Takuma Sato: “When I saw an F1 car for the first time I thought it was outrageous”

He’s regarded as arguably the fastest Japanese driver of all time, and yet it could all have been so different for Takuma Sato. A bike racing champion in his youth, Sato caught the racing bug watching Senna at Suzuka in his youth, and though he didn’t start racing until much later than almost all of his rivals, his talent and sheer bloody minded determination lifted him all the way to F1.  On this week’s episode, the Indy 500 champion tells us about his brave switch from Japan to Britain early in his career, his breakthrough performance for Jordan on home soil, his memorable podium finish in the USA, beating Fernando Alonso in his unfancied Super Aguri, and much more…

Om Podcasten

Formula 1's fastest stars slow down for in-depth interviews. Tom Clarkson brings you revealing, feature-length conversations with drivers, team bosses, engineering experts and F1 legends. Hit the follow button for the fastest way to get new episodes. Watch episodes exclusively on the F1 YouTube channel. An official Formula 1 podcast. For race reviews + previews, listen to F1 Nation. To learn more about how F1 works, listen to F1 Explains