Takuma Sato takes the blame for heartbreaking Indy 500 return

Two-time Indy 500 winner Takuma Sato recently opened up about his crash during the second day of the open test at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The open test is a part of the preparation for the upcoming 109th running of the Indianapolis 500, which will take place on May 25.

Sato suffered a huge crash on April 24 during the boosted session on day 2 of the open test. He spun and hit the safety barrier after the rear of his car gave way just before Turn 2. The 48-year-old experienced approximately a 94G impact but walked away from the wreck without any injuries.

Post the session, while talking to IndyCar's Paul Kelly, Takuma Sato took the blame for the crash and called it heartbreaking.

“I lost it; I simply lost it. It’s hard. My body is fine. It’s just the car … I lost the car. That’s heartbreaking.” he said.

Prior to him crashing, Sato set the fastest lap during the 'boosted' session with a lap of 232.565 mph. During day 1 of the testing, he placed third fastest during the boosted session.

Sato will be participating in the 'Greatest Spectacle of Racing' this year with Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing in the #75 AMADA Honda, and it will mark his 16th start at the prestigious event. The Japanese driver previously won the Indy 500 in 2017 with Andretti Autosport (now Andretti Global) and in 2020 with his current team, Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing.

Takuma Sato will be looking to add a third Indianapolis 500 win to his name this year.

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Takuma Sato speaks about 'Game-Changing' hybrid system after day one of testing

The Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing driver Takuma Sato recently opened up about the hybrid system. The 48-year-old drove the car with the system for the first time on day 1 of the open test at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

Introduced mid-season last year at the Mid-Ohio race in July, the hybrid system marks its first full season in 2025.

The two-time Indy 500 winner detailed the pros and cons of the system and also highlighted how the added 100 pounds makes the car a little challenging to drive. Here's what he said in a video uploaded by IndyCar on April 23, after his first session.

"What I like is the hybrid. It's quite fun, actually. Regen and deploy is a totally new experience.” (1:43 onwards)

“You can feel the power. You can feel what's happening and that's good. The downside is obviously weight. You know, everybody's saying that it's more than 100 lbs on the back of the car. Just when you get the sensation of getting to the corner, the back of the car, it's just to keep rotating, which it's not a positive way for me. So we need to work onto the car.”

“It's definitely a game changer for that because the setup we been having competitive one is not entirely sure that 100% apply."