Sakon Yamamoto facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Sakon Yamamoto
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山本 左近
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Yamamoto in 2010
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| Member of the House of Representatives | |
| In office 5 November 2021 – 9 October 2024 |
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| Constituency | Tōkai PR |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 9 July 1982 Toyohashi, Japan |
| Political party | Liberal Democratic |
| Alma mater | Nanzan University |
| Formula One World Championship career | |
| Nationality |  Japanese |
| Active years | 2006–2007, 2010 |
| Teams | Super Aguri, Spyker, HRT |
| Entries | 21 (21 starts) |
| Championships | 0 |
| Wins | 0 |
| Podiums | 0 |
| Career points | 0 |
| Pole positions | 0 |
| Fastest laps | 0 |
| First entry | 2006 German Grand Prix |
| Last entry | 2010 Korean Grand Prix |
| Previous series | |
| 2020 2015 2009 2008–2009 2007–2008 2005–2006 2005–2006 2001, 2004 2003 2002 2001 |
Super Formula Lights Formula E ADAC GT Masters GP2 Asia Series GP2 Series Formula Nippon Super GT Japanese F3 F3 Euro Series German F3 British F3 |
Sakon Yamamoto (born July 9, 1982) is a Japanese former racing driver and a politician. He competed in Formula One, which is the highest class of international racing, between 2006 and 2010. After his racing career, Yamamoto became a member of the House of Representatives of Japan. He served from 2021 to 2024, representing the Tōkai region for the Liberal Democratic Party.
Contents
Sakon Yamamoto's Early Racing Career
Sakon Yamamoto was born in Toyohashi, a city in Japan. He started his racing journey in 1994 at the Suzuka Circuit Racing School, where he learned to race go-karts. He slowly moved up through different racing levels. By 2005, he became a test driver for the Jordan Formula One team for one race weekend during the 2005 season. This was a big step towards his dream of racing in Formula One.
Sakon Yamamoto in Formula One
Racing for Super Aguri (2006)
In June 2006, Sakon Yamamoto joined the Super Aguri F1 team. He started as a test driver, helping the main drivers prepare for races. He then got the chance to race for the team at the 2006 German Grand Prix. His first few races were tough, with mechanical problems and crashes.
At the 2006 Italian Grand Prix, Yamamoto had a tire problem during qualifying. This affected other drivers, including Fernando Alonso, who got a penalty because of debris from Yamamoto's car. Yamamoto also had hydraulic problems in the race and had to stop early.
He finally finished a race at the 2006 Chinese Grand Prix, coming in sixteenth place. After the race, another driver, Nick Heidfeld, mistakenly blamed Yamamoto for an incident. Heidfeld later apologized when he realized it was a different driver.
Yamamoto finished the 2006 season well, completing his last three races. He even set the seventh fastest lap at the 2006 Brazilian Grand Prix. However, he did not get a full-time racing spot for Super Aguri in 2007. He stayed with the team as a test driver and also raced in the 2007 GP2 Series season.
Driving for Spyker (2007)
In July 2007, Sakon Yamamoto got another chance to race in Formula One. He joined the Spyker F1 team for the rest of the 2007 season. In his first race for Spyker in Hungary, he crashed early. After that, he usually finished races in last place. However, he did finish ahead of Jarno Trulli at the 2007 Japanese Grand Prix. He also had a crash with Giancarlo Fisichella at the 2007 Brazilian Grand Prix. After the season, he left the Spyker team.
Working with Renault (2008)
In 2008, Yamamoto became a test driver for the Renault F1 Team. His role was mainly to drive the car in public shows, not in actual circuit tests. A company that had sponsored him before, Sanho Human Service, also became a sponsor for Renault that year.
Return to GP2 Series (2008–2009)
Yamamoto returned to the GP2 series in the middle of the 2008 GP2 Series season. He joined the ART Grand Prix team. He scored his first points in a racing series outside Japan by finishing 4th in a race in Hungary.
He continued with ART for the 2008–09 GP2 Asia Series. He finished 9th in the championship and even got on the podium (finished in the top three) at the first race in Shanghai.
