He is the F1 driver who inspired Yuki Tsunoda and went on a 58-race pointless streak before retiring

Follow us on Google Discover

Red Bull Racing driver Yuki Tsunoda is attempting to become the first racer from Japan ever to win a Grand Prix.

Japan has a long history of producing Formula 1 drivers, and many current racers consider the Japanese Grand Prix, currently held at Suzuka, as one of the best circuits on the calendar.

However, drivers from Japan have enjoyed limited success during Formula 1’s 75-year history.

A total of 21 drivers from Japan have taken part in a Formula 1 race, starting with Hiroshi Fushida in 1975.

Frank Williams dropped Masami Kuwashima after one session the following year, while Satoru Nakajima was the first Japanese driver to take part in more than a handful of races.

Yuki Tsunoda is now flying the flag for Japan and has shared more details about his inspiration for getting into racing.

Red Bull are considering Tsunoda’s future, but he’s already broken the record for most Grand Prix starts for a Japanese driver.

Instead, the 25-year-old admitted in a recent interview that it was Ukyo Katayama who inspired him at a young age to learn more about racing and played a part in where he is today.

READ MORE: Red Bull driver Yuki Tsunoda’s life outside F1 from height to parents

Yuki Tsunoda credits Ukyo Katayama for inspiring his Formula 1 career

Tsunoda was asked on the Talking Bull Podcast if there was a Japanese driver he really looked up to as a child, and said: “Yeah, I mean, with Ukyo Katayama, he came from exactly the same town.

“A very small town, yeah. I mean quite small, and somehow in that town, there are a lot of athletes recently coming out, like Olympic gold medalists, for example.

“Something there is in that town, yeah. I don’t know why.

“That town is actually going well with their athletes, and with Ukyo Katayama, I remember the first time I met him was when I was like three, actually four years old.

“My dad took me, he was doing a talk show in our town. And I went there and listened to that. I still remember that.

“So, yeah, it is obviously a very honourable and proud thing that I’m able to be on that list.

“And, obviously, I want to have more success, but yeah, I’m very respectful of those drivers.”

READ MORE: Eddie Jordan admits Takuma Sato ‘crashed at every given moment’ when driving for him

Who is former Japanese Formula 1 driver Ukyo Katayama?

Ukyo Katayama was born on 29 May 1963, and as Tsunoda suggested, he’s from Sagamihara, a city in the Kanagawa Prefecture in Tokyo, just like the Red Bull driver.

Katayama started racing in France alongside his efforts in Japan, winning the Japanese Formula 3000 in 1991.

That led to a Formula 1 debut with Larrousse in 1992, racing alongside Bertrand Gachot, and with fellow Japanese driver Aguri Suzuki also on the grid with Footwork.

Katayama’s best result that year was P9 in Brazil and Italy, and he joined Tyrrell the following year, where he spent the next four seasons.

Although his maiden season was unspectacular, he does still share a record for most places gained in a Brazilian Grand Prix in 1992, alongside Gianni Morbidelli, Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen.

His best campaign came in 1994, finishing fifth at the Brazilian and San Marino Grand Prix, before scoring his fifth and final Formula 1 point at Silverstone.

Katayama only finished on the lead lap of a race once, something Phillipe Alliot never managed in over 100 races, at the 1996 Belgian Grand Prix, but could only finish P8 behind Tyrrell teammate Mika Salo.

The Japanese driver’s career ended with a 17th-place finish at the 1997 European Grand Prix, after making the move to Minardi for his final season on the grid.

It meant Katayama went 58 consecutive races without scoring a point, although if the current points system had been in place in the 1990s, that run would have been far shorter.

READ MORE: He is the youngest driver ever to retire from racing in Formula 1 and once cost Michael Schumacher a world championship

Ukyo Katayama’s inspirational message for future Formula 1 drivers and off-track battles

Katayama revealed, as per Formula 1’s official website, at the end of his time at Minardi, that he had been diagnosed with cancer in 1994, but did not reveal this publicly.

He also suffered a huge crash at the 1995 Portuguese Grand Prix, missing the next race after hitting the driver with more starts without scoring a point than anyone in F1 history, Luca Badoer.

In an interview with Toyota Gazoo Racing in 2005, Katayama was asked what advice he would give to anyone hoping to have a career in Formula 1, and he said: “In high school, I told my guidance counsellor that I was going to be an F1 driver, and I did it.

“There are many things you can do if you try. It’s just that most people don’t even try. You have to find your own measure of happiness and values, without letting things discourage you or get you off course.

“And don’t overthink everything. I’m sure you’ve been moved by a motion picture or have heard music that gives you goose bumps, right?

“That reaction is your own personal ‘sensor.’ It tells you what happiness is. If you follow it, you can always keep your pure childhood dreams in your heart.

“Follow it, and you’ll reach your dreams.”

Katayama got to experience 95 Grand Prix before leaving the paddock, something only one Japanese driver has managed since.