Nippon drivers !?

[Bononi]

After reading the reply made by SL (Simon) questioning that the teammate of Salo in TOYOTA team could be a Japanese driver, I got a thought on that...
Until today japanese drivers were not so successful in F1, and my question is : Who of these japanese drivers was the most successful, if any...
And does anybody has a clue why japanese drivers are a failure in F1 ? It seems that racing in Japan is strong !
Any guess ?

[Minardi fan]

Had someone given Katayama a decent car, he could have shown us what he could really do. He is still one of the most under-rated guys ever in F1.

[TimD]

I agree. Katayama showed that he can run with the best in the Toyota sports car programme. Bad luck, a back marker and a late puncture stopped him giving a serious challenge to the winning BMW at Le Mans last year.

I think Toro Takagi could have developed into a fully competent F1 driver, but he arrived too early, and unlike master Button, had a bad learning year, which did for his reputation.

I haven't got my stats books in front of me, but in terms of finishes and positions, I would guess that Satoru Nakajima is still the ranking Japanese F1 driver.

[EERO]

In an attrition filled Japanese GP in 1990, Aguri Suzuki had a third and remains the only Japanese driver to stand on the Podium. I agree with the comments about Katayama, though, I think he was the best of an indifferent lot. Times will change and a great Japanese driver will come to the fore. Recall that TGF was the first seriously competitive German Driver since Von Trips and that it took 44 years of the WDC before there was a German Champ-unlike the two Scots, three Brazilians, two Australians, two Austrians-all countries with much smalller populations or in the case of Brazil, a smaller industrial base.

[Bononi]

I agree with you EERO ! I think a great japanese is on the way... that was the real proposal of this thread ! As I said racing cars is strong in the rising sun country...
BTW we have a tie up to 8 drivers championship to Great Britain and Brazil...
This come to RB and DC to break it !
Altough I think DC is more likely to do it...

[Green_man4421]

Wait for Alex Yoong he aint Japanese but he will be Malaysias and South East Asias First F1 driver I think.


Yeah Japanese DRivers don't seem to be geting the breaks but they will eventually so it will happen. Same as Rally and all other Motorsports as is already happening in Bikes.

[jvilleneuve2000]

Dont write of Touranosuke Takagi yet, he is currently racing in formula Nippon. This series is just as competetive as f3000, he is leading the championship. Dont forget that drivers such as Eddie Irvine and Ralf Schumacher have come through from formula nippon.

[MichaelC]

Don't forget though, that Tora Takagi came from F.Nippon, to F1, found himself stuck in a useless Arrows (or stuck up on the back of a Minardi!!!) and returned from whence he came.
He's managed by Satoru Nakajima though, and drives for his (Nakajima's) team in Japan. It wouldn't surprise me if he did come back again, but I'm not sure which team would want him.

I don't see a return for Katayama, he's too busy climbing mountains, so I guess it's between Tora and Shingi Nakano, who don't forget is married to the daughter of the president of Mugen-Honda - now that's what you call a head-start!!!

PS. See also the thread I'm about to start on pay-drivers...

[marcus]

there has been a host of japanese drivers in and out of F1 ..the obvious best being katayama ,Nakajima and suzuki..of which Katayama was undoubtably the best..but sadly i dont think we will see him back in F1..Takagi mey return and he has a reasonably promissing future if he can stay on the track..but there is some talk of this young Sato guy in F3 at present allthough i dont know much about him.

[Green_man4421]

How about Kurosawa though. I mean the guy has talent but his chances for getting picked up for an F1 drive are pretty slim.