# Marino Sato

Marino Sato (佐藤万璃音, Satō Marino, born 12 May 1999) is a Japanese racing driver who currently competes for United Autosports in the FIA World Endurance Championship and in the European Le Mans Series. He is the 2019 Euroformula Open champion.
He is not related to former Formula One driver Takuma Sato.

## Early career
### Formula 4

In 2015, Marino Sato competed in the 2015 Italian F4 Championship for Euronova Racing/Vincenzo Sospiri Racing. He finished on the podium once and came 10th in the final standings. Sato would remain with the team for the 2016 Italian F4 Championship. However, even when he won a race at Imola, he only finished 18th in the driver's championship.

### FIA Formula 3 European Championship
#### 2017

Sato progressed to the 2017 FIA Formula 3 European Championship to drive for Motopark. He scored one point during the season and finished 19th in the standings.

#### 2018

Despite having been the second-lowest driver in the standings to compete at every event, he was retained for the 2018 season. His performance improved compared to 2017, and he finished 16th in the championship.

### Euroformula Open

He moved to the Euroformula Open Championship in 2019. He dominated the championship, winning it with nine victories and helped Motopark to win the team championship.

### FIA Formula 2 Championship
#### 2019

In the Summer of 2019, Sato progressed to the FIA Formula 2 Championship, replacing Arjun Maini at Campos Racing from the round at Spa-Francorchamps onwards. However, after the fatal accident of Anthoine Hubert, the Japanese racer would not officially make his F2 debut until the Monza feature face, finishing twelfth overall. He improved to eleventh in the sprint, before having a point-less pair of races in Sochi. Sato would briefly challenge for points in the season finale in Yas Marina, albeit it was not enough to earn him a points finish. Despite this, he took part in the post-season test on the week after the final race, driving for Trident.

#### 2020

In 2020 he signed for Trident Racing to partner Roy Nissany in the FIA Formula 2 Championship. Sato only managed to score one point at Mugello, and eventually finished 22nd in the standings, four points and three positions behind Nissany.

#### 2021

Despite this, the Japanese driver was kept on by Trident for the 2021 season. In the second race of the first round he equalled his best ever F2 result, finishing eighth and scoring one point. However, this would end up being the only points finish for Sato, as he ended up 21st overall.

#### 2022

Sato remained in the series in 2022, this time joining Virtuosi Racing alongside Jack Doohan. A point-less opening weekend in Bahrain was followed up by his first points finish of the year, as Sato ended up eighth in the sprint race at Jeddah, after which he praised the team for the strong pace. After a pair of rounds that failed to yield any points, the Japanese driver managed to score a point in Monaco with a tenth place finish, and managed to finish eighth in the subsequent feature race in Baku, having managed to steer clear of trouble in a race of attrition. The following rounds brought with them a heap of bad luck, with Sato experiencing multiple mechanical issues, as well as having a wheel falling off after a pit stop in Zandvoort, a race in which he had fought for points. Having failed to score points in the second half of the season, the Japanese driver finished 22nd in the drivers' standings.
Sato was replaced by Amaury Cordeel at Virtuosi for the 2023 season.

### Formula One

Sato drove in the end of season Young Driver Test in Abu Dhabi for Scuderia AlphaTauri, alongside fellow countryman Yuki Tsunoda (who would soon become an AlphaTauri race driver). He ended the session with the 13th fastest time (1:38.495), reflecting on that day as one that "made [him] visualise more what [his] dream is".

## Sportscar career
### 2023: ELMS debut

For the 2023 season, Sato transitioned into sportscar racing, driving for United Autosports in the LMP2 category of the European Le Mans Series alongside Philip Hanson and Oliver Jarvis. With the help of those two experienced LMP2 racers, Sato managed to take victory thrice, taking his first prototype win at Aragón and sweeping the races at Portimão, which led to the team finishing second in the standings.

