Taku, has he done enough...

[Mr V]

....to retain his seat in 2005?

Ok, ok, i know it's only 4 races into the season, but, has Taku exceeded your expectations, and more importantly do you think that BAR, Dave Richards and Honda are satisfied with him so far?

With the exception of Maylasia where he threw it off the track in final qualifying he has comfortably been in the top 10 in qualifying (2 7th places and a 5th where he out-qualified his team mate) and a points finish that could and should have been 3 points finishes out of 4 races had it not have been for engine reliability.

His only draw back is the fact that he's so far behind his (more experienced) team-mate in the points, but i'm sure that all concerned within the team were expecting that.

So, do you think that he should be in the team next season?

[freud]

As per Imola 2004... I dont think so.
He's a hard driver, like e.g. Juan Pablo.
Thing is that he needs to drive more smooth races... He's a good talent and I am sure once he matures, he'll become a much better driver. I think Honda will insist on his retention and most probably he'll be a BAR driver. Otherwise there's Toyota.

[Inigo Montoya]

Yes. I hope he gets a full season shot in this competative car. Given a bit more time, I fully expect he'll be pushing his teammate. Pure racer.

[300kph]

I hope he can still improve and it is true, his name is attached to Honda so I think his seat will be okey for 2005..

I also like this humble guy...

[climb]

I expected that his performances were lower than Jenson's, particularly at the beginning of the season.
It's a bit early to judge him, many races still to improve.
Up to now he did'nt do that bad, he had some reliabilty problems that prevented him to finish in the points two more times.
If he improves the wauy he can, he surely deserves a confirmation, regardless of his links to Honda.

[pirenzo]

I think he's doing alright. You can't really complain, he has calmed down a bit, unlike Felipe Massa...

[Redlake27]

I really want to see Taku succeed....and the fact that he occasionally beat Fisi at Jordan and can run at Jenson's pace suggests he will.

But I still feel at the moment BAR would have been doing better with a Fisichella or Heidfeld in that carAnd either would be ahead of Button as well.....

Give Sato four more races. If he outraces JB at least once, then he deserves another year.

[Peter Mallett]

He deserves another year. But perception is all these days and unless he can put together a few solid, rather than spectacular, performances he'll be under pressure.

He does seem to be a nice guy but as we've seen with Fisi, "nice" guys don't win prizes.

But DR has said he's satisfied and I've no reason to disbelieve him.

[marcus]

I think he is great , I wasnt that impressed with him at jordan but coming back in japan last year he was very impressive and I think this year he has done very well , still a little rough but a bit more time will smooth him out but there is no denying his speed and most of all what I like about him his courage

Go Taku

[BertMk2]

I hope they do retain him for next year, he's not as wild as he used to be but he's still got that edge - you're never 100% sure that he's got that car totally under control. We've also seen this year that he's a hard racer and more than prepared to have a go or defend hard as required. Good work Taku keep it up

[jetsetter]

I think he's deserving of another year as he has constantly been in the battle for points & he seems to have matured since his Jordan stint & now keeps his car on the road more often.

[BootsOntheSide]

I think it's too early to judge, but the signs so far have been positive, especially in Bahrain where he was the faster BAR driver. He's defiantely matured a lot, and has been a constant threat. Those two engine failures were a real shame, but 4 points is still a reasonable return.

[DriverT]

I think he's done well so far, and has put in some reasonable drives. Thus I vote "yes".

[ASCII Man]

Heheh, looks like i'm the only one, bar freud, with the guts to admit for voting 'No'!

But his last effort was respectable though, so i may change my mind in a few races.

[Redlake27]

His Melbourne race was spolit by a broken wing, in Malaysia I thought he recovered well from the back of the grid, in Bahrain he was faster than JB - but the excursion repair threw his strategy out of sync whilst at Imola he was simply slower than JB.

The potential is there I feel. People keep suggesting putting Davidson in the car, but Sato trounced him in F3.....

[Hugh Jarce]

I think he's done well, but bearing in mind how the BAR is flying IMO he will need regular points and a podium to fully justify it!

[ensign14]

He has the pace. The experience will come, God willing. He is a genuine race winner in the making - maybe even a Champion.

Roll on the Alonso v Raikkonen v Montoya v Button v Sato v whomever battles.

[Phoenix1]

The thing about Sato is the ability is there. The fact is JB should be faster than TS as lead driver. I've seen Sato, in the flesh, race pre-F1 and looking at how he applies himself to F1 he seems the same in the he never gives up and does not take any rubbish from drivers who cut him up, thing Japan last year and TGF having a go or RS this year. JB was given time because the talent was there give TS time he will be up there too, yes he bins it sometimes but its better to try than to go to slow.

[krt917]

I voted 'Yes' because he obviously has potential and has shown improvement since his time at Jordan.

I reckon he, Button and Dave Richards are a pretty good combination. A while ago, I might have agreed with Redlake that Heidfield and Fisi could do a better job than Button, but now I reckon he's maturing into a top contender. Richards' influence on him and Sato appears to be positive, so I'd like the combination to stay together for at least another year.

[Frank_White]

The fact is that in Imola Taku was up to 4th very early in the race. However, he was plauged by gearbox problems and had to drive with missing gears. it is that which ultimately overstressed his engine and caused it to fail right before the end of the race.

without the gearbox problems it is very conceivable that taku would have overtaken montoya during the pitstops and might have achieved his first podium.

[BootsOntheSide]

I wasn't aware of that Frank, thanks for the info. That makes his case look even stronger. I'd see him as a future race winner, and perhaps the catalyst for increasing involvement from Asian drivers, but maybe not a champion.

[Aysedasi]

I think he's doing OK. The car is obviously much better than we probably expected and, on current form and progress, I expect him to amass a reasonavble points haul before the end of the season. Besides, he's Japanese, and that alone will probably allow him to keep his seat.

[Knowlesy]

Taku is very under-rated and deserves to keep his seat. He should never have been dropped at the end of 2002.

His speed is beyond question, just needs to iron out the rough edges, like most young guys.

[ralf fan]

Comapare him to Button and the answer is no!

Speed- he has the raw speed but still not experienced enough to be consistent.
and to be fair he has some bad luck but apart from Bahrain he really hasnot set the world alight with his performances

[shiny side up!]

I voted 'yes', but as soon as I did it, I doubted my vote...

Sato is showing improvement. For sure. And I applaud his efforts. But is he good enough to be in the second or third best car on the grid??? (Or fourth, I guess it is debateable...). I would say 'no' to second or third best car, and 'yes' if it were the fourth best...