Jonathan Noble: Off Line

Whatever impact Super Aguri's new bizarrely named chicken wings had, and no matter how big a role a bit of timely good luck played, there was little doubt how much Takuma Sato's first points since Hungary 2005 meant to both the Japanese driver and his team.

There had been big smiles and a shoulder-carrying celebration in Australia when Sato shocked everyone by simply making it into Q3, but at the Circuit de Catalunya he achieved what many at the team felt was nothing less than a victory.

One day short of just 15 months since a Super Aguri Formula 1 car hit the track for the first time at Kemble Airfield in Gloucestershire, Sato edged out one of reigning world champion Renault's cars to take a well earned eighth place.

Afterwards he was carried aloft on team members' shoulders in the paddock area beside the team's transporters. And, if there were mixed emotions at the far end of the paddock for podium-finishing performances, there was nothing but unbridled joy at this small achievement.

"It was unquestionably perfect," beamed a delighted Sato later that evening, reclining against the team's motorhome sipping a can of fizzy drink. "It's just unbelievable. It's an extremely amazing weekend for us. "When I saw Giancarlo Fisichella coming out of the pit exit and I was just fractionally in front of him, it was just an amazing feeling. It was really fantastic."

Sato is a much changed man from the oft-criticised racer who could do little to avoid incidents during a troubled 2005 campaign. There were plenty of raised eyebrows when Honda announced its backing of the Super Aguri team just to keep Sato in F1 the following season.

But who's laughing now? His absolute determination and aggressive style remain, but now his enthusiasm is better tempered - and you sensed that while this new Sato brilliantly stayed cool when he had Fisichella behind him in the closing stages, the old Sato might have delivered a different outcome.

"Naturally I am the driver who always tries 100 per cent all the time. But having some experience now, I can help with the management of things and I can work out what is best for now.

"I feel that I am developing myself all the time. But go back a few years. When we had a competitive car it was fine. But when you are not competitive you have to learn something to produce your best result. "Last year was great training for us as an exercise. And here we are! We have come back really strong. It was great, and I still feel I am learning a lot."

Super Aguri is undoubtedly punching above its weight at the moment, making the most of an ever improving car against some of the struggling big boys.

But with team spirit at Super Aguri stronger than ever, and the SA07 pretty well sorted, you would be a fool to believe that the points in Spain will be the team's - or Sato's - last. "We want to keep scoring points," says Sato, shaking the hand of yet another well-wisher who has wandered down to the far end of the paddock to offer congratulations.

"It will be extremely difficult, I know that. Today we had some luck, so going to Monaco I don't really expect that we can be repeating the same. But personally, why don't I try the same? Let's go to Q3 and get into the top 10 on the grid. That is my target..."

A year ago, such ambitions would have been a pipedream. It's amazing what a bit of self belief and chicken wings can do.