Super Aguri F1 was a
Formula One
Formula One (also known as Formula 1 or F1) is the highest class of international racing for open-wheel single-seater formula racing cars sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA). The World Drivers' Championship, ...
team that competed from to . The team, founded by former F1 driver
Aguri Suzuki
Aguri may refer to:
*Aguri (caste), Bengali Hindu agricultural caste in India
*Aguri Igarashi (born 1975), female manga artist from Japan
* Aguri Suzuki (born 1960), former racing driver from Japan
**Aguri Suzuki F-1 Super Driving, Formula One si ...
, was based in Tokyo, Japan, but operated from the former
Arrows factory at the
Leafield Technical Centre
Leafield Technical Centre is a former radio transmission station, now turned motorsports centre of excellence, located in the hamlet of Langley, in the western part of the village of Leafield in Oxfordshire, England.
Developed from 1912 as a radi ...
, Oxfordshire, England. The cars were referred to as Super Aguri Hondas, with the team functioning to some degree as an unofficial
Honda
is a Japanese public multinational conglomerate manufacturer of automobiles, motorcycles, and power equipment, headquartered in Minato, Tokyo, Japan.
Honda has been the world's largest motorcycle manufacturer since 1959, reaching a product ...
'B'-team. After participating in the championship for 2 years and 4 months, the team withdrew from F1 after 4 races in the season due to financial difficulties. Throughout the team's time in the sport, it scored four points, all of which were scored by
Takuma Sato
, nicknamed "Taku", is a Japanese professional racing driver. Sato is a two time winner of the Indianapolis 500, having won the event in 2017 and 2020. He was the first Asian driver to win the Indianapolis 500, and the twentieth driver to win th ...
during the season.
Team creation
Honda had completed the buyout of
British American Racing
British American Racing (BAR) was a Formula One constructor that competed in the sport from 1999 to 2005. BAR began by acquiring Tyrrell, and used Supertec engines for their first year. Subsequently, they formed a partnership with Honda which l ...
at the end of 2005, keeping
Jenson Button
Jenson Alexander Lyons Button (born 19 January 1980) is a British racing driver. He won the 2009 Formula One World Championship when he drove for the Brawn GP team. After his F1 career, he became champion of the 2018 season of the Super GT ...
as lead driver, but displacing
Takuma Sato
, nicknamed "Taku", is a Japanese professional racing driver. Sato is a two time winner of the Indianapolis 500, having won the event in 2017 and 2020. He was the first Asian driver to win the Indianapolis 500, and the twentieth driver to win th ...
in favor of
Rubens Barrichello
Rubens "Rubinho" Gonçalves Barrichello (, ; born 23 May 1972) is a Brazilian professional racing driver who competed in Formula One between and . He currently competes full-time in the Brazilian Stock Car Pro Series, driving the No. 111 Toy ...
after Sato scored only a single point that year, which was his second full season with the team. In Japan, public pressure and Sato's continued popularity persuaded Honda to help Sato continue to compete in Formula One. This was influential in the creation of Super Aguri's F1 project and the engine supply from Super Aguri's official partner Honda.
Talks to start the team began in February 2005, but it was not until September that plans started to take shape. The team registered its intention to enter the Formula One World Championship to the
FIA
FIA is the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (English: International Automobile Federation), the world's governing body for all forms of motor sport where four or more wheels are used.
Fia or FIA may also refer to: People
* Fia Backst ...
, Formula One's governing body, on 1 November (ahead of the governing body's 15 November deadline). However, the FIA's official press release of the entry list for 2006 confirmed that it had not approved Super Aguri's entry: this was reported to be due to the team's failure to produce the required $48 million entry bond on time. The team re-applied for entry in 2006, and continued to prepare cars for the upcoming season.
Having missed the initial registration, the team needed to convince the existing ten teams to unanimously agree to its entry. It appeared that the
Midland team was blocking on the grounds of potentially reduced TV revenue, but it was eventually granted the necessary unanimous agreement and the team's entry was confirmed by the FIA on 26 January 2006.
