Satoru Nakajima
Satoru Nakajima | |
|---|---|
| Born | February 23, 1953 Okazaki, Aichi, Japan |
| Occupation(s) | Racing driver, motorsport executive |
| Years active | 1973–1991 (racing) |
| Known for | First full-time Japanese Formula One driver; founder of Nakajima Racing |
is a retired Japanese racing driver and motorsport executive who participated in Formula One from to .
Originating from Okazaki, Aichi, Nakajima commenced his racing career at the Suzuka Circuit in 1973. He progressed to Japanese Formula Two in 1977, where he secured a then-unprecedented five championships between 1981 and 1986, accumulating 21 wins over a decade. Following stints in the World Sportscar Championship, the All Japan Endurance Championship, and a single season in International Formula 3000, Nakajima joined Lotus in , partnering with Ayrton Senna. This made him the first Japanese driver to compete full-time in Formula One starting at the Grand Prix. He earned his initial points at the subsequent event, the 1987 San Marino Grand Prix, and achieved his career-best fourth place at the .
Throughout his final two years with Lotus, Nakajima attained points finishes at both the 1988 Brazilian Grand Prix and 1989 Australian Grand Prix, where he also recorded the fastest lap and finished fourth. In , he transferred to Tyrrell, scoring points in races held in the United States, Italy, and Japan. Retaining his seat for with Honda engines powering the team, Nakajima claimed his last points at the opening United States Grand Prix before departing to contribute to Honda's factory team project. He conducted testing on the Honda RC100 and related prototypes until 1994, when Honda withdrew from Formula One amid the aftermath of the Japanese asset price bubble.
Post-retirement from driving, Nakajima concentrated on managing his team, Nakajima Racing, which he established in 1984 to privately enter March chassis into Japanese Formula Two, capturing three consecutive championships through 1986. His outfit won four Formula Nippon Teams' Championship titles between 1999 and 2009 and remains active in both the Super Formula Championship and Super GT Series. Nakajima’s sons, Kazuki Nakajima and Daisuke Nakajima, also pursued careers in racing; Kazuki competed in Formula One with Williams from to .
Early life
Born on 23 February 1953 near Okazaki, Japan, Satoru Nakajima was raised in a farming family. His passion for driving emerged during his early teenage years, encouraged by his elder brother and fueled by the excitement of behind-the-wheel experiences.
Career
Nakajima embarked on competitive racing soon after acquiring his driving license. In 1973, he claimed victory in the rookie series at Suzuka Circuit, followed by his first win in Japanese Formula Two by 1978. Beginning in 1981, he dominated this category by securing five out of six championships powered by Honda's V6 engines.
His debut in Formula One came at the 1987 Brazilian Grand Prix with Lotus, utilizing Honda power units. At age 34, he was among F1’s oldest debutants of the modern era. Although he scored points early on, Nakajima frequently remained in the shadow of teammate Ayrton Senna, which led to skepticism regarding his position within F1 beyond Honda’s support.
Originally, Honda intended for Nakajima to join Williams in 1986; however, team principal Frank Williams chose to retain Nigel Mansell for strategic reasons. Consequently, Lotus formed a partnership with Honda in 1987 and signed Nakajima to replace Johnny Dumfries alongside Nelson Piquet.
The 1988 season proved difficult; despite harnessing powerful Honda V6 turbo engines, Nakajima managed only one point and failed to qualify twice—a rarity for Honda-powered cars. Nevertheless, he occasionally matched Piquet’s pace and earned recognition for his performance at the 1988 Japanese Grand Prix despite facing personal loss.
Lotus kept Nakajima for 1989 despite losing Honda engine support and switching to Judd V8 powerplants. The year was marked by inconsistency; both drivers failed to qualify at Belgium—a historic low for Lotus. Nakajima's standout moment was a fourth-place finish combined with fastest lap honors at the rain-affected Australian Grand Prix, equalling his best career result.
In 1990 and 1991, Nakajima drove for Tyrrell, with assurances of Honda engine supply arriving in 1991. His results were modest compared to teammates Jean Alesi and Stefano Modena, who regularly outperformed him.
Honda exited Formula One competition in 1992 to focus on establishing a factory team. CEO Nobuhiko Kawamoto revealed the Honda RC100 chassis tested by Nakajima early in 1993. After passing crash tests and further refinement with RC101 versions, Nakajima publicly tested the RC101B model in January 1994. Ultimately, Honda decided against entering F1 directly at that time, choosing instead to concentrate on engine development within American open-wheel series such as CART and IRL.
Personal life
Nakajima lives in the family residence close to Okazaki and is the proprietor of the Nakajima Racing team, which competes in Japanese Formula 3000, Formula Nippon, and Super Formula championships. Drivers from Nakajima Racing have claimed the Formula Nippon title on three occasions: Tom Coronel in 1999, Toranosuke Takagi in 2000, and Ralph Firman in 2002.