### 2024: FIA World Endurance Championship

Following his performances in the European Le Mans Series, Sato was announced to be remaining with United Autosports to make his international sportscar racing debut in the 2024 FIA World Endurance Championship, driving in the newly established LMGT3 class in a McLaren 720S GT3 Evo.
Sato was also originally announced to be competing in the IMSA SportsCar Championship in the LMP2 class for 2024, racing alongside former Formula One driver Paul di Resta, but he later withdrew from the IMSA programme after an upgrade in his FIA driver categorisation from silver to gold, leaving him to "focus fully on the WEC challenge ahead." In December 2023, United would announce that Sato had signed on for a sophomore season in the ELMS, partnering Ben Hanley and Filip Ugran.

### 2025

Sato was retained by United Autosports to drive in the LMGT3 class of the 2025 FIA World Endurance Championship.

## Karting record
### Karting career summary

| Season | Series | Team | Position |
| 2011 | Asian Karting Open Championship — Formula 125 Junior Open | | 12th |
| 2012 | Rotax Max Challenge Grand Finals — Junior | Eiko Japan | 28th |
| 2012 | SKUSA SuperNationals — TaG Junior | Phil Giebler Racing | 13th |
| 2012 | Asia-Pacific Championship — KF3 | Simon Racing Team | 2nd |
| 2013 | German Karting Championship — Junior | | NC |
| 2013 | WSK Master Series — KFJ | Praga Kart Racing | 38th |
| 2013 | IAME International Final — X30 Junior | Praga Kart Racing | 16th |
| 2013 | Rotax International Open — Junior | Praga Kart Racing | 32nd |
| 2013 | WSK Final Cup — KFJ | Praga Kart Racing | 32nd |
| 2013 | CIK-FIA World Championship — KFJ | | 66th |
| 2014 | South Garda Winter Cup — KF | Praga Kart Racing | 19th |
| 2014 | WSK Champions Cup — KF | Praga Kart Racing | 21st |
| 2014 | Rotax Euro Challenge — Senior | Praga Kart Racing | 89th |
| 2014 | WSK Super Master Series — KF | Praga Kart Racing | 37th |
| 2014 | CIK-FIA European Championship — KF | Praga Kart Racing | 49th |
| 2014 | CIK-FIA World Championship — KF | Praga Kart Racing | NC |
| 2014 | WSK Final Cup — KF | Praga Kart Racing | 25th |

## Racing record
### Racing career summary

| Season | Series | Team | Races | Wins | Poles | F/Laps | Podiums | Points | Position |
| 2015 | Italian F4 Championship | Vincenzo Sospiri Racing | 21 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 62 | 10th |
| 2016 | Italian F4 Championship | Vincenzo Sospiri Racing | 21 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 42 | 18th |
| 2017 | FIA Formula 3 European Championship | Motopark | 30 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 19th |
| 2017 | Macau Grand Prix | Motopark | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | N/A | DNF |
| 2018 | FIA Formula 3 European Championship | Motopark | 30 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 31.5 | 16th |
| 2018 | Macau Grand Prix | Motopark | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | N/A | DNF |
| 2019 | Euroformula Open Championship | Team Motopark | 16 | 9 | 6 | 5 | 11 | 307 | 1st |
| 2019 | FIA Formula 2 Championship | Campos Racing | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 21st |
| 2020 | FIA Formula 2 Championship | Trident | 24 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 22nd |
| 2021 | FIA Formula 2 Championship | Trident | 23 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 21st |
| 2022 | FIA Formula 2 Championship | Virtuosi Racing | 28 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 22nd |
| 2023 | European Le Mans Series - LMP2 | United Autosports USA | 6 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 100 | 2nd |
| 2024 | FIA World Endurance Championship - LMGT3 | United Autosports | 8 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 36 | 18th |
| 2024 | European Le Mans Series - LMP2 | United Autosports | 6 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 29 | 10th |
| 2024 | Porsche Carrera Cup Japan | PONOS RACING | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 20.5 | 16th |
| 2025 | FIA World Endurance Championship - LMGT3 | United Autosports | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 7th* |
| 2025 | European Le Mans Series - LMP2 Pro-Am | United Autosports | | | | | | | |
$^*$ Season still in progress.

