Marino Sato (佐藤万璃音, Satō Marino, born 12 May 1999) is a Japanese racing driver who is currently set to compete for United Autosports in the FIA World Endurance Championship. He most recently competed for United in the European Le Mans Series, and is best known for winning the 2019 Euroformula Open Championship before competing in the FIA Formula 2 Championship from 2019 to 2022.

Marino Sato
Sato in 2022
NationalityJapan Japanese
Born (1999-05-12) 12 May 1999 (age 25)
Yokohama, Kanagawa, Japan[1]
FIA Formula 2 Championship career
Debut season2019
Racing licence FIA Gold
Car number4
Former teamsCampos Racing, Trident, Virtuosi Racing
Starts81 (82 entries)
Wins0
Podiums0
Poles0
Fastest laps0
Best finish21st in 2019, 2021
Previous series
2019
2017-18
2015-16
Euroformula Open Championship
FIA Formula 3 European Championship
Italian F4 Championship
Championship titles
2019Euroformula Open Championship

He is not related to former Formula One driver Takuma Sato.

Early career

edit

Formula 4

edit

In 2015, Marino Sato competed in the 2015 Italian F4 Championship for Euronova Racing/Vincenzo Sospiri Racing.[2] He finished on the podium once and came 10th in the final standings. Sato would remain with the team for the 2016 Italian F4 Championship. However, even when he won a race at Imola, he only finished 18th in the driver's championship.[citation needed]

FIA Formula 3 European Championship

edit

2017

edit

Sato progressed to the 2017 FIA Formula 3 European Championship to drive for Motopark. He scored one point during the season and finished 19th in the standings.[3]

2018

edit
 
Sato racing during the 2018 FIA Formula 3 European Championship

Despite having been the second-lowest driver in the standings to compete at every event, he was retained for the 2018 season. His performance improved compared to 2017, and he finished 16th in the championship.

Euroformula Open

edit

He moved to the Euroformula Open Championship in 2019. He dominated the championship, winning it with nine victories and helped Motopark to win the team championship.[4]

FIA Formula 2 Championship

edit

2019

edit

In the Summer of 2019, Sato progressed to the FIA Formula 2 Championship, replacing Arjun Maini at Campos Racing from the round at Spa-Francorchamps onwards. However, after the fatal accident of Anthoine Hubert,[5] the Japanese racer would not officially make his F2 debut until the Monza feature face, finishing twelfth overall. He improved to eleventh in the sprint, before having a point-less pair of races in Sochi. Sato would briefly challenge for points in the season finale in Yas Marina, albeit it was not enough to earn him a points finish. Despite this, he took part in the post-season test on the week after the final race, driving for Trident.[6]

2020

edit

In 2020 he signed for Trident Racing to partner Roy Nissany in the FIA Formula 2 Championship.[7] Sato only managed to score one point at Mugello, and eventually finished 22nd in the standings, four points and three positions behind Nissany.

 
Sato at the 2021 Silverstone Formula 2 round

2021

edit

Despite this, the Japanese driver was kept on by Trident for the 2021 season.[8] In the second race of the first round he equalled his best ever F2 result, finishing eighth and scoring one point. However, this would end up being the only points finish for Sato, as he ended up 21st overall.

2022

edit
 
Sato driving the Dallara F2 2018 during the 2022 Spielberg Formula 2 round

Sato remained in the series in 2022, this time joining Virtuosi Racing alongside Jack Doohan.[9] A point-less opening weekend in Bahrain was followed up by his first points finish of the year, as Sato ended up eighth in the sprint race at Jeddah, after which he praised the team for the strong pace.[10] After a pair of rounds that failed to yield any points, the Japanese driver managed to score a point in Monaco with a tenth place finish, and managed to finish eighth in the subsequent feature race in Baku, having managed to steer clear of trouble in a race of attrition.[11] The following rounds brought with them a heap of bad luck, with Sato experiencing multiple mechanical issues, as well as having a wheel falling off after a pit stop in Zandvoort, a race in which he had fought for points. Having failed to score points in the second half of the season, the Japanese driver finished 22nd in the drivers' standings.

Sato was replaced by Amaury Cordeel at Virtuosi for the 2023 season.

