The Super Aguri SA08 is 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, ...

racing car with which

Super Aguri F1 Super Aguri F1 was a Formula One team that competed from to . The team, founded by former F1 driver Aguri Suzuki, was based in Tokyo, Japan, but operated from the former Arrows factory at the Leafield Technical Centre, Oxfordshire, England. ...

competed in the

2008 Formula One season The 2008 FIA Formula One World Championship was the 62nd season of Formula One motor racing, recognised by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA) – the governing body of motorsport – as the highest class of competition ...

Overview

The SA08, similarly to the SA07, was a reworked design of the prior season's Honda F1 car - the RA107. Pre season testing did not start well for the team. At the scheduled January test in

Jerez Jerez de la Frontera (), or simply Jerez (), is a Spanish city and municipality in the province of Cádiz in the autonomous community of Andalusia, in southwestern Spain, located midway between the Atlantic Ocean and the Cádiz Mountains. , the c ...

James Rossiter James Rossiter (born 25 August 1983) is a former professional racing driver, British motorsport executive and Team Principal of Maserati MSG Racing in Formula E. He was a Test Driver for BAR, Honda, Super Aguri and Force India in Formula One an ...

was limited to just 10 laps in three days of testing due to parts issues. The team fared better at the February test, with 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 vide ...

completing consistent running of around 100 laps each per day. However, as the team progressed toward the season financial difficulties became apparent. While the SA08 passed its mandatory

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 Backs ...

crash test, the launch was cancelled and the team did not attend the final pre season test at

Catalunya Catalonia (; ca, Catalunya ; Aranese Occitan: ''Catalonha'' ; es, Cataluña ) is an autonomous community of Spain, designated as a ''nationality'' by its Statute of Autonomy. Most of the territory (except the Val d'Aran) lies on the north ...

. Ahead of the first Grand Prix, it was understood the Magma Group were to acquire Super Aguri, and at this stage Takuma Sato and Anthony Davidson were confirmed as the race drivers for the SA08. Later, James Rossiter would be appointed test driver. At the first race in Australia, the team arrived with the SA08 and unveiled the car officially during Friday practice. It was finished in a red, white and black livery however was bereft of sponsors. Sato outqualified Renault driver

Nelson Piquet Jr. Nelson Angelo Tamsma Piquet Souto Maior (born July 25, 1985), also known as Nelson Piquet Junior or Nelsinho Piquet, is a Brazilian stock car racing driver and former Formula One and Formula E driver where he was champion in the 2014–15 seaso ...

In the race, both cars would retire. Davidson from a collision involving

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 G ...

, Mark Webber and Sebastian Vettel whilst Sato suffered transmission failure on lap 32. 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 ...

, Sato once again qualified 20th this time ahead of

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 ...

. Both SA08's were able to finish with Davidson in 15th and Sato in 16th. By

Bahrain Bahrain ( ; ; ar, البحرين, al-Bahrayn, locally ), officially the Kingdom of Bahrain, ' is an island country in Western Asia. It is situated on the Persian Gulf, and comprises a small archipelago made up of 50 natural islands and an ...

, the SA08 was off the pace, with Davidson qualifying 21st behind Sutil by nearly four tenths of a second. Sato crashed causing wing and suspension damage to his car, leaving him with a best time that was over four and a half seconds slower than the best time of qualifying. 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 ...

would be the SA08, and the Super Aguri team as a whole's final Grand Prix. Qualifying on the back row once again, Davidson was forced to retire on lap 21 and while Takuma Sato was the final classified car in 13th place. Ahead of the next race in

Turkey Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a transcontinental country located mainly on the Anatolian Peninsula in Western Asia, with a small portion on the Balkan Peninsula in ...

, the team's trucks were barred from accessing the circuit. The Magma Group takeover collapsed, and a later deal from the Weigl Group did not pass

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 producti ...

's scrutiny. Therefore the SA08 would not race in

again.

Complete Formula One results

( key)

References

External links

Super Aguri profile at GPRejects.com
{{Honda Super Aguri Formula One cars 2008 Formula One season cars