Satoru Nakajima
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| Nation: |
 Japan
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| Formula 1 world championship | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| First start: | 1987 Brazilian Grand Prix | ||||||||
| Last start: | 1991 Australian Grand Prix | ||||||||
| Constructors | |||||||||
| 1987-1989 Lotus · 1990-1991 Tyrrell | |||||||||
| statistics | |||||||||
| World Cup balance: | Twelfth World Cup ( 1987 ) | ||||||||
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| World Cup points : | 16 | ||||||||
| Podiums : | - | ||||||||
| Leadership laps : | - | ||||||||
Satoru Nakajima ( Japanese 中 嶋 悟 , Nakajima Satoru ; born February 23, 1953 in Okazaki ) is a former Japanese automobile racing driver who drove in Formula 1 for the Lotus and Tyrrell teams from 1987 to 1991 . At the age of 34, he was one of the oldest Formula 1 debutants in history and the first Japanese Formula 1 driver to score championship points.
Career
Before joining Formula 1, Nakajima was the dominant driver in the Japanese Formula 2 Championship from 1981 to 1986 . He won the championship five times in those years.
Nakajima was entered in 80 Grand Prix races and started 74 times. He failed to qualify five times because he did not manage to be among the fastest 26 drivers. At the 1990 Portuguese Grand Prix he did not start, although he qualified. His best finish was fourth place in the 1987 British Grand Prix and the rainy Australian Grand Prix in 1989 . His best starting position was sixth on the grid. Once, at the 1989 Australian Grand Prix, Nakajima set the fastest race lap .
It was considered a "condition" for the engine manufacturer Honda . The Japanese engine manufacturer really wanted to have a Japanese driver in Formula 1. Although he was considered extremely talented before his Formula 1 debut, Nakajima's driving performance was rather mediocre. So he didn't stand a chance against any of his teammates.
After the end of his Formula 1 career he founded the Nakajima Racing team , which won the Formula Nippon championship with Tom Coronel in 1999 , Toranosuke Takagi in 2000 and Ralph Firman in 2002 .
His sons Kazuki and Daisuke are also racing drivers. Kazuki was also active in Formula 1 from 2007 to 2009.
statistics
formula 1
| season | team | Start number | run | placement | Points | Victories | Poles | SR | Teammate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1987 |
 Lotus Honda
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11 | 16 | WM-12. | 7th | - | - | - |
 Ayrton Senna (WM-3.)
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| 1988 |
Lotus Honda
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2 | 14th | WM-16. | 1 | - | - | - |
Nelson Piquet (WM-6.)
|
| 1989 |
Lotus Judd
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12 | 13 | WM-21. | 3 | - | - | 1 |
Nelson Piquet (WM-8.)
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| 1990 |
Tyrrell-Ford
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3 | 15th | WM-15. | 3 | - | - | - |
 Jean Alesi (WM-9.)
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| 1991 |
Tyrrell Honda
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3 | 16 | WM-15. | 2 | - | - | - |
 Stefano Modena (WM-8.)
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Le Mans results
| year | team | vehicle | Teammate | Teammate | placement | Failure reason |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1985 |
Tom's Team Toyota
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Toyota 85C-L |
Masanori Sekiya
|
Kaoru Hoshino
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Rank 12 | |
| 1986 |
Tom's Co. Ltd.
|
Dome 86C |
Masanori Sekiya
|
Geoff Lees
|
failure | Engine failure |
Web links
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Nakajima, Satoru |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | 中 嶋 悟 (Japanese) |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | Japanese automobile racer |
| DATE OF BIRTH | February 23, 1953 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Okazaki , Aichi Prefecture , Japan |