Grapevine: Sato Misses Out on Pole in Macau

Jordan's newest recruit Takuma Sato failed to live up to the hype and secure pole position for the prestigious Macau Grand Prix on Friday.

Japanese driver Sato, who will drive for Jordan from next season, was beaten to top spot on the grid for the Formula Three race by Sweden's Bjorn Wirdheim, by just 0.079 seconds.

"It is a bit of a shame and I am a little disappointed," said Sato, who is the reigning British Formula Three champion. "I was held up a few times by traffic and, although I am sad, being on the front row is good enough for me."

Sato also qualified in second place for last year's event, but crashed out of the first race and finished in 14th place in the second one.

British American Racing (BAR) Formula One test driver Anthony Davidson will fly home next week after being forced to pull out of the race with neck injuries following a crash on Thursday. Davidson faces a six-week recovery after tearing neck ligaments and fracturing a vertebra in the accident during first qualifying and could miss the first tests of BAR's new challenger in January.

"My neck hurts a lot," said Davidson. "It is so frustrating to have been so quick here on my first visit and then be forced to sit out because of an accident."