Formula One

edit

Sato drove in the end of season Young Driver Test in Abu Dhabi for Scuderia AlphaTauri, alongside fellow countryman Yuki Tsunoda (who would soon become an AlphaTauri race driver).[12] He ended the session with the 13th fastest time (1:38.495), reflecting on that day as one that "made [him] visualise more what [his] dream is".[13]

Sportscar career

edit

2023: ELMS debut

edit

For the 2023 season, Sato transitioned into sportscar racing, driving for United Autosports in the LMP2 category of the European Le Mans Series alongside Philip Hanson and Oliver Jarvis.[14] With the help of those two experienced LMP2 racers, Sato managed to take victory thrice, taking his first prototype win at Aragón and sweeping the races at Portimão, which led to the team finishing second in the standings.[15][16][17]

2024: FIA World Endurance Championship

edit

Following his performances in the European Le Mans Series, Sato was announced to be remaining with United Autosports to make his international sportscar racing debut in the 2024 FIA World Endurance Championship, driving in the newly established LMGT3 class in a McLaren 720S GT3 Evo.[18]

Sato was also originally announced to be competing in the IMSA SportsCar Championship in the LMP2 class for 2024, racing alongside former Formula One driver Paul di Resta, but he later withdrew from the IMSA programme after an upgrade in his FIA driver categorisation from silver to gold, leaving him to "focus fully on the WEC challenge ahead."[18][19] In December 2023, United would announce that Sato had signed on for a sophomore season in the ELMS, partnering Ben Hanley and Filip Ugran.[20]

Karting record

edit

Karting career summary

edit
Season Series Team Position
2011 Asian Karting Open Championship — Formula 125 Junior Open 12th
2012 Rotax Max Challenge Grand Finals — Junior Eiko Japan 28th
SKUSA SuperNationals — TaG Junior Phil Giebler Racing 13th
Asia-Pacific Championship — KF3 Simon Racing Team 2nd
2013 German Karting Championship — Junior NC
WSK Master SeriesKFJ Praga Kart Racing 38th
IAME International Final — X30 Junior 16th
Rotax International Open — Junior 32nd
WSK Final CupKFJ 32nd
CIK-FIA World ChampionshipKFJ 66th
2014 South Garda Winter Cup — KF Praga Kart Racing 19th
WSK Champions CupKF 21st
Rotax Euro Challenge — Senior 89th
WSK Super Master SeriesKF 37th
CIK-FIA European ChampionshipKF 49th
CIK-FIA World ChampionshipKF NC
WSK Final CupKF 25th

Racing record

edit

Racing career summary

edit
Season Series Team Races Wins Poles F/Laps Podiums Points Position
2015 Italian F4 Championship Vincenzo Sospiri Racing 21 0 0 1 1 62 10th
2016 Italian F4 Championship Vincenzo Sospiri Racing 21 1 0 0 1 42 18th
2017 FIA Formula 3 European Championship Motopark 30 0 0 0 0 1 19th
Macau Grand Prix 1 0 0 0 0 N/A DNF
2018 FIA Formula 3 European Championship Motopark 30 0 0 0 0 31.5 16th
Macau Grand Prix 1 0 0 0 0 N/A DNF
2019 Euroformula Open Championship Team Motopark 16 9 6 5 11 307 1st
FIA Formula 2 Championship Campos Racing 6 0 0 0 0 0 21st
2020 FIA Formula 2 Championship Trident 24 0 0 0 0 1 22nd
2021 FIA Formula 2 Championship Trident 23 0 0 0 0 1 21st
2022 FIA Formula 2 Championship Virtuosi Racing 28 0 0 0 0 6 22nd
2023 European Le Mans Series - LMP2 United Autosports USA 6 3 0 0 3 100 2nd
2024 FIA World Endurance Championship - LMGT3 United Autosports 8 0 1 0 1 36 18th
European Le Mans Series - LMP2 6 0 1 0 1 29 10th
Porsche Carrera Cup Japan PONOS RACING

Complete Italian F4 Championship results

edit

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap)

Year Entrant 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 DC Points
2015 Vincenzo Sospiri Racing VLL
1

7
VLL
2

7
VLL
3

9
MNZ
1

13
MNZ
2

9
MNZ
3

8
IMO1
1

4
IMO1
2

Ret
IMO1
3

13
MUG
1

14
MUG
2

18
MUG
3

16
ADR
1

6
ADR
2

2
ADR
3

14
IMO2
1

13
IMO2
2

21†
IMO2
3

15
MIS
1

Ret
MIS
2

4
MIS
3

5
10th 62
2016 Vincenzo Sospiri Racing MIS
1

27
MIS
2

11
MIS
3
MIS
4

22
ADR
1

13
ADR
2
ADR
3

4
ADR
4

8
IMO1
1

11
IMO1
2

21
IMO1
3

16
MUG
1

15
MUG
2

17
MUG
3

12
VLL
1

19
VLL
2

15
VLL
3

Ret
IMO2
1

7
IMO2
2

8
IMO2
3

1
MNZ
1

Ret
MNZ
2

10
MNZ
3

Ret
18th 42

Complete FIA Formula 3 European Championship results

edit

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap)

Year Entrant Engine 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 DC Points
2017 Motopark Volkswagen SIL
1

