Sato shunt halts first practice

Jordan's Formula 1 rookie Takuma Sato blotted his copybook in the third free practice session for the Australian Grand Prix when he crashed at high speed, causing the session to be stopped

Mar 1, 2002, 10:34 PM

The 100mph crash occurred at Stewart bend, and Sato grabbed a handful of opposite lock just before losing control of the car completely. He smashed into the tyre wall, removing both right-hand corners of the car, but climbed out of the cockpit almost immediately.

The reigning British F3 champion blamed the accident on a problem with the Jordan's gearbox.

"We had been working on the downshift and having a few problems," he said. "I was caught out when it downshifted in the middle of the corner."

Team boss Eddie Jordan said: "Let's hope he can learn from it. It was an innocent mistake which had serious consequences. He made a correction on the way into the corner and got on the kerb, which caused him to crash.

"He's fine, he's just disappointed to lose out on track time, and that's very valuable to him," he added.

Sato will be forced to use the spare car for qualifying. He is not allowed to use the spare for the remaining free practice sessions, drastically reducing his track time.