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Marino Sato

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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

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.

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

Early career

Formula 4

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

2017

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

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

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

2019

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

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

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

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

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

2023: ELMS debut

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

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]

2025

Sato was retained by United Autosports to drive in the LMGT3 class of the 2025 FIA World Endurance Championship.[21]

Karting record

Karting career summary

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 Series — KFJ Praga Kart Racing 38th
IAME International Final — X30 Junior 16th
Rotax International Open — Junior 32nd
WSK Final Cup — KFJ 32nd
CIK-FIA World Championship — KFJ 66th
2014 South Garda Winter Cup — KF Praga Kart Racing 19th
WSK Champions Cup — KF 21st
Rotax Euro Challenge — Senior 89th
WSK Super Master Series — KF 37th
CIK-FIA European Championship — KF 49th
CIK-FIA World Championship — KF NC
WSK Final Cup — KF 25th

Racing record

Racing career summary

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

(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

(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

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

Complete Euroformula Open Championship results

(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

(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

(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

(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

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

References

  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.
  21. ^ "United Retains Saucy, Sato for LMGT3 Effort". SportsCar365. 22 November 2024.
Sporting positions
Preceded by Euroformula Open Championship
Champion
2019 		Succeeded by
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