16
SIL
2

12
SIL
3

18
MNZ
1

13
MNZ
2

11
MNZ
3

12
PAU
1

14
PAU
2

Ret
PAU
3

13
HUN
1

16
HUN
2

16
HUN
3

15
NOR
1

13
NOR
2

16
NOR
3

13
SPA
1

15
SPA
2

11
SPA
3

14
ZAN
1

15
ZAN
2

18
ZAN
3

17
NÜR
1

16
NÜR
2

Ret
NÜR
3

12
RBR
1

14
RBR
2

16
RBR
3

10
HOC
1

18
HOC
2

19
HOC
3

16
19th 1
2018 Motopark Volkswagen PAU
1

9
PAU
2

18
PAU
3

10‡
HUN
1

15
HUN
2

13
HUN
3

16
NOR
1

8
NOR
2

7
NOR
3

13
ZAN
1

19
ZAN
2

10
ZAN
3

4
SPA
1

7
SPA
2

15
SPA
3

16
SIL
1

12
SIL
2

17
SIL
3

14
MIS
1

15
MIS
2

12
MIS
3

Ret
NÜR
1

Ret
NÜR
2

Ret
NÜR
3

18
RBR
1

14
RBR
2

13
RBR
3

21
HOC
1

19
HOC
2

14
HOC
3

16
16th 31.5

Half points awarded as less than 75% of race distance was completed.

Complete Macau Grand Prix results

edit
Year Team Car Qualifying Quali Race Main race
2017   Motopark Dallara F317 15th 14th DNF
2018   Motopark Dallara F317 7th 11th DNF

Complete Euroformula Open Championship results

edit

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate points for the fastest lap of top ten finishers)

Year Entrant 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 DC Points
2019 Team Motopark LEC
1

5
LEC
2

1
PAU
1

3
PAU
2

6
HOC
1

1
HOC
2

2
SPA
1

1
SPA
2

1
HUN
1

1
HUN
2

1
RBR
1

1
RBR
2

1
SIL
1
SIL
2
CAT
1

10†
CAT
2

5
MNZ
1

1
MNZ
2

5
1st 307

Complete FIA Formula 2 Championship results

edit

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate points for the fastest lap of top ten finishers)

Year Entrant 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 DC Points
2019 Campos Racing BHR
FEA
BHR
SPR
BAK
FEA
BAK
SPR
CAT
FEA
CAT
SPR
MON
FEA
MON
SPR
LEC
FEA
LEC
SPR
RBR
SPR
RBR
SPR
SIL
FEA
SIL
SPR
HUN
FEA
HUN
SPR
SPA
FEA

C
SPA
SPR

C
MNZ
FEA

12
MNZ
SPR

11
SOC
FEA

16
SOC
SPR

15
YMC
FEA

18
YMC
SPR

16
21st 0
2020 Trident RBR
FEA

Ret
RBR
SPR

17
RBR
FEA

16
RBR
SPR

Ret
HUN
FEA

Ret
HUN
SPR

20
SIL
FEA

20
SIL
SPR

12
SIL
FEA

17
SIL
SPR

17
CAT
FEA

15
CAT
SPR

21
SPA
FEA

14
SPA
SPR

Ret
MNZ
FEA

20
MNZ
SPR

13
MUG
FEA

14
MUG
SPR

8
SOC
FEA

13
SOC
SPR

15
BHR
FEA

20
BHR
SPR

11
BHR
FEA

17
BHR
SPR

16
22nd 1
2021 Trident BHR
SP1

15
BHR
SP2

8
BHR
FEA

14
MCO
SP1

19†
MCO
SP2

Ret
MCO
FEA

14
BAK
SP1

18
BAK
SP2

13
BAK
FEA

15
SIL
SP1

NC
SIL
SP2

16
SIL
FEA

19
MNZ
SP1

NC
MNZ
SP2

20
MNZ
FEA

Ret
SOC
SP1

14
SOC
SP2

C
SOC
FEA

14
JED
SP1

Ret
JED
SP2

13
JED
FEA

18
YMC
SP1

19
YMC
SP2

16
YMC
FEA

17
21st 1
2022 Virtuosi Racing BHR
SPR

16
BHR
FEA

11
JED
SPR

8
JED
FEA

17
IMO
SPR

16
IMO
FEA

11
CAT
SPR

17
CAT
FEA

19
MCO
SPR

15
MCO
FEA

10
BAK
SPR

17†
BAK
FEA

8
SIL
SPR

Ret
SIL
FEA

15
RBR
SPR

Ret
RBR
FEA

16
LEC
SPR

9
LEC
FEA

Ret
HUN
SPR

15
HUN
FEA

15
SPA
SPR

12
SPA
FEA

15
ZAN
SPR

19
ZAN
FEA

Ret
MNZ
SPR

11
MNZ
FEA

11
YMC
SPR

19
YMC
FEA

15
22nd 6

Driver did not finish the race, but was classified as they completed more than 90% of the race distance.
* Season still in progress.