Racing history
2006
In , the cars were powered by customer Honda engines (RA806E 2.4 V8), and used
Bridgestone
is a Japanese multinational tire manufacturer founded in 1931 by Shojiro Ishibashi (1889–1976) in the city of Kurume, Fukuoka, Japan. The name Bridgestone comes from a calque translation and transposition of , meaning 'stone bridge' in Japan ...
tyres. The chassis,
SA05, was an updated version of the
Arrows A23, bought from ex-
Minardi
Minardi was an Italian automobile racing team and constructor founded in Faenza in 1979 by Giancarlo Minardi. It competed in the Formula One World Championship from 1985 until 2005 with little success, nevertheless acquiring a loyal followin ...
principal
Paul Stoddart
Paul Stoddart (born 26 May 1955) is an Australian businessman, airline owner and former Minardi Formula One team boss.
Personal life
Born in Coburg, Melbourne, Australia, and attended Preston Technical School and St Joseph's College Melbou ...
who purchased them when the Arrows team went into receivership. As such, the team's car, infrastructure and even operating base had its origins with
TWR Arrows. Underlining the links to the former team, the technical side was overseen by former Arrows engineer Mark Preston, who brought many of the old Arrows mechanics back with him.
The team had announced plans to produce a new in-house chassis later on in the 2006 season, possibly for the European races, but this never came into fruition. Instead, the team updated their older chassis to become the
SA06 – a change which was visible from the German Grand Prix at Hockenheim, onwards.
Takuma Sato
, nicknamed "Taku", is a Japanese professional racing driver. Sato is a two time winner of the Indianapolis 500, having won the event in 2017 and 2020. He was the first Asian driver to win the Indianapolis 500, and the twentieth driver to win th ...
and
Yuji Ide
(born 21 January 1975) is a Japanese racing driver. He is the 2005 Formula Nippon runner-up and the 2010 Suzuka 1000km winner. He competed in Formula One with the Super Aguri team in 2006, but was demoted to third driver after four races and ...
were the initial race drivers for the team in the 2006 season, with
Franck Montagny
Franck Montagny (born 5 January 1978) is a retired French professional racing driver. He briefly raced for the Super Aguri Formula One team in 2006.
Early career
Born in Feurs, Loire, Montagny started racing karts there in 1988, winning the cade ...
as the third driver. Ide's selection was puzzling due to his age (the oldest F1 rookie at 31 years), lack of European racing experience, and not speaking English; nonetheless, Aguri Suzuki was initially adamant on promoting Japanese talent.
On 4 May, after four races, the team announced that Montagny would be replacing Ide as race driver in the and subsequent races, after Ide's Super Licence was revoked after a clash with
Christijan Albers
Christijan Albers () (born 16 April 1979) is a Dutch former professional racing driver. After success in the DTM he drove in Formula One from until the 2007 British Grand Prix, shortly after which he was dropped by the Spyker F1 team.
In 200 ...
.
The team made it onto the grid for the start of the season. In its debut race at Bahrain, Sato successfully completed the Grand Prix while Ide retired on lap 35 with a mechanical failure and after nearly running over his pit crew. Suzuki deemed this race to be a good test for the team as the car had only done a maximum of 10 laps during pre-season testing. The team's second race (in
Malaysia
Malaysia ( ; ) is a country in Southeast Asia. The federation, federal constitutional monarchy consists of States and federal territories of Malaysia, thirteen states and three federal territories, separated by the South China Sea into two r ...
) was little better, with again only Sato finishing the race.
Super Aguri's third race, the , saw significant improvement. Ide said "This is the first time that both Taku and I have finished a race, so I am happy about that."
![Franck Montagny 2006 French Grand Prix](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/1b/Franck_Montagny_2006_French_Grand_Prix.jpg)
At the , Ide was involved in a collision with
Midland driver
Christijan Albers
Christijan Albers () (born 16 April 1979) is a Dutch former professional racing driver. After success in the DTM he drove in Formula One from until the 2007 British Grand Prix, shortly after which he was dropped by the Spyker F1 team.
In 200 ...
, sending Albers into a series of spectacular rolls although incredibly he was unharmed. Ide was reprimanded by the race stewards.
For the , Ide and Montagny swapped roles within the team with Ide being demoted to test driver, at the request of the FIA, who felt Ide needed more experience outside of the Grand Prix. On 10 May 2006, the FIA Permit Office revoked Ide's
Super Licence
The FIA Super Licence is a driver's qualification allowing the holder to compete in the Formula One World Championship.
Requirements Super Licence
To qualify for an FIA Racing Super Licence an applicant must meet the requirements of the FIA's Inte ...
, thus preventing his return to an F1 seat until at least the 2007 season.