His son, Kazuki, participated with the Williams Formula One team during the 2008 and 2009 seasons. Nakajima’s younger son, Daisuke, took part in the British Formula 3 Championship throughout 2009 and 2010. Both sons later shifted from single-seater racing to sports car competitions—Kazuki joined Toyota Gazoo Racing in the FIA World Endurance Championship, while Daisuke competed in Super GT. Kazuki concluded his racing career after the 2021 season to move into a management position with Toyota Gazoo Racing, whereas Daisuke retired following the 2019 Super GT Series and has since remained out of the public eye.
Career summary
1990 1991
Japanese Formula Two Championship results
(legend) (Entries in bold denote pole positions) (Entries in italics signify fastest laps)
1982 nowrap| John Player Special Team Ikuzawa nowrap| March EngineeringHonda style=“background:#FFFFBF;”| Suzuka Circuit{{{1}}}1 style=“background:#DFFFDF;”| Fuji Speedway 6 style=“background:#FFFFBF;”| Suzuka Circuit 1 style=“background:#FFDF9F;”| Suzuka Circuit 3 style=“background:#FFFFBF;”| Suzuka Circuit 1 style=“background:#FFFFBF;”| Suzuka Circuit 1 colspan=2| style=“background:#FFFFBF;”| 1st style=“background:#FFFFBF;”| 80 (98) 1983 nowrap| Harada Racing Company nowrap| March EngineeringHonda style=“background:#FFFFBF;”| Suzuka Circuit 1 style=“background:#000000;color:#fff”| Fuji Speedway DSQ style=“background:#EFCFFF;”| Mine Circuit Ret style=“background:#DFFFDF;”| Suzuka Circuit 4 style=“background:#EFCFFF;”| Suzuka Circuit Ret style=“background:#CFCFFF;”| Fuji Speedway 13 style=“background:#FFFFBF;”| Suzuka Circuit 1 style=“background:#DFDFDF;”| Suzuka Circuit 2 1984 nowrap| Heros Racing Corporation nowrap| March EngineeringHonda style=“background:#FFFFBF;”| Suzuka Circuit 1 style=“background:#FFDF9F;”| Fuji Speedway 3 style=“background:#EFCFFF;”| Mine Circuit Ret style=“background:#DFFFDF;”| Suzuka Circuit 9 style=“background:#FFFFBF;”| Suzuka Circuit 1 style=“background:#DFDFDF;”| Fuji Speedway 2 style=“background:#FFFFBF;”| Suzuka Circuit 1 style=“background:#FFFFBF;”| Suzuka Circuit 1 style=“background:#FFFFBF;”| 1st style=“background:#FFFFBF;”| 107 (109) 1985 nowrap| Heros Racing with Nakajima Racing nowrap| March EngineeringHonda style=“background:#DFDFDF;”| Suzuka Circuit 2 style=“background:#FFFFBF;”| Fuji Speedway 1 style=“background:#FFFFBF;”| Mine Circuit 1 style=“background:#FFFFBF;”| Suzuka Circuit 1 style=“background:#DFDFDF;”| Suzuka Circuit 2 style=“background:#DFDFDF;”| Fuji Speedway 2 style=“background:#FFFFBF;”| Suzuka Circuit 1 style=“background:#FFFFBF;”| Suzuka Circuit 1 style=“background:#FFFFBF;”| 1st style=“background:#FFFFBF;”| 115 (145) 1986 nowrap | Heros Racing with Nakajima Racing nowrap | March EngineeringHonda style = " background : # DF DF DF ; " [ [ Suz uka C irc uit ] ] 2 s ty le = " backg round : # DF DF DF ; " [ [ F u j i S p e e d w a y ] ] 2 s ty le = " backg round : # D F F D F ; " [ [ M i n e C irc uit ] ] 4 s ty le = " backg round : # F F F F B F ; " [ [ S u z u k a C irc uit ] ] 1 s ty le = " backg round : # DF DF DF ; " [ [ S u z u k a C irc uit ] ] 2 s ty le = " backg round : # FF DF 9 F ; " [ [ F u j i S p e e d w a y ] ] 3 s ty le = " backg round : # DF DF DF ; " [ [ S u z u k a C irc uit ] ] 2 s ty le = " backg round : # D F F D F ; " [ [ S u z u k a C irc uit ] ] 4 s ty le = " backg round : # F F F F B F ; " 1st s ty le = " backg round : # F F F F B F ; " 92 (112)| Year | Team | Chassis | Engine | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | Final Position | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1977 | Heros Racing Corporation | Nova | BMW | SUZ 4 |
SUZ Ret |
MIN | SUZ 10 |
FUJ 5 |
FUJ 2 |
SUZ 3 |
SUZ 5 |
3rd | 52 (53) |
| 1978 | Heros Racing Corporation | Nova Martini |
BMW Renault |
SUZ 3 |
FUJ 2 |
SUZ 1 |
SUZ 2 |
SUZ 2 |
MIN | SUZ 2 |
3rd | 67 | |
| 1979 | i&i Racing Development | March | BMW | SUZ 12 |
MIN | SUZ 11 |
FUJ 4 |
SUZ 9 |
SUZ Ret |
SUZ 2 |
7th | 28 | |
| 1980 | i&i Racing Development | March | BMW | SUZ 1 |
MIN | SUZ 1 |
SUZ 3 |
SUZ 6 |
SUZ 6 |
3rd | 59 | ||
| 1981 | i&i Racing Development | Ralt March Engineering March |
Honda | style = "background: #FFDF9F; " [[Suzuka Circuit SUZ Template:Small 3 style= "background: #DFDFDF;"
[[Suzuka Circuit SUZ | |||||||||
| 4th | 65 | ||||||||||||
Full International Formula 3000 Results
(legend) (Races highlighted in bold represent pole position; those in italics denote fastest lap.)
