Taito Kato: ‘Pole was possible’ as ART driver targets podiums in both Barcelona races

Taito Kato was left with mixed feelings after Barcelona Qualifying in which the Japanese driver finished P5 in the order, but felt pole position wasn’t out of the question.

The ART Grand Prix rookie was in the mix at the sharp end throughout the session around the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, and was hoping to earn his maiden P1 on Friday.

However, he says his hopes took a hit after traffic and fighting for track position on his preparation lap left him with a less than ideal warm-up.

“A bit frustrated, to be honest,” he analysed afterwards. “The car’s potential was enough to fight for pole position, but obviously, traffic in Sector 3 is massive, and I couldn't get a proper preparation lap, so I think we were missing like two or three tenths easily.

“If I gained two or three tenths, it's fighting for pole position. I tried to make a gap. but everyone was in like T10, T12, and then everyone stopped the car, so some guys tried to overtake in front, and it's really messy and really difficult.

“So, yeah, a big shame, but still solid work from the team and car potential was really high, and now we’re looking forward to both races.”

Kato’s P5 was his best Qualifying result of the season so far and a big result after missing out on the top 12 last weekend in Monte Carlo.

The ART driver said that following Round 2, he was happy to be in the mix at the front and believes he and the team can compete for major points based off the team’s pre-season form around Barcelona.

“After such a difficult weekend in Monaco, we were out of top 12 drivers. But here, we knew, we had a lot of confidence going into the race weekend.

“The winter test here in Barcelona, we were always fighting for top three, top five. So, we know car potential is there, and pace is there as well. So, I have confidence as well, just before the Qualifying.

“And then solid work in P5 qualifying, but not fully satisfied with the result, so overall, it's a happy result.”

Looking ahead to Saturday when he will go from eighth on the reverse grid in the Sprint Race, Kato said that a podium result wasn’t out of the question, but a lot would depend on tyre management and who can keep the Hard Pirelli compound in good shape.

Come Sunday though, the Japanese driver said that a podium has to be the aim, and he’ll be pulling out all the stops to make it happen.

“I think both races are a good opportunity, going from P8 in the Sprint and P5 on Sunday. I think still fighting for each podium is possible.

“I think it’s a good opportunity at the front, and I know this track has such a big tyre degradation, so I'm still thinking about how to manage with tyre degradation, but yeah, it will be really good.

“We have confidence with the race pace, to be honest, from lap one. Melbourne was such a good weekend in terms of race pace, so we will keep pushing like this, and let's see how it goes. I will be making big moves!”