# Michael Sauter

Michael Sauter (born 5 October 2004) is a German-Swiss racing driver of Japanese descent currently racing in the Formula Regional Japanese Championship for Birth Racing Project.

## Career
### Karting

Coming from a family with a racing background, Sauter started karting at the age of seven and began to compete in the Swiss Championship in 2013. He raced in go-karts until the end of 2020, winning the Vega Trofeo in 2014 and 2016 respectively, missing out on the chance of the 2015 title due to a ski accident.

### Lower formulae

In 2021, after some Formula 4 testing at Anneau du Rhin, Sauter made his car racing debut, competing in a family effort with the Sauter Engineering + Design team, named after his father's company, in the ADAC Formula 4 Championship. In the final race of the second round at Circuit Zandvoort he score his only rookie win of the season. He scored his first point in round three at the Hockenheimring, however a crash in qualifying at the next event at the Sachsenring meant extensive damage to his car, which could only be repaired in time for the second race with the help of other teams' mechanics. In the final race of the event he went on to take his best finish of the season in fifth. Saute became vice-champion in the rookie classification.
In 2022 he remained in the ADAC Formula 4 Championship. He finished the championship in thirteenth overall.
In 2023 he moved to the Formula 4 CEZ Championship after the ADAC Formula 4 had folded. He took his first and only race win in the final round at the newly opened Balaton Park Circuit. He also finished third overall in the championship.

### Formula Regional Japanese Championship

In 2023 Sauter also competed in two rounds of the Formula Regional Japanese Championship with Sutekina Racing Team and Bionic Jack Racing. In the final round at Sportsland Sugo, where he competed with Bionic Jack Racing, he even took his first victory in the championship.
After he joined the G Force Driver Development Program in 2024, he returned to the Formula Regional Japanese Championship, driving for Birth Racing Project.

## Karting record
### Karting career summary

| Season | Series | Team | Position |
| 2013 | Schweizer Kart Meisterschaft — Mini | Sauter Team | 4th |
| 2014 | Vega Trofeo — Super Mini | | 1st |
| 2014 | Schweizer Kart Meisterschaft — Super Mini | | 15th |
| 2015 | Vega Trofeo — Super Mini | | 9th |
| 2016 | Vega Trofeo — Super Mini | | 1st |
| 2016 | Schweizer Kart Meisterschaft — Super Mini | | 7th |
| 2017 | Vega Trofeo — Super Mini | | 2nd |
| 2017 | Schweizer Kart Meisterschaft — Super Mini | | 2nd |
| 2017 | IAME International Final — X30 Mini | | 5th |
| 2018 | Vega Trofeo — Junior | | 4th |
| 2018 | Schweizer Kart Meisterschaft — X30 Junior | | 4th |
| 2018 | IAME International Final — X30 Junior | | 101st |
| 2019 | Schweizer Kart Meisterschaft — X30 Challenge | | 7th |
| 2019 | IAME International Final — X30 Senior | | 131st |

## Racing record
### Racing career summary

| Season | Series | Team | Races | Wins | Poles | F/Laps | Podiums | Points | Position |
| 2021 | ADAC Formula 4 Championship | Sauter Engineering + Design | 17 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 19 | 15th |
| 2022 | ADAC Formula 4 Championship | Sauter Engineering + Design | 18 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 41 | 13th |
| 2023 | Formula 4 CEZ Championship | Sauter Engineering + Design | 14 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 9 | 204 | 3rd |
| 2023 | Formula Regional Japanese Championship | Sutekina Racing Team | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 71 | 6th |
| 2023 | Formula Regional Japanese Championship | Bionic Jack Racing | 3 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 71 | 6th |
| 2024 | Formula Regional Japanese Championship | Birth Racing Project【BRP】 | 14 | 6 | 5 | 8 | 10 | 236 | 1st |
* Season still in progress.

### Complete ADAC Formula 4 Championship results

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap)
| Year | Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | Pos | Points |
| 2021 | Sauter Engineering + Design | RBR 1 17 | RBR 2 19 | RBR 3 Ret | ZAN 1 20 | ZAN 2 19 | ZAN 3 12 | HOC1 1 10 | HOC1 2 13 | HOC1 3 11 | SAC 1 DNS | SAC 2 9 | SAC 3 5 | HOC2 1 8 | HOC2 2 10 | HOC2 3 12 | NÜR 1 13 | NÜR 2 10 | NÜR 3 13 | 15th | 19 |
| 2022 | Sauter Engineering + Design | SPA 1 14 | SPA 2 11 | SPA 3 16 | HOC 1 11 | HOC 2 18 | HOC 3 13 | ZAN 1 13 | ZAN 2 13 | ZAN 3 Ret | NÜR1 1 12 | NÜR1 2 11 | NÜR1 3 10 | LAU 1 5 | LAU 2 Ret | LAU 3 9 | NÜR2 1 6 | NÜR2 2 Ret | NÜR2 3 9 | 13th | 41 |

### Complete Formula 4 CEZ Championship results

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position; races in italics indicate fastest lap)
| Year | Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | DC | Points |
| 2023 | Sauter Engineering + Design | HUN 1 2 | HUN 2 6 | RBR 1 4 | RBR 2 Ret | SVK 1 2 | SVK 2 2 | MOS 1 4 | MOS 2 3 | MOS 3 4 | BRN 1 3 | BRN 2 3 | BAL 1 2 | BAL 2 1 | BAL 3 2 | 3rd | 204 |

### Complete Formula Regional Japanese Championship results

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap)
| Year | Entrant | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | Pos | Points |
| 2023 | Sutekina Racing Team | FUJ1 1 | FUJ1 2 | FUJ1 3 | SUZ 1 | SUZ 2 | OKA 1 | OKA 2 | OKA 3 | MOT 1 4 | MOT 2 5 | MOT 3 4 | FUJ2 1 | FUJ2 2 | | | | 6th | 71 |
| 2023 | Bionic Jack Racing | | | | | | | | | | | | | | SUG 1 4 | SUG 2 Ret | SUG 3 1 | 6th | 71 |
| 2024 | Birth Racing Project 【BRP】 | SUZ 1 Ret | SUZ 2 1 | SUZ 3 1 | SUG 1 2 | SUG 2 3 | OKA 1 1 | OKA 2 2 | OKA 3 1 | MOT 1 1 | MOT 2 1 | FUJ1 1 6 | FUJ1 2 Ret | FUJ2 1 4 | FUJ2 2 3 | | | 1st | 236 |