| Year | Team | Chassis | Engine | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | Final Position | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1986 | Team Ralt | Ralt RT20 | Honda V8 | SIL Retired |
VAL 5th |
PAU | SPA | IMO 8th |
MUG 5th |
PER Retired |
ÖST 4th |
BIR 8th |
BUG | JAR | 11th overall | 7 points |
Full Formula One Results
(legend) (Fastest laps are shown in italics)
(1991 Formula One season) Braun Tyrrell Honda Tyrrell Tyrrell 020 Honda RA101E V10 (USA)5 (BRA)(SMR)(MON)(CAN)10 (MEX)12 (FRA)(GBR)8 (GER)(HUN)15 (BEL)(ITA)(POR)13 (ESP)17 (JPN)(AUS) 15th, with a total of 2 points.| Year | Team | Car Model | Engine | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | Championship Standing | Points Scored |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1987 | Camel Team Lotus Honda | Team Lotus Lotus 99T | Honda RA166E V6 Turbocharged (1.5L) | BRA 7th |
SMR 6th |
BEL 5th |
MON 10th |
DET Retired |
FRA Not Classified |
GBR 4th |
GER Retired |
HUN Retired |
AUT 13th |
ITA 11th |
POR 8th |
ESP 9th |
MEX Retired |
(style="background:#DFFFDF;" ) JPN 6th |
(style="background:#EFCFFF;" ) AUS Retired |
12th | 7 |
| (1988 Formula One season) | (Camel) Team Lotus Honda | (Lotus) Lotus 100T | (Honda) RA168E V6 Turbocharged | (SMR)8|(MON)DNQ|(MEX)Ret|(CAN)11|(DET)DNQ|(FRA)7|(GBR)10|(GER)9|(HUN)7|(BEL)Ret|(ITA)Ret|(POR)Ret|(ESP)Ret|(JPN)7|(AUS)Ret !16th !1 |- | (1989 Formula One season) | (Camel) Team Lotus | (Lotus) Lotus 101 | (Judd) CV V8 | (SMR)NC|(MON)DNQ|(MEX)Ret|(USA)Ret|(CAN)DNQ|(FRA)Ret|(GBR)8|(GER)Ret|(HUN)Ret|(BEL)DNQ|(ITA)10|(POR)7|(ESP)Ret|(JPN)Ret|'(AUS)'4 !21st !3 |-
rowspan=2 | (1990 Formula One season) rowspan=2 | Tyrrell Racing Organisation |
(Tyrrell) Tyrrell 018 / Tyrrell 019
rowspan=2 | Ford Cosworth DFR V8 |
(BRA)8 |colspan=14 | |rowspan=2 |15th |rowspan=2 |3 |- | colspan=2 |(SMR)(MON)(CAN)(MEX)(FRA)(GBR)(GER)(HUN)(BEL)(ITA)(POR)(ESP)(JPN)(AUS) |
Helmet
Nakajima's helmet featured a white base color accented by two red stripes that curved around the chin area, forming a circular shape, with a broad stripe at the back bearing the name "NAKAJIMA." His son, Kazuki Nakajima, utilizes a design that is a slightly altered version of this original helmet.
Video games
Between 1988 and 1994, Nakajima lent his name to multiple Formula One video games available on platforms such as the Family Computer, Sega Mega Drive, Game Boy, and Super Famicom. The majority of these games were published by Varie and remained exclusive to the Japanese market; however, one title for the Mega Drive was released globally under the name Ferrari Grand Prix Challenge. Additionally, Nakajima is featured as a selectable driver in his Lotus 100T car in Codemasters' F1 2013.