Super Aguri F1 facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Super Aguri

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. They competed in the F1 championship from 2006 to 2008. The team was started by a former F1 driver named Aguri Suzuki.

Even though the team was based in Tokyo, Japan, their main operations were in England. They used the old factory of another team called Arrows. Their cars were often called Super Aguri Hondas. This was because Honda helped them a lot, almost like a secret partner.

Super Aguri raced for about two years and four months. They had to stop competing in 2008 because they ran out of money. During their time in F1, the team scored a total of four points. All these points were earned by driver Takuma Sato in the 2007 season.

How the Team Started

Honda, a big car company, bought out another racing team in 2005. This meant that driver Takuma Sato lost his spot. But Sato was very popular in Japan. People wanted him to keep racing in Formula One.

So, Honda decided to help Sato. This led to the idea of creating the Super Aguri F1 team. Honda also agreed to supply engines for Super Aguri's cars.

Discussions about starting the team began in early 2005. By September, the plans were clearer. The team told the FIA, which is the main group that runs Formula One, that they wanted to join. This was in November 2005.

However, the FIA did not approve their entry at first. This was because Super Aguri did not pay a required fee of $48 million on time. The team tried again to join for the 2006 season. They kept getting their cars ready.

To join late, Super Aguri needed all ten existing F1 teams to agree. One team, Midland, seemed to block them 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 Adventures

2006 Season: First Steps

In 2006, Super Aguri used Honda engines for their cars. They also used Bridgestone tires. Their first car, the SA05, was actually an updated version of an older Arrows team car from 2002. Super Aguri bought these old cars.

This meant the team's cars and even their workshop had links to the old Arrows team. Many former Arrows mechanics also came back to work for Super Aguri. The team had hoped to build a brand new car later in 2006. But this did not happen. Instead, they updated their old car, calling it the SA06. This new version appeared from the German Grand Prix onwards.

Takuma Sato racing for Super Aguri at the 2006 United States Grand Prix.

The first drivers for 2006 were Takuma Sato and Yuji Ide. Franck Montagny was the third driver. Ide's choice was a bit surprising. He was 31, the oldest new F1 driver. He also did not have much experience racing in Europe and did not speak English. But Aguri Suzuki wanted to support Japanese talent.

After four races, in May, the team changed drivers. Montagny replaced Ide. This happened because the FIA took away Ide's special racing license. This was after he caused a crash with another driver.

Super Aguri made it to the first race in Bahrain. Sato finished the race, but Ide had to stop early. The team boss, Suzuki, said it was a good test. Their car had only done a few laps in practice. The second race in Malaysia was similar, with only Sato finishing.

Their third race in Australia showed improvement. Both Sato and Ide finished the race. Ide said he was happy about this.

Franck Montagny at the 2006 French Grand Prix.

At the San Marino Grand Prix, Ide was involved in a crash. He hit another car, which caused it to flip over. Luckily, the other driver was not hurt. Ide was warned by the race officials.

For the European Grand Prix, Ide became a test driver. The FIA felt he needed more experience. On May 10, 2006, the FIA officially took away Ide's Super Licence. 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. Later, Yamamoto took over Montagny's spot as a race driver for the German Grand Prix.

When the updated SA06 car first raced in Germany, it did well in qualifying. It even beat another team. However, it did not finish the race.

The team's performance got better. At the Brazilian Grand Prix, Sato finished tenth, which was impressive. Yamamoto also set the seventh-fastest lap time.

2007 Season: Scoring Points

Sato at the 2007 British Grand Prix.

There were rumors that Super Aguri would use Honda's 2006 car design. Other teams like Williams and Spyker did not like this. They said it was against F1 rules. These rules say a car cannot use parts designed by another F1 car maker. Super Aguri, along with a couple of other teams, seemed to be breaking this rule. But the FIA could not act without a court decision. Super Aguri said they followed the rules, but it was still a big argument.

On November 15, 2006, Super Aguri announced their drivers for 2007. They kept Takuma Sato and added Anthony Davidson. Davidson used to be a test driver for Honda. They also said Giedo van der Garde would be their third driver. But he left for another team before the season started. Sakon Yamamoto became a test driver again.

The team faced a big problem when their 2007 car failed a crash test. The back of the car broke too much. So, Super Aguri had to delay showing off their new car. The SA07 was finally revealed just before the first practice session for the Australian Grand Prix.

