Many wondered if an experienced Formula One driver competing for Andretti Autosport could win the 101st Indianapolis 500. It happened, just not by the one some expected. Takuma Sato capped off another thrilling Indianapolis 500 that featured a record number of drivers – a total of 15 – leading the race. The driver of the No. 26 Andretti Autosport Honda edged three-time Indy 500 winner Helio Castroneves to the finish line by 0.2011 of a second. He became the first Japanese winner of “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing”.
Sato passed Castroneves for the lead on lap 195 – the last of 35 lead changes in the 200-lap race on the historic 2.5-mile Indianapolis Motor Speedway oval and the seventh straight year that the decisive pass for the Indy 500 lead occurred in the last six laps. Sato held off aggressive charges from Castroneves in the sixth-closest finish in Indy 500 history.
After spending 7 years in Formula One, Takuma Sato came to the Verizon IndyCar Series in 2010
His only previous Indy car victory was in 2013 with AJ Foyt Racing on the streets of Long Beach, California. Sato joined Andretti Autosport this season, and his first oval win today is the fifth for Andretti Autosport in the Indianapolis 500 – including three in the last four years.
“It’s such a privilege to win here”, said Takuma Sato, who crashed while battling eventual winner Dario Franchitti for the lead on the final lap of the 2012 Indy 500. “So whether it was the first attempt or eighth attempt or you had a drama in the past, it doesn’t really matter. Winning today, it’s just superb.”
“But, yes, I do feel after 2012 I really needed to correct something I left over. I was so happy that I made it and won in a good move.”
Sato is the 71st driver to win an Indianapolis 500 in its 101 runnings. The best previous finish by a Japanese driver was fifth by Tora Takagi in 2003.
Congrats to @TakumaSatoRacer, @FollowAndretti, and @Honda for winning the 101st #Indy500! #INDYCAR pic.twitter.com/QWpOaPJR43
— IndyCar Series (@IndyCar) May 28, 2017
