Ren Sato (racing driver)

Sato
Occupation	Professional racing driver
Years active	2018–present
Known for	Competing in Super GT and Super Formula series

is a professional Japanese racing driver currently active in Super GT with ARTA and competing in the Super Formula series for PONOS Nakajima Racing. He serves as a factory driver for Honda and has previously been part of both the Red Bull Junior Team and the Honda Formula Dream Project.

He has no familial connection to two-time Indianapolis 500 champion Takuma Sato or to sports car competitor Marino Sato.

Career

Formula 4

Sato began his single-seater career through the Honda Formula Dream Project, participating in the 2018 FIA F4 Japanese Championship, where he concluded the season seventh overall with 58 points. The following year, 2019, he dominated the championship by winning 11 out of 14 races—including an impressive streak of eight consecutive victories—and secured the title with a 164-point margin, clinching the championship at Sportsland Sugo.

He also took part as a guest competitor in a round of the 2019 French F4 Championship held at Circuit de Nevers Magny-Cours. In 2020, alongside teammate Ayumu Iwasa, Sato competed full-time in the 2020 French F4 Championship, finishing second overall with four wins and a total of 12 podium finishes.

Super Formula Lights

After spending a season racing in Europe, Sato returned to Japan to compete in the 2021 Super Formula Lights series with TODA Racing. He secured victories in four of the final six races, including a dominant performance at Motegi in August, ultimately finishing third in the championship behind champion Teppei Natori and runner-up Giuliano Alesi.

Super GT

GT300

Sato made his Super GT debut in 2021 driving the Honda NSX GT3 for ARTA in the GT300 class, partnering with two-time champion Shinichi Takagi. The duo achieved three podium finishes at Fuji Speedway, Sugo, and Motegi, contributing to their fourth-place finish in the overall standings. However, their season was marked by inconsistency, with four races ending outside the top nineteen.

During the season finale at Fuji Speedway, Sato's late-braking attempt to overtake Hideki Yamauchi's Subaru BRZ resulted in contact that involved GT500 contender Naoki Yamamoto driving the Stanley Honda NSX-GT. This incident led to both drivers retiring from the race and effectively ended Yamamoto and Team Kunimitsu's chances at the GT500 championship, which was ultimately claimed by TOM's and drivers Yuhi Sekiguchi and Sho Tsuboi. Following this event, Sato accepted full responsibility. For the 2022 season, Honda replaced him at ARTA with rookie driver Iori Kimura, while retaining Sato for their Super Formula lineup.

GT500

In 2024, Sato returns to Super GT competition, stepping up to compete in the GT500 category with ARTA alongside teammate Hiroki Otsu.

Super Formula

Sato took part in the Super Formula manufacturer and rookie test held at Suzuka Circuit from December 7 to 9, where he drove car number 15 for Red Bull Mugen Team Goh and posted the fastest rookie time on the final day. On January 14, 2022, he was officially announced as a Super Formula driver for Honda, joining Team Goh after its separation from Team Mugen, which established a two-car operation for that year. In February 2022, Sato was inducted into the Red Bull Junior Team, though he parted ways with them the following year. He earned Rookie of the Year honors ahead of teammate Atsushi Miyake and achieved his first podium finish at the JAF Grand Prix Suzuka. Subsequently, Sato transitioned to Nakajima Racing, replacing driver Toshiki Oyu, and continues to race with Nakajima for the 2024 season.

Racing record

Career summary

Season	Series	Team	Races	Wins	Poles	F/Laps	Podiums	Points	Position
2018	F4 Japanese Championship	Honda Formula Dream Project	14	0	0	2	0	58	7th
2019	F4 Japanese Championship	Honda Formula Dream Project	14	11	8	5	13	311	1st
	French F4 Championship	FFSA Academy	3	0	0	0	0	0	NC†
2020	French F4 Championship	FFSA Academy	21	4	2	6	12	257	2nd
2021	Super GT Series - GT300	Autobacs Racing Team Aguri	8	0	0	1	3	45	4th
	Super Formula Lights	Toda Racing	17	5	4	6	9	92	3rd

^† Competed as a guest driver, thus not eligible for points.
* Current season underway.
‡ Refers to team classification.

Full Results for F4 Japanese Championship

(key) (Entries in bold denote pole position; entries in italics represent fastest lap within the top ten)

Year	Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	Final Position	Points
2018	Honda Formula Dream Project	OKA 1 15	OKA 2 9	FUJ1 1 6	FUJ1 2 Ret	SUZ 1 4	SUZ 2 5	FUJ2 1 10	FUJ2 2 6	SUG 1 10	SUG 2 8	AUT 1 14	AUT 2 13	MOT 1 7	MOT 2 7	7th	58
2019	Honda Formula Dream Project	OKA 1 1	OKA 2 20	FUJ1 1 1	FUJ1 2 1	SUZ 1 2	SUZ 2 2	FUJ2 1 1	FUJ2 2 1	AUT 1 1	AUT 2 1	SUG 1 1	SUG 2 1	MOT 1 1	MOT 2 1	1st	311

Full French F4 Championship Results

(key) (Bold indicates pole position; italics denote fastest lap)

