Career Stats Team Super Aguri Nationality Japanese Podiums 1 Points 44 Grand Prix entered 87 World Championships 0 Highest race finish 3rd Highest grid position 2nd Date of Birth 28/01/1977 Place of Birth Tokoyo

Japan's Formula 1 hero looked down and out when demoted from the Honda factory team to mysterious new backmarker Super Aguri at the start of 2006.

But against expectations, Takuma Sato has revitalised his career with Aguri Suzuki's squad.

He was even able to beat former employer Honda on occasion last year as the works outfit floundered and its satellite team thrived with a modify version of the 2006 factory chassis.

Sato scored Aguri's first point in Spain, then sent his team wild by taking sixth in Canada – thanks to an astonishing move around the outside of reigning champion Fernando Alonso's McLaren.

Fast and spectacular, but too erratic to make the most of a seat with a top team, Sato's role as the heroic underdog at Super Aguri suits him perfectly.

Though question marks remain over the team's long-term prospects, expect Sato to keep pushing hard – and smiling – whatever the outcome.

Career log

Jordan gave Sato his F1 debut in 2002 but perhaps regretted it when he ploughed into the back of team-mate Giancarlo Fisichella in his second race.

It was the start of an error-strewn period that left Sato looking out of his depth in F1, although he was an innocent victim in Austria, where he was very lucky to escape unscathed when Nick Heidfeld's spinning Sauber slammed into the side of the Jordan.

The mistakes decreased as Sato settled in, and he finished the year with a flawless drive to fifth in his home race – earning a euphoric reception from the Japanese crowd.

Honda moved Sato to BAR for 2003, where he spent a season as test driver before replacing Jacques Villeneuve at Suzuka and driving to an impressive sixth place.

Permanently promoted to the race team alongside Jenson Button just as BAR hit form in 2004, Sato took his first podium at Indianapolis and wowed with a series of spectacular qualifying laps and aggressive drives.

But he also dismayed the team by remaining susceptible to mistakes.

Frustrated boss David Richards described Sato as being like a golfer who just wanted to hit the ball as hard as possible at all times.

Sato struggled in 2005 – he fell further behind Button, the errors increased, and the flashes of brilliance all but disappeared.

Honda decided to drop him, but fearing a backlash from his huge Japanese fanbase, prompted former racer Suzuki to launch a new team based around Sato.

Super Aguri didn't looked like a very tempting prospect – created from scratch in four months and using a modified 2002 Arrows chassis.

But as 2006 progressed, Sato clawed his way off the back row and put in some very respectable performances, then thrived in Super Aguri's controversial (but far quicker) Honda-based 2007 car.

The early years

Honda has looked after Sato ever since he won a scholarship from its racing school at Suzuka in 1997.

The Japanese was a motorsport latecomer – already 20 years old and having barely karted.

But his raw talent was obvious.

Sent to Europe to hone his skills, Sato dominated the 2001 British Formula 3 Championship and earned F1 tests with the Honda-powered BAR and Jordan teams before being placed with the latter for his GP debut.

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