http://uk.sports.yahoo.com/040611/23/4c0p.html He still doesnt get it. With a minor opening running into people isnt a move. Of course a couple other folks have said it was exciting and aggressive so now he feels vindicated. Watch out this weekend. Jumped starts and now just running into people off line in turns is his version of 'racing'. Another engine blown up would be nice to see for this "move maker"
Sato would not qualify for an F1 seat without the backing of Honda. His insane and so called "aggresive" driving moves is costing Honda. He could have ended up in 3rd... but instead he had to take an extra pit stop to replace the nose of the car that he damaged in the accident... engine overheated... kaboom. The Japanese Kamkazee. He will probably waste another oppurtunity in Canada.
I think he is simply the most successful Japanese driver there ever was and I bet Honda is thrilled beyond belief to have him.
Give the guy a little slack. He is young (and quite fast I might add) and does not have much experience. From his comments it does not look like he is learning, but maybe he has learned from this mistake. He has a good chance for success in the near future, let's just see what he can do before sending him to the F1 grave.
Why always hark on the negative? He's a rookie at this level, give him some time to learn and mature. Give him some credit for competing at this level. Everyone makes mistakes, it doesn't automatically mean he sucks.
No one says Sato "sucks". His driving is immature for this level. this sort of driving belongs in Formula 3000 and CART. When you have so much money riding on an F1 race you dont want to have a driver that will blow a podium by an immature move. Ofcourse the arguement is he will mature over time. But this maturity should be there when you climb the ranks to be an F1 driver. The only reason why Sato is in F1 is because Honda wanted a Japanese driver in the team. He is not mature enough to differenciate between over ambitious "no chance in hell" overtaking and a real overtaking oppurtunity. Lucikly Rubens did not have to pay for Sato's immaturity.
I agree, that he makes mistakes and that he is in F1 because of Honda. But if these were the only measurements, you could eliminate half the field of today's F1. There are lots of drivers who still need to develop and who are there only because somebody wants them there. You don't get into F1 as a fully grown/mature driver. Need examples? Massa, Klien, Da Matta to name a few from this year. But you could even add MS in his very first race in Spa, where he fried his clutch. Purely amateurish. But that's how you get started in F1.
I concede, you convinced me. I guess I hold everyone to the standard of MS. Then I played the tape from his debut race.... so you are right.
Give it a rest Imperial. It wasn't too long ago MS took out another driver with a rookie (some say deliberate) move.
Unfortunately Rubens DID have to pay for ________ immaturity. Are we talking about JPM AGAIN?!?!?!?! USGP 2003? Oh sorry Chris, I got confused by your affection for these "type" drivers.... ;0) Might I remind everyone that this is not Sato's maiden year!!! He has countless hours in an F1 car and also plenty of race experience (also in an F1 car). The guy should know better - along with someone else on the grid (that will go unmentioned due to my lack of patience for flaming). While the crash 'em and bash 'em NASCAR types might enjoy, tolerate, and insist this behavior enhances the sport - I feel it has no place at the pinnacle of motor racing. It should not be tolerated, especially by the no deserving pay-pers. But $ talks, always will. Just my .02 guys. Jim BTW, I thought his move (not considering if it was early or not) at Monaco was pretty slick and crafty. HOWEVER, some of his other moves have removed hope that he HAS matured since his Jordan stint. It is the brainless moves that give drivers reputations. Not because they made a mistake and learned from it, but because they NEVER learn. That is what separates the capable drivers from the dangerous ones. I could not give a crap about how fast Joe Blow is on a particular day if he gets there by bulldozing. Regardless of what a few "fans" might say about me on this site, I do not hate this driver or any others. I believe they reached this level for a reason - but they do not belong. I have watched this sport for 36 years. WHat I hate is that the things they are doing in an F1 car, and how they are doing it, is considered acceptable racecraft - and it is NOT.
Oh dear, I did something wrong! Let's remediate this quickly by making a statement about my all time favourite driver Eddie Irvine, the moral WC of 99. I bet I'll be alone on that one...
Imperial84- I've gain new found respect for you. Ok guys, for your F1 dream roster, who do you think deserves to drive for Ferrari BMW Mclaren Renault Bar Give me those ten drivers who deserves to be on the track and will perform flawlessly every race on an inhuman level. I'm happy with the current rosters, I like the international mix since that is probably the reason for its global popularity and why nascar and monster trunk racing will remain only a north america sport. I think F1's main problem is that the top team has the top driver so it's an uphill battle for all the other teams. The leap from F3 to F1 is huge, the performanc difference is huge, it's implausible to expect a rookie F1 driver to conquer that learning curve instantly. Don't forget that the veteran drivers have more experience on each track in a F1 car too.
SATO SATO SATO.... hahaha... did you see that car spin (Canada Qualifying)!!!! It could have happened to anybody... but I guess it was befitting that it happen to SATO.
i think Sato has the potential to be the next MS. He's one of the bravest and most exciting drivers on the grid.
I would definitely not go this far. As I said, Sato is the best F1 driver from Japan. However since about an hour I'm not even so sure on that anymore: The Japanese "kid" who won Le Mans might become a F1 driver one day. At any rate, I think the Japanese fans are having this year one of their best motorsports years with Sato and Le Mans!
Yup. Funny thing is, that in my own virtual Canadian GP he did exactly the same thing...Twilight zone.
The fact that Sato's car explodes almost every race, while Button's finishes without problems speaks volumes. He drives as if he's playing a videogame. He has speed, but needs to learn how to use it without endangering everyone on the track. Maybe in a couple of years.
I'm wondering about that myself. In the old days it would have been obvious, that the driver was to blame, but if you have electronically controlled shifts, traction control and other goodies, how can you destroy an engine? PS: I was driving the Canadian GP on the PC game "F2002 - Challenge" and ended up with brake failure towards the end of the race. Then I did the entire race again, taking it really easy on the brakes and just about made it. So don't say you don't get punished in a video game for not taking care of your car.
LOL, you may be right. But I was talking more about his over-ambitious overtake attempts. I always manage to sneak a few dodgy passes on the Playstation by using other cars as ricochet walls
Your damage sensitivity is not set realistically. If one of my tires kisses the armco, it's game over.
Yep, I'm embarassed to say I usually play on easy mode On ultra-realism my car usually ends up being a shower of carbon fibre all over the first corner. Much kudos to anyone who, like yourself, can play on the hard settings.
Thanks. I play with all settings to realistic mode and no driver aids except traction control. However I do play on a low level competitionwise, more like Formula Ford guys than cunning F1 drivers. Kinda like Andreas vs the Massas.
Sato is a very quick driver with a excellent resume leading up to F1. Several of is moves while exciting, have been too aggressive, and while I can overlook that in a young driver, the definace in his comments is a bit more disconcerting. I suspect that he, like many young drivers, hasn't been burned by the fire (so to speak) of a HEAVY crash. That usually knocks some sense into them. (Not that I wish this upon anybody, but it is a part of racing and maturing as a race driver)
If that is the case (which it might), then I wonder about more than just Sato: Today's F1 cars are so strong that this lesson might be lost on quite a few newcomers.