Sayonara Sato-san: A tribute to Takuma - Part 4

By Phil Huff
November 27 2005

Takuma Sato went into 2005 full of optimism, following a hugely successful season previously. His BAR Honda car and team were plagued with problems, however, and a huge dose of bad luck meant the season was very nearly wasted.

He leaves the team after three years and 34 races having made many friends along the way. Here's the final part of our 'Tribute to Takuma', presenting the best images of a frustrating year.


On stage at the Circuit de Catalunya, Takuma Sato stands with his new charge, the BAR Honda 007.


As is now the norm, within a matter of hours he's out testing the new car late into the evening.


Australia sees a disheartening start to the season, with a lack of pace holding Taku back to 12th before a tactical retirement ended his day.


Suffering a viral infection, Sato's bad start continues as he's forced to retire from the Malaysian Grand Prix. Anthony Davidson takes his place for the race, but both BAR's retire within 3 laps with engine failures.


An improvement at Bahrain, but still no race finish. A problem with brakes forced Taku out while fighting for seventh place.


San Marino, and the first points for Sato as he brings home a strong fifth place finish. Sadly, both BAR Honda's were later found to be outside of the regulations and disqualified. A further penalty then put them out of the Spanish and Monaco races. All that work for nothing.


A return to the track after a month off shows BAR Honda that the competition has moved on. The European Grand Prix rewarded Taku with a lowly 12th position.


Takuma retired from the Canadian race with a gearbox problem. He then retired again with hydraulic failure! A swift change of rear end mid-race saw Taku battling for points, but there was too much to do in too little time.


Indianapolis 2005. Michelin bring a tyre that can't cope with the circuit, forcing every Michelin shod team to retire from the event before the race even starts. Eight place in qualifying shows Taku had pace but, again, no luck.


A mistake at the hairpin and a cloud of dust hampered Taku's promising drive in France. His 11th place finish did no justice to his pace.


Silverstone, and arguably the most disappointing point of the season - on the approach to the grid, Taku inadvertently switches his engine off. Two laps later he rejoins the race, eventually finishing 16th. Without that mistake, it might have been sixth.


A tangle in the opening laps with Fisichella cost Taku his nosecone. With the general reliability in 2005, there was no way back and, despite running on full tanks, 12th was as good as he could manage. Nine races, no points.


Hungary proved slightly more successful. A good start saw Sato up to seventh by the end of the first lap, losing only one place throughout the rest of the race to finish eighth, and claim a point. Relief all round.


A catalogue of qualifying problems held Takuma back at Turkey. Starting from the back, an eventful race saw him come home ninth, just one place out of the points.


Another race, another problem. Software problems in Italy meant that Taku's car was loaded with enough fuel to get through most of the next race, too! A heavy car in low downforce configuration means tyres that get destroyed quickly. 16th place was a poor reward.


Here Taku runs ahead of team mate Jenson Button in Belgium, but it wasn't to last long. After a restart from a safety car period, Taku edged close to Michael Schumacher, nudging his right rear suspension. Forcing the World Champion out of the race, and putting himself out too, following a very minor impact was frustrating, but not half as frustrating as the 10 place penalty handed down for the next race.


Starting from the back in Brazil, Sato has yet another problem with his car. What should have been an uneventful drive through the field was made tougher with suspension problems. Ending up 10th, Sato still remains on just a single point for the season.


Sato's home race has always been kind to him, with the Suzuka circuit in Japan handing him points finishes in every event to date. 2005 was where that ended. Pre-race, Rubens Barrichello had been confirmed as Sato's replacement in 2006, while a mistake at the first corner put him back down the field. A late race thump into Jarno Trulli cost him far more - exclusion from the race. Taku enters the final event with one hand already tied behind his back.


The race at Shanghai wasn't the way anybody would have wanted Taku's relationship with BAR Honda to end, with the Japanese star coasting to a halt with another gearbox problem.


The season ends, and in some ways it's a relief. Disqualified twice, penalised once, banned from two events, missing two more, and suffering horrendous reliability, the support for Takuma from his fans never wavered. "I'd like to say a big thanks to the team," said Taku after all of it. "I've have had some great times with them and it's been fantastic. Now we are obviously working apart, but a new door is opening for me."

So long, Sato-san. You'll be sorely missed by your fans, and all of us here at BAR-Talk.com. See you on track in 2006!