Takuma Sato headed into his first season in Formula One with heavy expectation on his shoulders.

Many believe Sato will prove to be the best Grand Prix driver Japan has yet produced.

That may not be saying very much - most of the country's previous hopefuls have arrived with a talent that was outstripped by the size of the bank account that bought them their drive.

But Sato has probably done just about enough to prove that he deserves a second season to consolidate on what he achieved in 2002.

Sato made an awful lot of mistakes, but they appeared to be as a result of trying too hard rather than being out of his depth.

There were enough flashes of talent to convince that Sato could make it in F1 – as long as he can settle himself down.

And at Suzuka in the final race of the season, he did that to produce a quick, steady and controlled drive to score his first points.

Nevertheless, although he has a contract with Jordan for 2003, the departure of Honda has put his future in doubt, and it remains to be seen whether he will get a second chance.