SAF1 TEAM MONACO GRAND PRIX PREVIEW
An Interview with Takuma Sato, Car: 22
Q: Takuma, SUPER AGURI F1 TEAM achieved its first
Championship point at the 2007 Spanish Grand Prix, what were
you thinking when you crossed the finish line in 8th position?
Takuma Sato: It was a fantastic feeling! In my mind I was
thanking everyone in the race team, at Leafield, in Tochigi,
our fans and my family. I was extremely satisfied with the
result because every second counted throughout the whole race
and there was no margin for error. I was also thinking about
how it had only been 15 months since the team started and
to get into the Top 10, to grab that point, well that was
just fantastic. It means a lot to us, so I was a very happy
man. Also the other thing I thought was that the second Sunday
of May is usually Mother’s Day in Japan and in some
countries. At the 2002 Austrian Grand Prix the organisers
had invited the drivers’ mothers’ to the race
and this is where I had a horrendous accident. So in Spain
it was a little gift for my mum as well as the result for
the team.
Q: The next Grand Prix is in Monaco and is a very
challenging Formula One race for both driver and car, how
do you think that the SA07 will perform?
TS: I am looking forward to Monaco not only because of the
success we had in Spain, but because in Monaco you need good
mechanical grip and the new gearbox that we introduced at
the last race and the new aero package that we tested in Ricard
worked well. I think that we are developing at a good pace,
as everyone else is, and that we have a good car. The Monaco
circuit is very challenging for the drivers and cars. Last
year we had one of our best races in the SA05 there, but unfortunately
we had an electric problem so I could not finish. Historically
Monaco is a great circuit, but as it is unique to any other
in F1 every moment you are on the track you need precision.
It is a challenging race, but I am confident that we can do
a good job with the SA07.
Q: It will be the first time that the teams’
will be running the soft and supersoft Bridgestone Potenza
tyre options, how is that going to affect you?
TS: We tested both options in Paul Ricard last week, but
as Monaco is the only street circuit on the calendar and you
cannot test on it, it is difficult to reproduce its conditions
during testing. The Monaco streets have such low grip so we
shall be using the Bridgestone Potenza very soft compound
tyre to maximise the mechanical grip. But if you put to great
a force on these tyres they will not survive. We collected
valuable data at Ricard, so hopefully we can make them work
on our car, but it will be challenging on the supersoft Bridgestone
option.
Q: How do you deal with driving a very heavy car,
loaded with fuel, and then a very light car around Monaco
during the race?
TS: In terms of approaching corners the line is identical.
Depending on the tyre grip level on the softer tyre you may
be able to go in a little deeper, like in the Qualifying situation.
The racing line is very limited in Monaco and during the race
you have to handle it well under control when we are on the
supersoft tyre as it is very delicate, so you have to treat
it gently without killing any speed. But you cannot be too
aggressive, especially with a heavier car. You have to be
so precise because if you have a slide it is very difficult
to correct it here and a heavy car makes it even more difficult.
A lighter car with more grip helps in that situation. You
have to adapt your driving on every lap as conditions and
situations change.
Q: There are further street circuits planned for
Formula One in the future, what are your feelings on this?
TS: Safety is the main issue for me; for the competitors,
spectators and marshals around the track. A street circuit
is always challenging and exciting because you drive very
close to the boundaries and there is no margin for error,
so as long as the tracks are safe I think that we can enjoy
them.
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