Racing for HRT (2010)
In April 2010, the Hispania Racing team announced that Yamamoto would be their test and reserve driver. He participated in practice sessions to help the team improve their car. He then replaced Bruno Senna for the 2010 British Grand Prix, finishing 20th. He also replaced Karun Chandhok at the 2010 German Grand Prix, but had to stop early due to an engine problem.
At the 2010 Italian Grand Prix, Yamamoto had an incident in the pit lane where his car hit a mechanic. He was later replaced by another driver, Christian Klien, for one race due to reported food poisoning. He returned for the Japanese and Korean races, finishing 16th and 15th. Klien then replaced him again for the last two races of the season.
Virgin Racing (2011)
In March 2011, Marussia Virgin Racing announced that Yamamoto would be their reserve driver for the first three races of the 2011 season.
Later Racing Career
Formula E
Yamamoto raced in Formula E, an electric car racing series, in 2015. He filled in for another driver at the 2015 London ePrix. He raced for the Amlin Aguri team. Unfortunately, he had to retire from both races in London due to battery issues and a crash. He did not score any points in Formula E.
Super Formula Lights
In 2020, Yamamoto competed in the last round of the 2020 Super Formula Lights series. He raced for B-Max and achieved his best finish of 7th place in one of the races.
Life After Racing
After his main racing career, Sakon Yamamoto focused on a career in medicine and social welfare. In 2012, he became the head of a medical and social welfare organization in Japan. He worked to improve social welfare, especially for older people. He also gives talks and supports schools in this field. He still stays involved in racing by working in broadcasting and media.
On October 31, 2021, Sakon Yamamoto was elected to the Japanese House of Representatives, becoming a politician.
Racing Record Summary
| Season | Series | Team | Races | Wins | Poles | F/Laps | Podiums | Points | Position |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | Japanese Formula 3 Championship | TOM'S | 18 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 117 | 4th |
| British Formula 3 Championship | Team Avanti | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 25th | |
| 2002 | German Formula 3 Championship | GM Motorsport | 11 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 20th |
| Team Kolles Racing | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||||
| 2003 | Formula 3 Euro Series | Superfund TME | 20 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 27th |
| 2004 | Japanese Formula 3 Championship | TOM'S | 20 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 131 | 7th |
| 2005 | Super GT | TOM'S | 8 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 43 | 7th |
| Formula Nippon | Kondo Racing | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 9 | 10th | |
| Formula One | Jordan Grand Prix | Test driver | |||||||
| 2006 | Formula One | Super Aguri F1 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 26th |
| Super GT | Nismo | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 15 | 21st | |
| Formula Nippon | Kondo Racing | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3.5 | 11th | |
| 2007 | GP2 Series | BCN Competición | 11 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 30th |
| Formula One | Etihad Aldar Spyker F1 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 24th | |
| 2008 | GP2 Series | ART Grand Prix | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 23rd |
| Formula One | ING Renault F1 Team | Test driver | |||||||
| 2008–09 | GP2 Asia Series | ART Grand Prix | 11 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 13 | 9th |
| 2009 | ADAC GT Masters | Team Rosberg | 13 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 32nd |
| 2010 | Formula One | Hispania Racing F1 Team | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 26th |
| 2011 | Formula One | Marussia Virgin Racing | Reserve driver | ||||||
| 2014-15 | Formula E | Amlin Aguri | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 35th |
| 2020 | Super Formula Lights | B-Max Racing | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 16th |
| Super Taikyu - ST-TCR | Rebellion Team Mars | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 77.5‡ | 3rd‡ | |
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‡ Team standings.
Images for kids
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Yamamoto in 2010
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Yamamoto driving the Super Aguri SA06 at the 2006 Brazilian Grand Prix.
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Yamamoto driving for Spyker F1 at the 2007 Italian Grand Prix.
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Yamamoto racing for ART Grand Prix in Sepang.
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Yamamoto driving for Hispania Racing at the 2010 Japanese Grand Prix.
See also
In Spanish: Sakon Yamamoto para niños
