Dream or Disillusion for Sato?

Takuma Sato explained that if he obtained a race seat with Toro Rosso in 2009, it would be a dream come true. Like Buemi and Bourdais, the Japanese driver was evaluated during the Barcelona tests.

The former Honda and Super Aguri driver was the fastest on Monday, then set the second fastest time behind Sebastian Vettel’s Red Bull yesterday.

Having spent his last seasons chasing performance, particularly with Super Aguri, Sato stated that he would love to join Scuderia Toro Rosso.

« Over the past three seasons with Super-Aguri, I have mixed memories. From a purely competitive standpoint, I have always wanted a high-performing single-seater. »

« Now, I have a chance to taste that. In addition, there is a good atmosphere within Toro Rosso. It would be such a dream to race for them! » Admitted frankly Takuma Sato.

« There is no doubt that it is one of the fastest cars I have driven in my career. But I must respect all manufacturers, so I cannot make a direct comparison. »

A competitive car and a radiant atmosphere within Toro Rosso, the temptation couldn’t be higher for Sato: « Of course, I really enjoyed driving the car and I really enjoyed working with this team. »

The small Scuderia would need a higher budget next season, and it relies on its drivers to attract sponsors. The Japanese driver says he is determined to find personal sponsors: « I would be very happy to bring a personal sponsor because if you add it to the team’s budget, the team will be stronger. »

Regarding his chances of getting a contract in 2009, he remains rather vague: « I really don’t know. It is impossible for me to answer that question. I have done everything I could during these tests and in discussions with the engineers, but unfortunately, it’s not up to me to decide. »