They came to see if an F1 driver could win at Indianapolis driver. And one did – though perhaps not the one everyone expected.

Takuma Sato’s Indianapolis 500 victory on Sunday easily ranks as the greatest achievement of his career. However after a seven-year spell in F1 he also became one of just three Japanese drivers to stand on a grand prix podium.

Here are some of the best moments from his time in F1.

2002 Japanese Grand Prix

Sato arrived in Formula One with Jordan thanks in part to his connection with their engine supplier. He honed his craft at Honda’s Suzuka Racing School and was powered by them during his hugely successful 2001 Formula Three campaign, which included victories in the British championship plus the Macau Grand Prix and F3 Masters.

He struggled initially on his debut with the struggling team alongside the competitive Giancarlo Fisichella. There were several wild moments but his biggest crash, at the A1-Ring, was caused by an out-of-control Nick Heidfeld.

Despite growing questions over his future, when Sato arrived at his home race he stuck the Jordan on the fourth row ahead of Fisichella. Sato then produced a flawless drive in the race, keeping his team mate behind and collecting a fully deserved fifth place for his first two points. The home crowd celebrated as if he’d won, and it seemed his career was saved.

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2003 Japanese Grand Prix

Honda pulled their support for Jordan to focus solely on the BAR squad for 2003 which meant there was no room for Sato. Then on the Thursday before the Japanese Grand Prix Jacques Villeneuve announced he wouldn’t be driving for the team and Sato got his call-up to return, 12 months on from his last race.

Despite a somewhat scruffy lap he qualified within two tenths of a second of new team mate Jenson Button. Come the race the 005s were in terrific shape, buoyed by a typically timely Honda upgrade. Button worked his way to the front and led while Sato backed him up. The pair came home fourth and sixth, the point ensuring BAR came out ahead in a tight three-way battle with Sauber and Jaguar for fifth in the championship.

2004 United States Grand Prix

In only his second full season of F1, Sato enjoyed a breakthrough campaign in 2004. There were still signs of inconsistency, but he performed well with BAR’s much-improved car. He was cruelly denied in Monaco, where he jumped from seventh to fourth at the start only for his engine to failed on the third lap.

It finally came right at Indianapolis. None of the Michelin-shod drivers had a prayer against the all-conquering Ferraris, but Sato emerged as their closest contender. He beat Button to third on the grid and finished there too, despite losing out at the start to a flying getaway by Fernando Alonso.

At the time this made Sato only the second Japanese driver to stand on a Formula One podium. It remains a feat achieved by just three drivers: Sato plus Aguri Suzuka and Kamui Kobayashi.

2006 Brazilian Grand Prix

After the high of 2004, the following year was a disaster for BAR and Sato. Illness, disqualification and technical problems marred the beginning of the season, and in the second half of the year the rash, careless Sato was too much in evidence. It cost him his place at the team.

But Honda recognised the value of having a Japanese driver in F1, so they found Sato a place at a new team run by Suzuki. Super Aguri began the season with outdated equipment and Sato was thrust into the difficult role of team leader. He knuckled down and got on with, but while he regularly brought the car home there was little he could do about being several laps off the pace.

It was only at the Interlagos season finale that the team suddenly became competitive. In the final ‘tyre war’ grand prix Super Aguri’s supplier Bridgestone produced clearly superior race rubber to rivals Michelin. From 19th on the grid today Sato finished 10th (good for a point today but not in 2006), surprisingly beating both Toro Rossos and even a Red Bull. And it got better for Super Aguri in 2007.

2007 Canadian Grand Prix

Now using a much more competitive year-old ex-Honda chassis, Super Aguri became points contenders in 2007. The tiny team caused red faces at the factory outfit which toiled with its disastrously uncompetitive, Earthdreams-liveried RA107.

Savvy strategy helped Sato to a season-best sixth at Montreal. By far the most remarkable aspect of this was the driver who finished behind him: his future Andretti team mate Alonso. Sato thrilled the Canadian crowd by passing the McLaren driver at the chicane, Sato’s elbows-out driving aided by a tyre compound advantage.

Sato had already scalped Ralf Schumacher’s Toyota when he arrived on Alonso’s tail. “I thought, ‘OK, a great moment is coming’,” he said afterwards. “I was much stronger under braking and was committed enough to overtake on the outside into the chicane. That was so exciting! The mechanics holding the pit board were very excited too and I could see the whole grandstand cheering – just like Suzuka!”

Sadly, 12 months later Super Aguri was no more. With financial markets taking a downward turn Honda began scaling back its F1 effort – a move which took both its teams out of F1 by the end of 2008. Sato had a speculative test with Toro Rosso but his F1 career was over.

Sato’s IndyCar career

As in F1, Sato has enjoyed the backing of Honda throughout his IndyCar career and has started all of his races using their engines. His first season at KV was distinguished by several incidents but two pole positions the following year demonstrated his pace.

A move to Rahal Letterman Lanigan for 2012, which coincided with the arrival of the Dallara DW12 chassis, gave Sato a crack at Indianapolis 500 glory. In a characteristic win-or-bust move, he dived down the inside of Dario Franchitti in an attempt to take the lead at the beginning of the final lap, but crashed out.

For 2013 he joined IndyCar hero AJ Foyt’s team. The partnership began well as Sato won his third start with them at Long Beach. But no more wins followed and the team slumped over the following years.

A move to top team Andretti in 2017 has turned Sato’s IndyCar career around. They came good on pre-race expectations of their form at the Indianapolis 500, and Sato qualified ahead of Alonso on the second run. While his famous team mate dropped out with engine failure Sato’s car kept going until the end, and a late pass on Helio Castroneves made him the first Japanese driver to win this prestigious race.

F1 history