Holding out for pastures new: Interview with Takuma Sato

This week in Jerez, Scuderia Toro Rosso's 2009 driver showdown continues as Sebastien Bourdais, Sebastien Buemi and Takuma Sato state their respective cases for inclusion in the team's line-up for next season. It's anybody's guess as to which way Dietrich Mateschitz will finally jump - don't forget that Gerhard Berger no longer has a say - but Takuma seems to be well placed.

The fact that Red Bull want to increase their profile in Japan, a country where canned energy drinks were a huge business long before the Austrian brand came along, can only help. No doubt it wouldn't hurt if some extra Japanese funding came along too, but then Sato's presence didn't seem to attract much money to Aguri, and there's no reason to expect that it will do now.

There is a bigger picture too. Bernie Ecclestone is all too aware that Takuma's return will be massive news in Japan, especially in the light of the damage done by the Honda withdrawal. And that can only help the sport as a whole.

The truth is that Takuma is more than qualified for the job on merit, and his reputation is a lot stronger now than when he was eased out of the works Honda seat at the end of 2005. While Buemi's role as the latest Red Bull golden boy makes him a hot favourite, a more logical approach might be to take Sato and Bourdais, especially at a time when the rules changes present such a big challenge. Buemi's time will come, and he can rack up some more test miles by splitting his time between the two teams. But then logic hasn't always played a part in Red Bull driver decisions.

Takuma Sato tests the Toro Rosso at Jerez © LAT

Takuma's name was first associated with Toro Rosso back in September, when he appeared for one day at a Jerez test. He hadn't sat in an F1 car since Super Aguri's last appearance in Spain nearly five months earlier, and he was pleased to be back. That first outing went well, and ensured that he was in the frame for 2009.

"For me, it was a highlight of this year that I drove the Toro Rosso," he says. "I always worked with an English team since the junior formulae days, and it was so interesting to go to Faenza and meet a pure Italian team. It has a different atmosphere. The team has a similar situation to Super Aguri obviously because it's a small team. I don't know what Minardi was like in previous times, but I could see they used the original Minardi factory, and people were very friendly and chatty.

"And obviously they do a fantastic job, all the time making improvements. Especially at the time they were one of our main rivals, and we all know how hard it is to consistently improve like that. I was very impressed and I respect them a lot. Working with a team like that is fantastic to me and it's very interesting why this team is so successful with the package they've got. With the facility they have they do the maximum job, so it's brilliant."

It was just prior to that test that Sebastian Vettel won at Monza and suddenly an STR seat looked even more attractive.

"I know, that was amazing. Especially after the summer break their performance was just incredible. I just drove the winning car - it was an unbelievable thing! It was a great feeling and hopefully that triggered me in a positive way for the 2009 season."

The carrot of the STR drive has kept Sato fully motivated through the second half of a season that began with so much frustration. After showing considerable promise in 2007, Aguri stumbled into this year facing huge financial pressures and an uncertain future. The car, untried before Melbourne, was nothing like as good as its predecessor.

"It's difficult to say much about the season. We all know the circumstances and we faced so many difficulties, not just this year, but over the whole Super Aguri project. We had difficult times, but we got over our problems and we got stronger and better. Actually it was really fantastic that the team was working really well and I really enjoyed being with them.

"At the beginning of this year it was tough because last season was basically a very successful season for us, and we had a lot of motivation. The environment was better this year, but just from a pure performance point of view, we weren't really as competitive as the previous year. Then of course we had financial difficulties from the beginning of the season and the whole plan looked, how can I say, tough as every race went by.

"In the cockpit I just tried to do my job and I tried to give 100 per cent all the time. But we didn't get out what we wanted and it was a bit a tough. A driver always wants to have a competitive package, but at the same time because I was involved with this team from day one, I knew how hard people were trying to solve the problems. It was hard, but to me it was OK because we were both working together. I always thought there was something we could do to solve any difficulty. And that's what we did in those two and a half years."

Takuma Sato battles with the Ferrari of Felipe Massa in the 2008 Australian Grand Prix © XPB

Funnily enough, he could have earned a priceless decent result in the first race, despite the lack of running beforehand.

"Melbourne was quite an eventful race. In qualifying I didn't go through to Q3 like the previous year. I think I was running in the top ten because nearly ten cars were gone, if I remember correctly. It was almost like a little miracle, as I was heading for a points scoring position.

"I remember that I was really excited about it. Then we had a drivetrain problem and I had to stop. It's a shame, because it would have made a huge difference in terms of the result. But there you go, that's motor racing. It was the only race I didn't finish this year and that was a potential points' score."

It all came to a halt after Spain, a race that had brought the team such joy 12 months previously

"Unfortunately, the last race for us was Barcelona, where a year before it was a truly fantastic moment when we first scored points for the team. Still, in 2008 it was a relatively good race for us, I had a little battle with the midfield pack but it was a very tough race. At least we finished the race and that was good. But it wasn't, how shall I say, the emotional pleasure that it had been the previous year."

Sato's unshakable optimism ensured that he was convinced that somehow, things would come right in the end. But reality finally hit just before Turkey, when Honda in effect finally switched off the life support machine.

"At the beginning of the season, I really didn't think that we would stop racing like this, although I knew that the team was facing a really difficult financial time. But in 2008 I thought at least we could compete for a whole season. In fact in the beginning few races we knew we had to use a not competitive car, but then by mid-season we had a plan to upgrade it to a better car. So at least we had a plan, like we did the previous year I was hoping that we could move on. But then at the very last moment there was nothing that I or the team could do to handle it better. We had to stop.

"At the beginning of the season I wished we were a bit more competitive, like in 2007, and at least we could have a little hope. But this year was already about waiting for something to come up better. That was the sort of feeling you had.

"It was a very sad moment. You are not racing, so you can't be happy. Then all these team members, I thought about a lot of the people we worked together with. They all lost jobs and were sitting around. Some moved on to other teams, which was good news, because it was admitted by other teams that we did a good job. But still the fact that the team closed was a very, very sad moment."

Despite the frustrations, he has nothing but good things to say about the team and the whole experience.

Takuma Sato and Super Aguri celebrate their first points finish, in the 2007 Spanish Grand Prix © XPB

"I wanted to mention that the Super Aguri team was an extremely important part of my race career. Although from a pure results point of view it wasn't front row qualifying or anything, there was the feeling of satisfaction. It was a different experience and I was involved with the team not only for the cockpit but also the other side as well, which was always interesting.

"I think as a team we worked together and I'm really pleased this team was doing many, many good things in F1, and I really enjoyed it. The last two and a half years were fantastic and it was just really sad that we had to stop. It's a memory that I'll never forget."

Nevertheless, his mind is now firmly on the future: "We spoke to every single team. Of course we want to be back in F1 and that's what I'm aiming for. At the moment, there's nothing I can officially tell, I just have to hope and do the maximum attack once I grab the chance."

If STR doesn't happen, he's not too excited about becoming a test driver again, even if an opportunity becomes available.

"It's a difficult situation to answer properly. Right now, no, because I really want to race, because I've done it already in 2003 as a test driver, I'm not really interested in that road. If every race seat is closed you have to think about it at that time. But at the moment we're only thinking about racing in 2009."

And what about looking at another category?

"Again that's the same level of thought as we might be staying as a test driver in F1. As I said once everything is physically impossible, then I have to think about it. If I move over to another category, I probably have to be acting very quickly.

"I really want to concentrate on F1 and I hope I can make it happen. Otherwise, of course I have to rush off to find something. But fortunately we had a few offers from other categories, which was very nice to hear."