Montagny raced until and including the , and on 8 June 2006
Sakon Yamamoto
is a Japanese racing driver turned politician. He competed in 21 Formula One Grands Prix during the , 2007 and 2010 seasons.
Before Formula One
Yamamoto was born in Toyohashi, Aichi Prefecture. He began his racing career in 1994 at the Suzuka ...
became Super Aguri's third driver. Montagny and Yamamoto swapped roles for the , with Yamamoto taking over Super Aguri's second car.
When the updated car (the SA06) was first raced in the German Grand Prix, it managed to impress, with decent qualifying positions (managing to outperform the Midland F1 Team), although failing to finish the race.
The team's improving form culminated with an impressive tenth place at the from Sato, whilst Yamamoto set the seventh-fastest
fastest lap
In motorsport, the fastest lap is the quickest lap run during a race. Some racing series, like Formula One, Formula 2 and Formula E award championship points for a driver or team that set the fastest lap.
In Grand Prix motorcycle racing no point i ...
, less than a second behind most of the points-finishers.
2007
![Takuma Sato 2007 Britain 2](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/fb/Takuma_Sato_2007_Britain_2.jpg)
Reports suggesting that the team would be using the works
Honda
is a Japanese public multinational conglomerate manufacturer of automobiles, motorcycles, and power equipment, headquartered in Minato, Tokyo, Japan.
Honda has been the world's largest motorcycle manufacturer since 1959, reaching a product ...
chassis of 2006 came under intense resistance by rival teams Williams and Spyker, who contested that the practice was against Formula One regulations. The teams cited the fact that the Concorde Agreement mandated a car may not use any parts designed or constructed by another manufacturer of Formula One cars. Super Aguri (as well as Scuderia Toro Rosso and Red Bull) seemed to be in violation about this. The FIA however did not have the authority to act on the Concorde Agreement without the matter already being resolved in court. However, Super Aguri (as well as the Red Bull teams) stated that they were in compliance with the sport's regulations, though the matter was still of great contention.
Super Aguri announced on 15 November 2006 that Takuma Sato and
Anthony Davidson
Anthony Denis Davidson (born 18 April 1979) is a British former racing driver, currently working as an analyst for the Sky Sports F1 television channel, as part of the commentary team for WEC TV, as colour commentator for the F1 series of vid ...
(previously Honda third and test driver) would be driving for the team in 2007. Super Aguri also confirmed, on 15 December, that
Giedo van der Garde
Giedo Gijsbertus Gerrit van der Garde (born 25 April 1985 in Rhenen, Netherlands) is a Dutch racing driver, currently competing in the 2022 IMSA SportsCar Championship for TDS Racing. From 2018 to 2021 he competed in the FIA World Endurance Cha ...
would be their third driver in the 2007 season. However, the
Dutchman left for
Spyker F1
The Spyker F1 Team, known as the Etihad Aldar Spyker F1 Team for sponsorship reasons, was a Formula One team that competed in the 2007 Formula One World Championship with a Dutch licence. It was created by Spyker Cars after their buyout of the ...
before the season began. Sakon Yamamoto, who was a second driver in late 2006, went back to being a test driver in 2007.
The team suffered a major setback when their car for 2007 failed the
FIA
FIA is the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (English: International Automobile Federation), the world's governing body for all forms of motor sport where four or more wheels are used.
Fia or FIA may also refer to: People
* Fia Backst ...
crash test, with the rear of the car being destroyed more than is allowed. On 2 March, Super Aguri pushed back the launch of its new car by two days, with the SA07 unveiled less than 48 hours before the first practice session for the Australian Grand Prix. Team's drivers Davidson and Sato shocked many people with getting 10th and 11th place in qualifying for Australian GP. Until this, the best result in qualification set by this team was 17th place (by Takuma Sato). Sato dropped to 12th by the race's end, while
Anthony Davidson
Anthony Denis Davidson (born 18 April 1979) is a British former racing driver, currently working as an analyst for the Sky Sports F1 television channel, as part of the commentary team for WEC TV, as colour commentator for the F1 series of vid ...
's race was ruined on the very first lap when
Spyker's Adrian Sutil
Adrian Sutil (; born 11 January 1983) is a German-Uruguayan racing driver who raced in Formula One for seven seasons: from 2007–2011, then 2013–2014. He drove for the Spyker F1 Team, Force India F1 Team and the Sauber F1 Team. He was also t ...
collided with him after a failed passing move. Davidson's car was thrown into the air, severely jarring his back upon landing. He drove through the pain to finish 16th and was taken to hospital following the race.
