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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.
