Over the past few seasons the ELMS has seen a number of single seater racers take up the challenge and excel at endurance. Logan Sargeant, Pietro Fittipaldi, and Yifei Ye are three young drivers amongst many others who have enjoyed success in formula racing before competing in sportscars. 2019 Euroformula Open champion Marino Sato will join this growing band of drivers, racing for United Autosports this year alongside Phil Hanson and Oliver Jarvis in the no22 Oreca-Gibson.
So, what attracted the Japanese driver out of his Formula 2 car into the ELMS? “I want a new challenge, to broaden my horizons in racing and build on my experience in single seaters,” Sato said. “So, the ELMS is a great place to start my career in endurance racing.”
Marino Sato is learning how to adapt quickly to his new environment. “There’s going to be a lot of learning and adapting with the move from single seaters to sportscars,” the Japanese driver said. “Looking at the LMP2 ORECA 07, there’s going to be big downforce … and, of course, there’ll be a roof on top of me! The bodywork is going to be a big change too, finding the apex without seeing the wheels.
“I’ll also be sharing driver duties over a longer time period, so I need to perfect my driver changes and make sure I’m always pushing to the limit throughout my stints.”
Sato expanded on his last point when asked about his 2023 teammates Phil Hanson and Olly Jarvis. “I know of both Phil and Olly, they’re so experienced on the prototypes scene, it’s going to be really interesting to learn from them. Some of my good friends have raced in WEC and ELMS at the same time as Phil Hanson, so I’ve seen a lot on his performance. And Olly did a lot of racing in Japan so that’s how I got to know of him. I haven’t met him in person yet but I’m really looking forward to that.”
Having raced in Formula 2 for the past few seasons some of the high profile tracks that the ELMS visit will be familiar to the 23-year-old from Yokohama, but which one is his favourite?
“The most familiar track would be Imola,” he said.“It’s really close to where I lived when I was in Italy, so it feels like a home circuit for me. I’ve been really competitive whenever I’ve raced there in Formula 2 and last year I was one of the fastest cars on track. So, I’m looking forward to going back in a sportscar and seeing what I can do.”
So, what is Marino Sato’s overall view of the season ahead and his personal goal? “It’s such a competitive field this year but the main focus for me is getting in the car, learning all I can from Olly and Phil, and hitting the ground running. It will be a challenge but it’s one I’m really excited about.”
The 2023 European Le Mans Series will start with the 4 Hours of Barcelona on the 21-23 April, with The Prologue, the official pre-season test taking place at the Spanish circuit on the 18 and 19 April.