### Complete Italian F4 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 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | DC | Points |
| 2015 | Vincenzo Sospiri Racing | VLL 1 7 | VLL 2 7 | VLL 3 9 | MNZ 1 13 | MNZ 2 9 | MNZ 3 8 | IMO1 1 4 | IMO1 2 Ret | IMO1 3 13 | MUG 1 14 | MUG 2 18 | MUG 3 16 | ADR 1 6 | ADR 2 2 | ADR 3 14 | IMO2 1 13 | IMO2 2 21† | IMO2 3 15 | MIS 1 Ret | MIS 2 4 | MIS 3 5 | | | 10th | 62 |
| 2016 | Vincenzo Sospiri Racing | MIS 1 27 | MIS 2 11 | MIS 3 | MIS 4 22 | ADR 1 13 | ADR 2 | ADR 3 4 | ADR 4 8 | IMO1 1 11 | IMO1 2 21 | IMO1 3 16 | MUG 1 15 | MUG 2 17 | MUG 3 12 | VLL 1 19 | VLL 2 15 | VLL 3 Ret | IMO2 1 7 | IMO2 2 8 | IMO2 3 1 | MNZ 1 Ret | MNZ 2 10 | MNZ 3 Ret | 18th | 42 |

### Complete FIA Formula 3 European Championship results

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap)
| Year | Entrant | Engine | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | DC | Points |
| 2017 | Motopark | Volkswagen | SIL 1 16 | SIL 2 12 | SIL 3 18 | MNZ 1 13 | MNZ 2 11 | MNZ 3 12 | PAU 1 14 | PAU 2 Ret | PAU 3 13 | HUN 1 16 | HUN 2 16 | HUN 3 15 | NOR 1 13 | NOR 2 16 | NOR 3 13 | SPA 1 15 | SPA 2 11 | SPA 3 14 | ZAN 1 15 | ZAN 2 18 | ZAN 3 17 | NÜR 1 16 | NÜR 2 Ret | NÜR 3 12 | RBR 1 14 | RBR 2 16 | RBR 3 10 | HOC 1 18 | HOC 2 19 | HOC 3 16 | 19th | 1 |
| 2018 | Motopark | Volkswagen | PAU 1 9 | PAU 2 18 | PAU 3 10‡ | HUN 1 15 | HUN 2 13 | HUN 3 16 | NOR 1 8 | NOR 2 7 | NOR 3 13 | ZAN 1 19 | ZAN 2 10 | ZAN 3 4 | SPA 1 7 | SPA 2 15 | SPA 3 16 | SIL 1 12 | SIL 2 17 | SIL 3 14 | MIS 1 15 | MIS 2 12 | MIS 3 Ret | NÜR 1 Ret | NÜR 2 Ret | NÜR 3 18 | RBR 1 14 | RBR 2 13 | RBR 3 21 | HOC 1 19 | HOC 2 14 | HOC 3 16 | 16th | 31.5 |
$^‡$ Half points awarded as less than 75% of race distance was completed.

### Complete Macau Grand Prix results

| Year | Team | Car | Qualifying | Quali Race | Main race |
| 2017 | Motopark | Dallara F317 | 15th | 14th | DNF |
| 2018 | Motopark | Dallara F317 | 7th | 11th | DNF |

### Complete Euroformula Open Championship results

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate points for the fastest lap of top ten finishers)
| Year | Entrant | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | DC | Points |
| 2019 | Team Motopark | LEC 1 5 | LEC 2 1 | PAU 1 3 | PAU 2 6 | HOC 1 1 | HOC 2 2 | SPA 1 1 | SPA 2 1 | HUN 1 1 | HUN 2 1 | RBR 1 1 | RBR 2 1 | SIL 1 | SIL 2 | CAT 1 10† | CAT 2 5 | MNZ 1 1 | MNZ 2 5 | 1st | 307 |

