Stripped of 13th after Jarno Trulli incidentTakuma Sato was disqualified from the Japanese Grand Prix being blamed for a collision with
Jarno Trulli's Toyota on the tenth lap of the race. Trulli retired on the spot with substantial damage to the left hand side of his TF105B
while Sato was able to continue and finish the race in 13th position, a lap down. His result was later thrown out of the results by the race stewards.
"The stewards viewed the video of the incident and presented the same to Takuma Sato and his team manager Ron Meadows and independently to
Jarno Trulli and his team manager Richard Cregan," the FIA said in a statement. "Having heard both parties the stewards independently conclude that Takuma Sato was involved in an incident forcing the driver of car number 16 off the track and therefore order Sato be excluded from the results."
Sato, who will be dropped by the team at the end of the year, made an erratic start to the race going off into the gravel at the very first turn. He recovered and returned to the track but suffered his second incident when he attempted a move down the inside of Trulli at the chicane and clattered into the side having failed to make it alongside.
"This is a very disappointing result for me after the incredible support that I have experienced here from the fans," Sato stated. "I'm hugely disappointed for the myself, the fans, the team and Honda."
But Sato was not as disappointed as Trulli, a leading member of the Grand Prix Drivers Association, who was the innocent victim in the incident and became another driver to criticise Sato’s performances this season. Sato had a coming together with outgoing world champion
Michael Schumacher at the Belgian Grand Prix, for which he was handed an official warning from the FIA.
The latest incident angered Trulli and the Italian said: "Sato tried a manoeuvre that was obviously impossible, he just tried to overtake me but instead he hit me and pushed me off. There was no reason to try that move so I don't know what he was thinking. He's been causing problems for a long time and the FIA has to take action to stop it."
E.A. Source AFP
