Beyond the Flag
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IndyCar: Way-too-early top 10 drivers for 2020

By Asher Fair

FORT WORTH, TEXAS - JUNE 08: Takuma Sato of Japan, driver of the #30 ABeam Consulting Honda, races Scott Dixon of New Zealand, driver of the #9 PNC Bank Chip Ganassi Racing Honda, at the start of the NTT IndyCar Series DXC Technology 600 at Texas Motor Speedway on June 08, 2019 in Fort Worth, Texas. (Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images)
FORT WORTH, TEXAS - JUNE 08: Takuma Sato of Japan, driver of the #30 ABeam Consulting Honda, races Scott Dixon of New Zealand, driver of the #9 PNC Bank Chip Ganassi Racing Honda, at the start of the NTT IndyCar Series DXC Technology 600 at Texas Motor Speedway on June 08, 2019 in Fort Worth, Texas. (Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images) /
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MONTEREY, CALIFORNIA – SEPTEMBER 19: Takuma Sato of Japan, driver of the #30 ABeam Honda (Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images)
MONTEREY, CALIFORNIA – SEPTEMBER 19: Takuma Sato of Japan, driver of the #30 ABeam Honda (Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images) /

No. 10 – Takuma Sato

Takuma Sato, the driver of the #30 Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing Honda, was retained by Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing for the third consecutive season and for the fourth season overall next year, as his contract was extended toward the end of the 2019 season.

Throughout Sato’s 10-year career in IndyCar, inconsistency has been his Achilles heel. He has previously gone on stints of six DNFs in eight races, nine DNFs in 10 races and six consecutive DNFs.

While he has certainly improved in recent years and his best three finishes in the championship standings have come in each of the last three seasons, he is still hindered by this inconsistency.

Even in the 2019 season, in which he doubled his career-high win total with two victories and he doubled his career-high podium finish total with four podium finishes, he still illustrated this inconsistency.

At one point, his best finish in four-race span was 19th place, and this was his only finish during this span. He also went on a 10-race span with just one finish higher than 10th. That one finish was a victory.

However, he qualifies for these rankings because of the fact that it finally seems as though he has found out how to win. After winning just two races in his first eight and a half seasons in the sport, he earned three victories within a calendar year starting late in the 2018 season, his return season to Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing after spending five years elsewhere.