I never really warmed to the idea of staking a bet on the F1 result when Takuma Sato was around. Unpredictable didn’t even cover it. Short and comical, he looked more suited to competing in Japanese game show Takeshi’s Castle than Formula One racing.

Active at the pinnacle of motorsport from 2002 to early 2008, he crashed his way into our hearts, quite often providing the most exciting moments of any race at the expense of the other drivers. His tangle with Michael Schumacher in Spa 2005 was brilliant. Clipping his rear tyre, then shunting him again as the red car came to rest in the gravel trap, just added insult to injury for the seven-time champion, who promptly vacated the cockpit, marched over to the offending BAR-Honda, and rapped Sato harshly on the helmet.

Some of Taku’s scrapes were downright dangerous, such as his smash into the side of Jarno Trulli’s Toyota in the 2005 Japanese Grand Prix. The BAR’s brakes locked and he couldn’t avoid the Italian; but the impact was heavy, damaging the bodywork of the Toyota and leaving Trulli sitting helpless in the middle of the track. It made for great television, but I’m not too sure how well it complied with health and safety principles.

His opening year at Jordan wasn’t too shabby, as he managed to outqualify his more experienced team mate (Giancarlo Fisichella) on four occasions and took two points at his home event. It paved the way for his three-year stint at BAR-Honda where he helped Jenson Button elevate the Brackley-based outfit to second in the constructors’ championship. A tidy podium materialised at the 2004 Indianapolis race, making the accident-prone driver the most successful Japanese F1 driver to date. What an achievement!

When Honda bought out BAR at the end of 2005, everyone more or less expected Taku to stay with the team. Japanese giants and a Japanese driver – the most successful one in history, no less. Surprisingly they poached Rubens Barrichello from Ferrari instead, offering Sato the role of test driver. But it was former F1 star Aguri Suzuki who saved the day, by creating a racing outfit from the ashes of the long-defunct Arrows team. Using Honda power, and spearheaded by a Japanese boss, what would be better than having a top Japanese driver to go with it?

Expectations were naturally rather low for Sato and Super Aguri, and their inaugural season together bore no fruit in the way of championship points. Results improved in 2007, with an eighth at Barcelona and a rather impressive sixth-place finish at Montreal. The love affair ended sadly and abruptly after just four rounds of the 2008 season, after Honda’s decision to discontinue funding their ‘B’ team.

Left high and dry, Sato looked to Toro Rosso for the possibility of either a test drive or a 2009 race seat. Neither materialised, and an enforced sabbatical ensued. Now he’s gone to IndyCar with KV Racing Technology, no doubt to frighten the Americans with his wacky racing style. They’ve already had the first round in Sao Paulo, and for the record Taku caused a bit of a pile-up. Leopards and spots spring to mind.

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The Kamikaze shunt into Trulli, Suzuka 2005

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The finest collection of Sato bloopers

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