Jenson Button vs Takuma Sato

2004·

Jenson Button beat Takuma Sato 15–3 on race day and 10–8 in qualifying at BAR in 2004. Jenson Button scored 85 points to 34.

Jenson ButtonTakuma Sato

10Qualifying8

18 shared races

15Race day3

18 shared races

85Points34

in shared races, as awarded at the time

206Points (today’s rules)89

in shared races, rescored 25-18-15…

Wins: 0/0
Podiums: 10/1
Poles: 1/0
Retirements: 3/5
Best finish: P2/P3
Avg. grid: 5.5/8.2

Race by race

Round-by-round comparison of Jenson Button and Takuma Sato
R	Grand Prix	Grid	Jenson Button	Takuma Sato	Points
1	1Australian Grand Prix	4/7	P6	P9	3 / 0
2	2Malaysian Grand Prix	6/20	P3	P15▼	6 / 0
3	3Bahrain Grand Prix	6/5	P3	P5	6 / 4
4	4San Marino Grand Prix	1/7	P2	P16▼	8 / 0
5	5Spanish Grand Prix	14/3	P8▼	P5	1 / 4
6	6Monaco Grand Prix	2/7	P2	Engine	8 / 0
7	7European Grand Prix	5/2	P3	Engine	6 / 0
8	8Canadian Grand Prix	2/20	P3	Engine	6 / 0
9	9United States Grand Prix	4/3	Gearbox	P3▲	0 / 6
10	10French Grand Prix	4/7	P5	Engine	4 / 0
11	11British Grand Prix	3/8	P4	P11	5 / 0
12	12German Grand Prix	13/8	P2	P8	8 / 1
13	13Hungarian Grand Prix	4/3	P5	P6	4 / 3
14	14Belgian Grand Prix	12/15	Collision	Collision	0 / 0
15	15Italian Grand Prix	6/5	P3	P4	6 / 5
16	16Chinese Grand Prix	3/18	P2	P6	8 / 3
17	17Japanese Grand Prix	5/4	P3	P4	6 / 5
18	18Brazilian Grand Prix	5/6	Engine	P6	0 / 3
	Average finish		P3.6	P7.5

How to read this table

The driver ahead in a round is shown in bold, the other in grey. Grid shows Jenson Button / Takuma Sato.
P1 a win,P3 a podium,DNF a retirement.
▲ a finish at least 4 places better than that driver’s own average finish this season (see the average row), ▼ at least 4places worse. Retirements are not counted in the average.

Jenson Button and Takuma Sato in other seasons

Other seasons in which Jenson Button and Takuma Sato were teammates
Season	Team	Matchup	Quali	Race	Points
2005	BAR	Jenson Button vs Takuma Sato	14–1	14–0	37–1

Jenson Button’s career Takuma Sato’s career BAR 2004 season All teammate battles

How these numbers are calculated

Only races both drivers started are counted. Entries that did not qualify, did not pre-qualify or were withdrawn are excluded, as are cars that never left the grid or the garage, and the Indianapolis 500 of 1950–1960.
Until the mid-1960s drivers could share a car during a race. Each driver is compared from the car they started (which sets their grid position), with the best result of any car they drove and the points from all of them, as officially credited.
Qualifying is compared on grid position rather than session times. Session-by-session qualifying data only exists from 1994, while grid position is recorded for over 99% of entries right back to 1950 — including every race of the 1950s, 60s and 70s.
On race day the driver classified ahead takes the round. If neither was classified, the one who completed more laps is credited; if both retired on the same lap it is scored as a tie and excluded from the tally.
Points are those awarded at the time and include sprint races from 2021. Where the season used an older system, a second points row rescores every round under the current system so seasons from different eras can be compared.
These are points scored in the races both drivers started, not their season totals: races either missed, or contested alongside a different teammate, are left out. Up to 1990 even full-season totals differ from the championship standings, because only a driver’s best results counted towards the title. In 1988 Alain Prost outscored Ayrton Senna 105 to 94 and still lost the championship. Theseason page has the final standings.