### Complete FIA Formula 2 Championship results

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate points for the fastest lap of top ten finishers)
| Year | Entrant | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | DC | Points |
| 2019 | Campos Racing | BHR FEA | BHR SPR | BAK FEA | BAK SPR | CAT FEA | CAT SPR | MON FEA | MON SPR | LEC FEA | LEC SPR | RBR SPR | RBR SPR | SIL FEA | SIL SPR | HUN FEA | HUN SPR | SPA FEA C | SPA SPR C | MNZ FEA 12 | MNZ SPR 11 | SOC FEA 16 | SOC SPR 15 | YMC FEA 18 | YMC SPR 16 | | | | | 21st | 0 |
| 2020 | Trident | RBR FEA Ret | RBR SPR 17 | RBR FEA 16 | RBR SPR Ret | HUN FEA Ret | HUN SPR 20 | SIL FEA 20 | SIL SPR 12 | SIL FEA 17 | SIL SPR 17 | CAT FEA 15 | CAT SPR 21 | SPA FEA 14 | SPA SPR Ret | MNZ FEA 20 | MNZ SPR 13 | MUG FEA 14 | MUG SPR 8 | SOC FEA 13 | SOC SPR 15 | BHR FEA 20 | BHR SPR 11 | BHR FEA 17 | BHR SPR 16 | | | | | 22nd | 1 |
| 2021 | Trident | BHR SP1 15 | BHR SP2 8 | BHR FEA 14 | MCO SP1 19† | MCO SP2 Ret | MCO FEA 14 | BAK SP1 18 | BAK SP2 13 | BAK FEA 15 | SIL SP1 NC | SIL SP2 16 | SIL FEA 19 | MNZ SP1 NC | MNZ SP2 20 | MNZ FEA Ret | SOC SP1 14 | SOC SP2 C | SOC FEA 14 | JED SP1 Ret | JED SP2 13 | JED FEA 18 | YMC SP1 19 | YMC SP2 16 | YMC FEA 17 | | | | | 21st | 1 |
| 2022 | Virtuosi Racing | BHR SPR 16 | BHR FEA 11 | JED SPR 8 | JED FEA 17 | IMO SPR 16 | IMO FEA 11 | CAT SPR 17 | CAT FEA 19 | MCO SPR 15 | MCO FEA 10 | BAK SPR 17† | BAK FEA 8 | SIL SPR Ret | SIL FEA 15 | RBR SPR Ret | RBR FEA 16 | LEC SPR 9 | LEC FEA Ret | HUN SPR 15 | HUN FEA 15 | SPA SPR 12 | SPA FEA 15 | ZAN SPR 19 | ZAN FEA Ret | MNZ SPR 11 | MNZ FEA 11 | YMC SPR 19 | YMC FEA 15 | 22nd | 6 |
$^†$ Driver did not finish the race, but was classified as they completed more than 90% of the race distance. * Season still in progress.

### Complete European Le Mans Series results

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position; results in italics indicate fastest lap)
| Year | Entrant | Class | Chassis | Engine | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | Rank | Points |
| 2023 | United Autosports USA | LMP2 | Oreca 07 | Gibson GK428 4.2 L V8 | CAT 6 | LEC 7 | ARA 1 | SPA 5 | POR 1 | ALG 1 | 2nd | 100 |
| 2024 | United Autosports | LMP2 | Oreca 07 | Gibson GK428 4.2 L V8 | CAT 3 | LEC 5 | IMO 11 | SPA 9 | MUG 11 | ALG 10 | 10th | 29 |
| 2025 | United Autosports | LMP2 Pro-Am | Oreca 07 | Gibson GK428 4.2 L V8 | CAT | LEC | IMO | SPA | SIL | ALG | * | * |

### Complete FIA World Endurance Championship results

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap)
| Year | Entrant | Class | Car | Engine | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | Rank | Points |
| 2024 | United Autosports | LMGT3 | McLaren 720S GT3 Evo | McLaren M840T 4.0 L Turbo V8 | QAT 13 | IMO 6 | SPA Ret | LMS Ret | SÃO 3 | COA 7 | FUJ 17 | BHR 8 | 18th | 36 |
| 2025 | United Autosports | LMGT3 | McLaren 720S GT3 Evo | McLaren M840T 4.0 L Turbo V8 | QAT 7 | IMO | SPA | LMS | SÃO | COA | FUJ | BHR | 7th* | 10* |
$^*$ Season still in progress.

### Complete 24 Hours of Le Mans results

| Year | Team | Co-Drivers | Car | Class | Laps | Pos. | Class Pos. |
| 2024 | United Autosports | Hiroshi Hamaguchi Nico Pino | McLaren 720S GT3 Evo | LMGT3 | 212 | DNF | DNF |