Despite the problems, Davidson and Sato surprised many. They qualified in 10th and 11th place for the Australian Grand Prix. Before this, the team's best qualifying spot was 17th. In the race, Sato finished 12th. Davidson's race was ruined on the first lap when another car crashed into him. Davidson's car flew into the air. He hurt his back when it landed. He still finished 16th but had to go to the hospital afterward.

Anthony Davidson driving for Super Aguri at the 2007 Brazilian Grand Prix. This was the last race of the season.

Before the 2007 Australian Grand Prix, a company called SS United Group Oil & Gas Company became their main sponsor. But this company did not pay the money they promised. This forced Super Aguri to let go of about 30 staff members.

At the Spanish Grand Prix, the team scored its very first point! Takuma Sato finished in 8th place. Many other cars that usually score points had to drop out of the race.

At the Canadian Grand Prix, the team had its best finish ever. Takuma Sato finished 6th and earned 3 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 been faster. Davidson, his teammate, was also set to score points. But he hit a gopher that ran across the track. This made him pit and lose his chance at points.

After the European Grand Prix, Sakon Yamamoto joined the Spyker F1 team for the rest of the season.

2008 Season: The End

Super Aguri kept Takuma Sato and Anthony Davidson as their drivers for 2008. This was after a group called Magma Group bought a part of the team. The team announced their new car, the SA08, would be launched in Barcelona.

However, on February 12, Super Aguri delayed the SA08 launch. They were unsure about the team's future. They also canceled their last practice sessions because some parts had not arrived. Still, they hoped to race in the first event of 2008 in Australia. But then, the Magma Group pulled out of their deal. This left Super Aguri's future in doubt again.

The Super Aguri F1 Team still traveled to Barcelona. They competed in the 2008 Spanish Grand Prix. It was said that Bernie Ecclestone, a very important person in F1, helped them financially. But when they arrived for the Turkish Grand Prix, their trucks were not allowed into the race track. Reports said that Honda Racing's CEO 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 F1 championship right away. He said it was because of money problems. The sponsor, SS United Group, broke their contract and did not pay. This caused the team to run out of money.

On May 7, it was confirmed that Super Aguri was officially in financial trouble. A team was brought in to find a buyer for the racing operation.

Even though Magma Group pulled out, it was also because Honda Racing's CEO, Nick Fry, did not agree to a payment plan. He wanted all the money at once.

The team's assets were later bought by a German businessman. He tried to enter the 2010 F1 championship using the Brabham name, but he was not successful. The team's designs and ideas are still owned by a company called Formtech Composites. This company is located at the old factory in England.

Super Aguri F1 Race Results

(key)

Year	Chassis	Engine	Tyres	Drivers	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	Points	WCC
2006	SA05 SA06	Honda RA806E 2.4 V8	B		BHR	MAL	AUS	SMR	EUR	ESP	MON	GBR	CAN	USA	FRA	GER	HUN	TUR	ITA	CHN	JPN	BRA	0	11th
				Takuma Sato	18	14	12	Ret	Ret	17	Ret	17	15†	Ret	Ret	Ret	13	NC	16	DSQ	15	10
				Yuji Ide	Ret	Ret	13	Ret
				Franck Montagny					Ret	Ret	16	18	Ret	Ret	16
				Sakon Yamamoto												Ret	Ret	Ret	Ret	16	17	16
2007	SA07	Honda RA807E 2.4 V8	B		AUS	MAL	BHR	ESP	MON	CAN	USA	FRA	GBR	EUR	HUN	TUR	ITA	BEL	JPN	CHN	BRA		4	9th
				Takuma Sato	12	13	Ret	8	17	6	Ret	16	14	Ret	15	18	16	15	15†	14	12
				Anthony Davidson	16	16	16†	11	18	11	11	Ret	Ret	12	Ret	14	14	16	Ret	Ret	14
2008	SA08	Honda RA808E 2.4 V8	B		AUS	MAL	BHR	ESP	TUR	MON	CAN	FRA	GBR	GER	HUN	EUR	BEL	ITA	SIN	JPN	CHN	BRA	0	11th
				Takuma Sato	Ret	16	17	13
				Anthony Davidson	Ret	15	16	Ret

See also

In Spanish: Super Aguri F1 Team para niños