Year	1 ! 2 ! 3 ! 4 ! 5 ! 6 ! 7 ! 8 ! 9 ! 10 ! 11 ! 12 ! 13 ! 14 ! 15 ! 16 ! 17 ! 18 ! 19 ! 20 ! Position ! Points
															style="background:#CFCFFF;" | MAG 1	style="background:#CFCFFF;" | MAG	style="background:#CFCFFF;" | MAG				NC†	0
style="background:#DFDFDF;" | NOG 1	style="background:#CFCFFF;" | NOG 14†	style="background:#DFDFDF;" | NOG 2	style="background:#FFFFBF;" | MAG 1 1	style="background:#DFFFDF;" | MAG	style="background:#FFFFBF;" | MAG 1	style="background:#FFDF9F;" | ZAN 1 3	style="background:#FFDF9F;" | ZAN 3	style="background:#DFFFDF;" | ZAN 6	style="background:#DFDFDF;" | LEC1 1 2	style="background:#FFFFBF;" | LEC1 1	style="background:#FFDF9F;" | LEC1 3	style="background:#DFFFDF;" | [[Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps#Layout Spa-Francorchamps.svg  Spa-Francorchamps  .png  Spa-Francorchamps.svg#Layout  Spa-Francorchamps.svg  Spa-Francorchamps.svg#Layout  Spa-Francorchamps.svg  Spa-Francorchamps.svg#Layout  Spa-Francorchamps.svg#Layout Spa-Francorchamps.svg#Layout Spa-Francorchamps.svg#Layout Spa-Francorchamps.svg#Layout Spa-Francorchamps.svg#Layout Spa-Francorchamps.svg#Layout Spa-Francorchamps.svg#Layout Spa-Francorchamps.svg#Layout Spa-Francorchamps.svg#Layout Spa-Francorchamps.svg#Layout Spa-Francorchamps.svg) SPA Template:Small 4	style="background:#FFFFBF;" SPA Template:Small 1	style=“background: #FFDF9F;” SPA Template:Small3	style=“ background: #DFFFDF;” LEC2 < br > Template:Small4	style=“ background: #DFFFDF;” LEC2 < br > Template:Small4	style=“ background: #DFFFDF;” LEC2 < br > Template:Small4	style=“ background: #DFFFDF;” LEC3 < br > Template:Small6	style=“ background: #DFFFDF;” LEC3 < br > Template:Small4	style=“ background: # DF DF DF ;” LEC3 < br > Template:Small2	style = " background : # DF DF DF ;"	style = " background : # DF DF DF ;"

^† As a guest competitor, Sato was not eligible to accumulate points.

Full Super Formula Lights Results

([[Template:Motorsport driver results legend]|key]]) (Pole positions are shown in bold; fastest laps are in italics)

Year	Entrant	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	Final Standing	Points Earned
2021 Super Formula Lights Season Results#2021 Super Formula Lights Results and Standings - Driver Standings - FIA Formula Regional European Championship by Alpine - Wikipedia (en) - Wikipedia (en) - Wikipedia (en) - Wikipedia (en) - Wikipedia (en) - Wikipedia (en) - Wikipedia (en) - Wikipedia (en) - Wikipedia (en) - Wikipedia (en) - Wikipedia (en) - Wikipedia (en) - Wikipedia (en) - Wikipedia (en) - Wikipedia (en) - Wikipedia (en) - Wikipedia (en) - Wikipedia (en) - Wikipedia (en)#2021	Toda Racing	<style> .background-color: #dfdfdf; </style> Fuji Speedway#Layouts and configurations FUJ Race One Template:Small text with position number:2 | <style> .background-color: #ffffbf; </style> Fuji Speedway#Layouts and configurations FUJ Race Two Template:Small text with position number:1 | <style> .background-color: #cfcfff; </style> Fuji Speedway#Layouts and configurations FUJ Race Three Template:Small text with position number:9 | <style> .background-color: #cfcfff; </style> Suzuka International Racing Course SUZ Race One Template:Small text with position number:12† | <style> .background-color: #dfdfdf; </style> Suzuka International Racing Course SUZ Race Two Template:Small text with position number:2 | <style> .background-color: #dfffdf; </style> Suzuka International Racing Course SUZ Race Three Template:Small text with position number:5 | <style> .background-color: #cfcfff; </style> Autopolis AUT Race One Template:Small text with position number:9 | <style> .background-color: #cfcfff; </style> Autopolis AUT Race Two Template:Small text with position number:9 | <style> .background-color: #ffffff; </style> Autopolis AUT Race Three Template:Small text with position letter:C | <style> .background-color: #cfcfff; </style> Sportsland Sugo SUG Race One Template:Small text with position number:7 | <style> .background-color: #dfdfdf; </style> Sportsland Sugo SUG Race Two Template:Small text with position number:2 | <style> .background-color: #dfffdf; </style> Sportsland Sugo SUG Race Three Template:Small text with position number:6 | <style> .background-color: #ffffbf; </style> Twin Ring Motegi MOT Race One Template:Small text with position number:1 | <style> .background-color: #ffffbf; </style> Twin Ring Motegi MOT Race Two Template:Small text with position number:1 | <style> .background-color: #ffffbf; </style> Twin Ring Motegi MOT Race Three Template:Small text with position number:1 | <style> .background-color: #dfdfdf; </style> Twin Ring Motegi MOT Race One Template:Small text with position number:2 | <style> .background-color: #ffffbf; </style> Twin Ring Motegi MOT Race Two Template:Small text with position number:1 | <style> .background-color: #dfffdf; </style> Twin Ring Motegi MOT Race Three Template:Small text with position number:4 |	Third Place	92 points