![Anthony Davidson 2007 Brazil free practice](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/ce/Anthony_Davidson_2007_Brazil_free_practice.jpg)
Shortly before the
2007 Australian Grand Prix
The 2007 Australian Grand Prix (officially the 2007 Formula 1 ING Australian Grand Prix) was a Formula One motor race held on 18 March 2007 at the Melbourne Grand Prix Circuit, Melbourne, Australia. It was the first race of the 2007 FIA Formula ...
, the team announced
SS United Group Oil & Gas Company as its title sponsor. Also in 2007 Super Aguri signed an official supplier agreement with Speakerbus to supply race intercom. However, SS United Group defaulted on sponsorship payments, forcing the team to cut as many as 30 staff.
At the the team scored its first point ever, when
Takuma Sato
, nicknamed "Taku", is a Japanese professional racing driver. Sato is a two time winner of the Indianapolis 500, having won the event in 2017 and 2020. He was the first Asian driver to win the Indianapolis 500, and the twentieth driver to win th ...
finished in 8th place. The Japanese driver benefited from the high attrition rate which saw cars usually in the points from
Ferrari
Ferrari S.p.A. (; ) is an Italian luxury sports car manufacturer based in Maranello, Italy. Founded by Enzo Ferrari (1898–1988) in 1939 from the Alfa Romeo racing division as ''Auto Avio Costruzioni'', the company built its first car in ...
,
BMW Sauber
BMW has been involved in Formula One in a number of capacities since the inauguration of the World Drivers' Championship in . The company entered occasional races in the 1950s and 1960s (often under Formula Two regulations), before building th ...
,
Toyota
is a Japanese multinational automotive manufacturer headquartered in Toyota City, Aichi, Japan. It was founded by Kiichiro Toyoda and incorporated on . Toyota is one of the largest automobile manufacturers in the world, producing about 10 ...
and
Williams drop out.
At the the team scored its highest finish to that date, with Takuma Sato finishing 6th and garnering 3 points, passing defending world champion Fernando Alonso on track en route. ITV commentators mention that had it not been for a botched pit stop, Sato may have finished as high as fourth. Teammate Davidson also looked set to finish in the points until he hit a gopher which ran across the track, forcing him to pit and leaving him out of the points.
After the ,
Sakon Yamamoto
is a Japanese racing driver turned politician. He competed in 21 Formula One Grands Prix during the , 2007 and 2010 seasons.
Before Formula One
Yamamoto was born in Toyohashi, Aichi Prefecture. He began his racing career in 1994 at the Suzuka ...
was signed up by the Spyker F1 team for the remainder of the season, filling in the seat left vacant by
Christijan Albers
Christijan Albers () (born 16 April 1979) is a Dutch former professional racing driver. After success in the DTM he drove in Formula One from until the 2007 British Grand Prix, shortly after which he was dropped by the Spyker F1 team.
In 200 ...
.
2008
![Davidson Sepang 2008](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/06/Davidson_Sepang_2008.jpg)
Super Aguri kept their drivers
Takuma Sato
, nicknamed "Taku", is a Japanese professional racing driver. Sato is a two time winner of the Indianapolis 500, having won the event in 2017 and 2020. He was the first Asian driver to win the Indianapolis 500, and the twentieth driver to win th ...
and
Anthony Davidson
Anthony Denis Davidson (born 18 April 1979) is a British former racing driver, currently working as an analyst for the Sky Sports F1 television channel, as part of the commentary team for WEC TV, as colour commentator for the F1 series of vid ...
, following the acquisition of an unspecified portion of the team by the
Magma Group.
Luca Filippi
Luca Filippi (born 9 August 1985 in Savigliano, Italy) is an Italian auto racing driver. He competed in GP2 Series from 2006 to 2012, and the IndyCar Series from 2013 to 2016. In 2008 he was the official Honda Racing F1 test driver.
Career
Formu ...
was once linked to a drive in 2008. However, he then signed to the
GP2 team
ART Grand Prix
ART Grand Prix is a French motor racing team that competes in formula single-seaters in Europe. In 2012, it competed in the GP2 Series and GP3 Series as Lotus GP to reflect sponsorship from British sports and racing car manufacturer Lotus. The ...
partnering
Romain Grosjean
Romain David Jeremie Grosjean (; born 17 April 1986) is a Swiss-French professional racing driver, competing under the French flag in the NTT IndyCar Series, driving the No. 28 Honda for Andretti Autosport. Grosjean had previously spent nine ...
