first started driving for the BAR Honda team. His English has improved tremendously, and he is not as nervous.
The BAR Honda cars have been more competitive, and with the implications of this year’s new regulations still unclear, the field is wide open. All the old calculations and permutations regarding tyres, pit stops and fuel strategy have to be thrown out of the window, and the team that adapts quickest to the new conditions will benefit most. One might say that the playing field is a little more level now. Here’s wishing good luck to Sato-san. Go out there and do us proud.
