Shall Sato stay in Jordan? (merged)

[KA]

Originally posted by ripper

If anyone saw Sato yesterday on the onboard view,
How come he gets so much understeer then.....

I'd be interested to know what kind of aerodynamic setup Sato was using at Indy- if anyone noticed the speed trap figures across the line, he was frequently fastest on straight-line speed at that point- about 5km/h up on the Ferraris no less....

Bearing in mind that the Honda's supposed to be a bit short on horsepower, I'm guessing he must have been running with a bit less wing at least....


I do think he's worth persevering with, even if he has to step down into a test seat for next year- OK, he's had a bit of a nightmare this year, and I've been very disappointed by his performances at times, but he's not been as slow as some have made out- being half-a-second or thereabouts off Fisi's pace doesn't put him in the Alex Yoong league...

Yes, he's had a LOT of shunts, but he does seem to be finding a bit more consistency. OK, he's still going off the track at times, but to be honest I think the step up to F1 was a season too early for him- a year in F3000 might have done him some good

Apart from anything else, having seen him racing a lot in F3, I do like his attitude- he's always struck me as a real racer, plenty of aggression and not afraid to try to pass the guy in front. If he can crack keeping the car on the track then he could be a pretty useful driver- I just hope he gets the chance to prove it

[sonic]

Sato is great for F1 hes fast, committed, crazy and crashes a lot - and lets face it we purists might not enjoy it but Joe Public loves a big spank.

The trouble is in these bleak recessionary times the tide seems to be turning against young fiesty drivers panis, frentzen, Irvine etc suddenly seem to be far more appealing despite repeatedly failing to prove any conclusive world beating potential over a number of years.

F1 as an industry seems hell bent on keeping all the cars on the track like mobile billboards offering maximum VFM for sponsers then boasting in PR hyperbole that they came 11th - who cares about that? Top 6 or bust thats what I say.

Bernie is right we desperately need some Valentino Rossi's in F1 but the culture of professional motorsport beats it out of them until they reach the de facto standard set by the worlds dullest person - David Coulthard.

[MGF]

Agrre with everything you said KA...

I met Taku at Silverstone a couple of years back, and he's got a very nice outlook on racing... F1 needs drivers like him, not pre-programmed drones like Rubens or TGF!!

[ripper]

"F1 needs drivers like him, not pre-programmed drones like Rubens or TGF!" There MGF, I agree a lot. lol, "pre-programmed drones".

[Sato san]

Originally posted by sonic

F1 as an industry seems hell bent on keeping all the cars on the track like mobile billboards offering maximum VFM for sponsers then boasting in PR hyperbole that they came 11th - who cares about that? Top 6 or bust thats what I say.

great post ....totally agree .

whats the point in finishing 7th ???

[JR Ewing]

Take has time on his side. In the long run, a year or so testing might well be the best thing for him. Another poor Jordan year in 2003 could well finish F1 for him.

[Jiggy]

No. Sato gets the boot!

[MichaelH]

Sato is undoubtedly quick, but I don't think he's really F1 material. He reminds me a bit of Tora Takagi, fast but fragile. But I doubt he'll be in F1 next season, he should go to CART, learn a thing or two about racecraft, possibly win the title, then make his F1 return, if ever.

[NiceGuyEddie]

Racecraft is just the thing Taku doesnt need to learn. As far as racecraft is concerned, he is up there with the best of 'em. Nice example was his move on Frentzen right after rejoining the track. Other than that, he really doesnt make that many mistakes. Not since Monaco anyway. Monza was a poor performance, and Fisichella is making him look rather lacklustre but the guy has simply too much potential to be wiffed away.

If drivers like Takuma doesn't fit the driverprofile that contemporary Formula1 wants, than Formula 1 isnt what it used to be and what it should be. People care about racers, not about political correctness and pitwall-influenced performances.

[MichaelH]

He has yet to get anywhere near the points in a car that really should, though. His racecraft may be spectacular but he seems to attract incidents more than any of his rivals. Again, he reminds me of Tora Takagi.

[Sato san]

I think Monza was the worst race of the year for him . He was of the pace without any excuses .

He has averaged about .5 behind Fisi most of the season , and out qualified him a couple of times.

Its always been a 2 year plan for him with Jordan , and from the interviews ive seen from him , its always been his game plan to need the 2nd season to show his real worth .

Anyway , F1 desperatley needs guys like Takuma .

[Andrew Kitson]

Honda NEED Taku! He is a superstar in Japan and they are desperate for him not to drive for Toyota. His being in F1 along with Toyota's entrance has re-ignited Japan's love of F1. As Toyota has signed its drivers, I take it that Taku must have a deal somewhere else, funded by Honda. But where?
He is very much Honda's favourite son as Nakajima was in the 80s. If he drives for EJ, it will be a Honda sponsored drive albeit in a Ford powered car. Honda will look at it as investing in race experience before he goes to BAR.
Thats what I reckon...time will tell.

[Mr V]

Originally posted by MichaelH
He has yet to get anywhere near the points in a car that really should, though.

I think it's worth remembering that his highly rated team-mate, a guy who would be in most peoples top 6 drivers has only managed 3 points finishes in a car that really should be near the points , and thats a guy with 106 race starts, 9 podiums, a pole and a fastest laps worth of experience. Monaco was a massive turning point for Taku imo, he made a major blunder from that accident, but the main thing is he seemed to learn from it.

[Sato san]

Cant wait to see the little go like never before at Suzuka . He will have a massive following there.