. On 8 January 2008 the team announced that the
SA08 would be launched in
Barcelona
Barcelona ( , , ) is a city on the coast of northeastern Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within ci ...
, Spain. On 12 February Super Aguri postponed the
SA08 launch and did not announce for how long due to their uncertainty of the future of the team. The team then said that although it had cancelled its attendance at the final pre-season tests because some parts had not arrived, it expected to compete at the first race of the 2008 season in Australia. However, Magma pulled out of their proposed takeover, leaving Super Aguri's future in doubt again.
The Super Aguri F1 Team travelled to Barcelona and competed in the
2008 Spanish Grand Prix
The 2008 Spanish Grand Prix (formally the Formula 1 Gran Premio de España Telefónica 2008) was a Formula One motor race held on 27 April 2008 at the Circuit de Catalunya, Montmeló, Spain. It was the fourth race of the 2008 Formula One World Cha ...
, allegedly aided by financial support from
Bernie Ecclestone
Bernard Charles Ecclestone (born 28 October 1930) is an English business magnate. He is the former chief executive of the Formula One Group, which manages Formula One motor racing and controls the commercial rights to the sport, and part-owns ...
. On arrival at the
Istanbul Park
Intercity Istanbul Park ( tr, İstanbul Park), also known as the Istanbul Racing Circuit or initially as the Istanbul Otodrom, is a motor sports race track in the Tuzla, Istanbul, Tuzla district of Istanbul, Turkey. It was designed by the well ...
for the
2008 Turkish Grand Prix
The 2008 Turkish Grand Prix (officially the 2008 Formula 1 Petrol Ofisi Turkish Grand Prix) was a Formula One motor race held on 11 May 2008 at the Istanbul Racing Circuit, Tuzla, Turkey. The 58-lap race, the fifth of the 2008 Formula One World Ch ...
, Super Aguri's trucks and motorhomes were denied entry to the circuit, because Honda Racing CEO
Nick Fry
Nicholas Richard Fry (born 29 June 1956 in the United Kingdom) is the former Chief Executive Officer of the Mercedes AMG Petronas Formula One Team, having previously served in similar roles at previous incarnations of the company.
His career i ...
reportedly told the race organizers that Super Aguri would not be taking part. On 6 May 2008, team founder and principal
Aguri Suzuki
Aguri may refer to:
*Aguri (caste), Bengali Hindu agricultural caste in India
*Aguri Igarashi (born 1975), female manga artist from Japan
* Aguri Suzuki (born 1960), former racing driver from Japan
**Aguri Suzuki F-1 Super Driving, Formula One si ...
announced that they were to withdraw from the
2008 FIA Formula One World Championship with immediate effect due to financial problems,
citing the breach of contract by the promised partner
SS United Group Oil & Gas Company resulting in the loss of financial backing as putting the team into financial difficulties.
It was confirmed on 7 May that Super Aguri had gone into administration, after a team of corporate recovery partners was appointed to seek a buyer for the operation.
In spite of the fact that it is mentioned the Magma Group pulled out, it was down to Nick Fry not accepting the 3-year debt payment plan Magma Group proposed. Fry wanted the whole payment at once or he would not allow the team to compete.
The team's assets were bought by German businessman
Franz Hilmer (
Formtech GmbH), who applied unsuccessfully to enter the
2010 FIA Formula One World Championship using the
Brabham
Brabham () is the common name for Motor Racing Developments Ltd., a British racing car manufacturer and Formula One racing team. Founded in 1960 by Australian driver Jack Brabham and British-Australian designer Ron Tauranac, the team won four ...
name. The intellectual property of the team is still owned by Formtech Composites, which is situated at the factory in Leafield, United Kingdom.
Complete Formula One results
(
key
Key or The Key may refer to:
Common meanings
* Key (cryptography), a piece of information that controls the operation of a cryptography algorithm
* Key (lock), device used to control access to places or facilities restricted by a lock
* Key (map ...
)
References
External links
Super Aguri profile page at Formula1.comAn archived version of Super Aguri's profile page at Formula 1.com
{{Formula One constructors
Formula One constructors
Formula One entrants
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Japanese racecar constructors
Companies established in 2006