Full Super GT Competition Record

([[:Template:Motorsport driver results legend]|key]) (Pole positions are marked in bold; fastest laps appear in italics)

Year	Team	Vehicle	Category	Round One	Round Two	Round Three	Round Four	Round Five	Round Six	Round Seven	Round Eight	Final Ranking	Total Points
2021 Super GT Series	Autobacs Racing Team Aguri	nowrap| Honda NSX (second generation)#Motorsports competition vehicles Honda NSX GT3 Evo	GT300	<style> .background-color: #cfcfff; </style> Okayama International Circuit OKA Template:Small text with finishing place :26	<style> .background-color: #ffdf9f; </style> Fuji Speedway FUJ Template:Small text with finishing place :3	<style> .background-color: #cfcfff; </style> Suzuka Circuit SUZ Template:Small text with finishing place :23	<style> .background-color: #dfffdf; </style> Twin Ring Motegi MOT Template:Small text with finishing place :7	<style> .background-color: #dfdfdf; </style> Sportsland SUGO SUG Template:Small text with finishing place :2	<style> .background-color: #cfcfff; </style> Autopolis AUT Template:Small text with finishing place :20	<style> .background-color: #dfdfdf; </style> Twin Ring Motegi MOT Template:Small text with finishing place :2	<style> .background-color: #cfcfff; </style> Fuji Speedway FUJ Template:Small text with finishing place :24	4th Place	45 Points

Year	Team	Vehicle	Category	Round One	Round Two	Round Three	Round Four	Round Five	Round Six	Round Seven	Round Eight	Final Standing	Points Accumulated
2024 Super GT Series	Autobacs Racing Team Aguri	Honda Civic Type R-GT GT500	GT500	<style> .background-color:dfffdf; </style> Okayama International Circuit OKA < br > Template:Small Text With Position Number :9	<style> .background-color:cfcfff; </style> Fuji Speedway FUJ < br > Template:Small Text With Position Number :15	<style> .background-color:ffdf9f; </style>Suzuka International Racing Course SUZ < br > Template:Small Text With Position Number :3	<style> .background-color:cfcfff; </style> Fuji Speedway FUJ < br > Template:Small Text With Position Number :11	<style> .background-color:dfffdf; </style>Suzuka International Racing Course SUZ < br > Template:Small Text With Position Number :10	<style> .background-color:dfffdf; </style>Sportsland Sugo SUG < br > Template:Small Text With Position Number :6	<style> .background-color:dfffdf; </style>Autopolis AUT < br > Template:Small Text With Position Number :4	<style> .background-color:dfffdf; </style>Twin Ring Motegi MOT < br > Template:Small Text With Position Number :5	12th Place	35 Points

- |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |- #- [ [2025 Super GT Series] ]- [ [Autobacs Racing Team Aguri] ]- [ [Honda Civic (eleventh generation)|Honda Civic Type R-GT GT500] ]- GT500- style = " background : EFCFFF ; " OKA Ret- ...- NC*-0-|} Season currently underway. Full Super Formula Competition Record ([[Template:Motosport driver results legend]|key]) (Pole positions are denoted in bold; fastest laps are shown in italics) - 2022 Super Formula Championship nowrap Team Goh Honda <style>.bgcolor-dfffdf { background-color:#dfffdf; }</style>FUJ 9² | <style>.bgcolor-cfcfff { background-color:#cfcfff; }</style>FUJ 13 | SUZ 10 | AUT 17 | SUG 16 | FUJ 6 | MOT 12 | MOT 7 | SUZ 3 | Suzuka International Racing Course SUZ 19 | colspan=2|||12th Place|||25 Points 2023 Super Formula Championship nowrap Tata Consultancy Services Nakajima Racing Honda FUJ 6 | FUJ 9 | SUZ DNS | AUT 7 | SUG 12 | FUJ 5 | MOT 16 | SUZ 10 | SUZ Ret | colspan=3|||10th Place|||17.5 Points - 2024 Super Formula Championship nowrap PONOS Nakajima Racing Honda SUZ <5></5>| AUT Ret | SUG <11></11>| FUJ <7></7>| MOT <10></10>| FUJ <7></7>| FUJ DSQ| SUZ Ret³| SUZ <5></5>| 11th Place|| 22 Points|| 2025 Super Formula Championship PONOS Nakajima Racing Honda SUZ <3></3>| SUZ <6></6>| MOT Ret | MOT <12></12>| 7th*|| 16 Points|| *Season currently ongoing. External links Official Website of Ren SATO