Super Aguri F1 facts for kids
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| Full name | Super Aguri F1 Team |
|---|---|
| Base | Leafield Technical Centre, Oxfordshire, United Kingdom |
| Founder(s) | Aguri Suzuki |
| Noted staff | Mark Preston Daniele Audetto |
| Noted drivers |  Takuma Sato Anthony Davidson Franck Montagny Sakon Yamamoto Yuji Ide |
| Formula One World Championship career | |
| First entry | 2006 Bahrain Grand Prix |
| Races entered | 39 |
| Engines | Honda |
| Constructors' Championships |
0 |
| Drivers' Championships |
0 |
| Race victories | 0 |
| Points | 4 |
| Pole positions | 0 |
| Fastest laps | 0 |
| Final entry | 2008 Spanish Grand Prix |
Super Aguri F1 was a Formula One racing team. It competed in the F1 championship from 2006 to 2008. The team was started by former F1 driver Aguri Suzuki.
Even though it was based in Tokyo, Japan, the team operated from a factory in England. This factory used to belong to another F1 team called Arrows. Super Aguri cars used Honda engines. Many people saw the team as an unofficial 'B'-team for Honda.
Super Aguri raced for two years and four months. It had to leave F1 after only four races in the 2008 season. This was because the team ran into money problems. During its time in F1, the team earned four points. All these points were scored by driver Takuma Sato in the 2007 season.
Contents
How the Team Started
Honda's Role in Super Aguri
At the end of 2005, Honda took over the British American Racing team. They kept Jenson Button as a main driver. However, Takuma Sato was replaced by Rubens Barrichello. Sato had only scored one point that year.
In Japan, many fans wanted Sato to keep racing in Formula One. Honda decided to help Sato stay in the sport. This support was a big reason why the Super Aguri F1 project began. Honda also supplied engines to the new team.
Getting Ready to Race
Talks about starting the team began in February 2005. By September, the plans were becoming clearer. The team told the FIA (the group that runs Formula One) that they wanted to join the championship. This was on November 1, 2005.
However, the FIA first said Super Aguri could not join. This was because the team did not pay a required $48 million entry fee on time. The team tried again to enter for the 2006 season. They kept preparing their cars.
To join, Super Aguri needed all ten existing F1 teams to agree. The Midland team seemed to be against it at first. They worried about less TV money for everyone. But eventually, all teams agreed. The FIA officially confirmed Super Aguri's entry on January 26, 2006.
Racing Seasons
2006 Season: First Steps
In 2006, Super Aguri cars used Honda engines. They also used Bridgestone tyres. The car's chassis, called the SA05, was an updated version of an older Arrows car from 2002. Super Aguri bought these old cars.
Many people from the old Arrows team joined Super Aguri. Mark Preston, a former Arrows engineer, led the technical side. The team had planned to build a new car later in 2006. But this did not happen. Instead, they updated their old car to create the SA06. This new version appeared from the German Grand Prix onwards.
The first drivers for 2006 were Takuma Sato and Yuji Ide. Franck Montagny was the third driver. Ide's choice was unusual because he was 31, which is old for an F1 rookie. He also had little experience racing in Europe and did not speak English.
The team made it to the first race in Bahrain. Sato finished the race, but Ide had to stop early. The team founder, Aguri Suzuki, said this race was a good test. Their car had only done about 10 laps in practice before the season. The second race in Malaysia was similar, with only Sato finishing.
At the third race in Australia, both drivers finished. Ide was happy about this.
At the San Marino Grand Prix, Ide crashed with another driver. The FIA asked for Ide to be replaced. For the European Grand Prix, Ide became a test driver. Montagny took his place as a main driver. On May 10, 2006, the FIA took away Ide's special racing license. This meant he could not race in F1 until at least 2007.
Montagny raced until the French Grand Prix. Then, on June 8, 2006, Sakon Yamamoto became Super Aguri's third driver. Yamamoto later took over Montagny's racing spot for the German Grand Prix.
In the last race of 2006 in Brazil, Sato finished tenth. Yamamoto also set the seventh-fastest lap time.
2007 Season: Scoring Points
For 2007, there were rumors that Super Aguri would use Honda's 2006 car design. Other teams like Williams and Spyker were against this. They said it was against F1 rules to use parts designed by another F1 car maker. Super Aguri said they followed the rules.
On November 15, 2006, Super Aguri announced its drivers for 2007. They were Takuma Sato and Anthony Davidson. Davidson had been a test driver for Honda. Giedo van der Garde was named as the third driver. But he left for another team before the season started. Sakon Yamamoto, who raced in late 2006, became a test driver again.
The team faced a problem when their new 2007 car failed a crash test. The back of the car broke too much. The SA07 car was finally shown just two days before the first practice session in Australia. Drivers Davidson and Sato surprised many by qualifying 10th and 11th. Before this, their best qualifying spot was 17th.
In the Australian race, Sato finished 12th. Davidson's race was ruined on the first lap when another car hit him. Davidson's car flew into the air, hurting his back when it landed. He still finished 16th but went to the hospital afterward.
Before the 2007 Australian Grand Prix, Super Aguri announced a main sponsor, SS United Group Oil & Gas Company. They also signed a deal for race intercom systems. However, SS United Group did not pay their sponsorship money. This forced the team to let go of about 30 staff members.
At the Spanish Grand Prix, the team scored its first-ever point. Takuma Sato finished 8th. Many cars that usually score points had to stop early in that race.
At the Canadian Grand Prix, the team had its best finish yet. Takuma Sato finished 6th, earning three points. He even passed the world champion, Fernando Alonso, during the race. Commentators said Sato might have finished even higher if his pit stop had gone better. Davidson was also set to score points. But he hit a gopher that ran across the track. This made him pit and kept him out of the points.
After the European Grand Prix, Sakon Yamamoto joined the Spyker F1 team for the rest of the season.
2008 Season: The End of the Road
Super Aguri kept Takuma Sato and Anthony Davidson as drivers for 2008. This happened after a group called Magma Group bought part of the team. The team announced that their new car, the SA08, would be shown in Barcelona.
However, on February 12, Super Aguri delayed the SA08 launch. They were unsure about the team's future. The team then said they would miss the final pre-season tests. This was because some parts had not arrived. But they still expected to race in the first event of 2008 in Australia.
Then, the Magma Group pulled out of their deal to take over. This put Super Aguri's future in doubt again. The Super Aguri F1 Team still went to Barcelona and raced in the Spanish Grand Prix. They reportedly got financial help from Bernie Ecclestone, a key figure in F1.
When the team arrived for the Turkish Grand Prix, their trucks were not allowed into the circuit. Reports said that Honda Racing's CEO, Nick Fry, told race organizers that Super Aguri would not be racing.
On May 6, 2008, team founder Aguri Suzuki announced that Super Aguri was leaving the 2008 Formula One World Championship right away. He said this was due to money problems. The main sponsor, SS United Group Oil & Gas Company, had broken their contract and stopped payments. This caused the team's financial difficulties.
On May 7, it was confirmed that Super Aguri had gone into administration. This means a team of experts was brought in to find a buyer for the team's operations.
Even though it was said the Magma Group pulled out, it was also reported that Nick Fry did not accept their payment plan. Fry wanted all the money at once for the team to compete.
A German businessman, Franz Hilmer, later bought the team's assets. He tried to enter the 2010 Formula One World Championship using the Brabham name, but he was not successful. The team's ideas and designs are still owned by a company called Formtech Composites. This company is located at the old factory in England.
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See also
In Spanish: Super Aguri F1 Team para niños
