Following in famous footsteps – Takuma Sato gives his view on the FIA FR World Cup

Two-time Indy500 winner and winner of the 2001 Macau Grand Prix is here this weekend supporting his son Rintaro

Racing fathers are a common feature in junior motor sport paddocks the world over, but when it comes to the Macau Grand Prix, there are only a select few who can offer to pass their advice to the next generation.

In 2024, Rintaro Sato has been part of a strong field of junior drivers tackling the FIA FR World Cup for the first time, and his father has been in attendance over the course of the weekend to support his son’s step up to the World Cup level.

Having himself won this special race as a 24-year-old in 2001, two-time Indy500 winner and former F1 star Takuma Sato is a big fan of the new-for-2024 FIA FR World Cup that brings drivers and teams from the multitude of Formula Regional series held around the world together for a one-off, end-of-season showdown.

“I think obviously nowadays maybe we have different philosophies [when it comes to the progression of young drivers],” says Sato, “But I still think that now, the Macau Grand Prix, it’s a significant moment for any young driver. To come here, to race amongst the best in the world – all of them want to go to Formula 1 – this is really the first taste of the incredible pressure on your shoulders, and you want to do well.

“I think it’s important to Macau that it should be the highest benchmark for any young drivers who want to step up to the FIA Formula 3 which is a very professional international series. Of course, in my days, you had German, French, Italian, British, and Japanese Formula 3 championships and amongst them only the top five or so would be invited to the Masters in Zandvoort and to the Grand Prix in Macau. Today, Formula 3 is a pure ladder to go to FIA Formula 2 and Formula 1, which is just how it works.

“Formula Regional is a great category because it’s relatively, not entry level, but to go from Formula 4 to Formula 3 is a huge jump and it fills this gap perfectly. Technically it’s not too sophisticated, it’s more about the driver than the car, and having Macau as a World Cup is really making it stand out for the current format of junior racing.”

You’d struggle to find any driver who’s raced around the 6.12km Guia Circuit who didn’t have something positive to say about it, and Sato is no exception, adding, “The track is obviously incredibly challenging, you need to prove that you are not only fast, but can manage a weekend, and all the other things that you require to become one of the best in the world. This is the perfect venue to do that, and also obviously the history tells you – starting with the likes of Ayrton Senna to Michael Schumacher and Mika Häkkinen in the ‘90s, I still remember in those days I was a huge fan and was dreaming one day that I wanted to do Macau!”

It’s a history that is well remembered in Macau, with Sato’s race-winning car now on display in the Macau Grand Prix Museum, which is just a short walk from the famous paddock.

“I am incredibly proud to be a part of the history – I’ve visited the Museum, it’s really so impressive, I’d like to thank everyone who supports this event,” Sato added.