Complete European Le Mans Series results

edit

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position; results in italics indicate fastest lap)

Year Entrant Class Chassis Engine 1 2 3 4 5 6 Rank Points
2023 United Autosports USA LMP2 Oreca 07 Gibson GK428 V8 CAT
6
LEC
7
ARA
1
SPA
5
POR
1
ALG
1
2nd 100
2024 United Autosports LMP2 Oreca 07 Gibson GK428 4.2 L V8 CAT
3
LEC
5
IMO
11
SPA
9
MUG
11
ALG
10
10th 29

Complete FIA World Endurance Championship results

edit

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap)

Year Entrant Class Car Engine 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Rank Points
2024 United Autosports LMGT3 McLaren 720S GT3 Evo McLaren M840T 4.0 L Turbo V8 QAT
13
IMO
6
SPA
Ret
LMS
Ret
SÃO
3
COA
7
FUJ
17
BHR
8
18th 36

Complete 24 Hours of Le Mans results

edit
Year Team Co-Drivers Car Class Laps Pos. Class
Pos.
2024   United Autosports   Hiroshi Hamaguchi
  Nico Pino
McLaren 720S GT3 Evo LMGT3 212 DNF DNF

References

edit
  1. ^ "Profile - Marino Sato Official Web Site". Retrieved 28 October 2023.
  2. ^ David, Gruz (22 February 2015). "Euronova sign Mauricio Baiz, Marino Sato for Italian F4". Formula Scout. Retrieved 11 December 2021.
  3. ^ Allen, Peter (14 February 2017). "Motopark adds Marino Sato to European F3 line-up". Formula Scout. Retrieved 11 December 2021.
  4. ^ Wood, Ida (21 September 2019). "Marino Sato seals EF Open title at Barcelona as Liam Lawson wins". Formula Scout. Retrieved 11 December 2021.
  5. ^ "Statement: Incident during FIA Formula 2 Feature Race, Spa-Francorchamps". Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile. 31 August 2019. Retrieved 1 September 2019.
  6. ^ "Abu Dhabi FIA F2 post-season-test day 3 classification - Mazepin and Schumacher on top - automobilsport.com". www.automobilsport.com. Archived from the original on 24 May 2020. Retrieved 28 August 2022.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  7. ^ "Trident sign Sato for 2020". FIA_F2® - The Official F2® Website. Retrieved 28 August 2022.
  8. ^ "Trident Motorsport and Marino Sato remain together for the 2021 FIA F2 Championship - automobilsport.com". www.automobilsport.com. Archived from the original on 16 May 2021. Retrieved 28 August 2022.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  9. ^ Allen, Peter (13 December 2021). "Doohan and Sato to race for Virtuosi in F2 in 2022". Formula Scout. Retrieved 13 December 2021.
  10. ^ "Virtuosi 'strong straight from the go' in Jeddah, praises Sato". FIA_F2® - The Official F2® Website. Retrieved 28 August 2022.
  11. ^ "Sato happy with points finish in Baku after staying out of trouble". FIA_F2® - The Official F2® Website. Retrieved 28 August 2022.
  12. ^ "Marino Sato joins AlphaTauri for Abu Dhabi F1 test". www.motorsport.com. Retrieved 28 August 2022.
  13. ^ "Maiden wins and confidence builders: moments that made Marino Sato". FIA_F2® - The Official F2® Website. Retrieved 28 August 2022.
  14. ^ Autosports, United. "European Le Mans Series LMP2 challenge unveiled". United Autosports. Retrieved 2 February 2023.
  15. ^ Euwema, Davey (26 August 2023). "United Autosports Converts Pole to 4H Aragon Victory – Sportscar365". sportscar365.com. Retrieved 25 March 2024.
  16. ^ "United Wins, APR Takes LMP2 Title In Wild ELMS Finale". www.dailysportscar.com. Retrieved 25 March 2024.
  17. ^ "SATO LOOKING TO STEP UP A PLACE IN 2024". www.europeanlemansseries.com. 14 March 2024. Retrieved 25 March 2024.
  18. ^ a b "WEC: Sato set for McLaren LMGT3 programme subject to entry confirmation". United Autosports. 27 November 2023. Retrieved 27 November 2023.
  19. ^ "IMSA: Goldburg, Sato and di Resta team up for 2024 season". United Autosports. 28 September 2023. Retrieved 27 November 2023.
  20. ^ "Sato & Ugran Added To United ELMS LMP2 Squad". www.dailysportscar.com. Retrieved 14 December 2023.
edit
Sporting positions
Preceded by Euroformula Open Championship
Champion

2019
Succeeded by