Takuma Sato is confident that it won't be long until a Japanese driver will be in F1. It has been five years since the last driver from the country drove in the sport, Kamui Kobayashi.
The IndyCar driver believes that adding a Japanese driver to the grid will help to inspire new people into the sport.
The 31-year-old experienced F1 for the first time in Japan, taking part in a practice session with Toro Rosso at Suzuka.
“F1 is doing well in Japan even if it is not the madness that we used to know, " Sato told France’s Auto Hebdo.
“Honda’s recent wins are helping, but I don’t think that’s the problem. Fans want something other than what happened in the 80s and 2000s.
“The real solution is a Japanese driver who can fight for the podium.
"It’s been five years that they have waited for a successor to Kamui Kobayashi.”