Information about Super Aguri

Sponsored by Honda as a second team after a hastily arranged last minute licence for the 2006 season. Fronted by ex-Formula One driver Aguri Suzuki, the team's only experience lies with former BAR driver Takuma Sato and is largely a Japanese effort. The 2006 season's wooden spooners, the team suffered constant retirements, a driver change mid-season to replace the dismal Sakon Yamamoto, and chassis change which finally helped then to a 10th position at the Japanese GP. They did slightly better in 2007, scoring four points but still finishi ng second last. Their 2008 car tested well at Barcelona and they expected to improve this season.

Base: Leafield, UK
Drivers: Takuma Sato (JPN), and Anthony Davidson (UK), (test driver: J. Rossiter).

Takuma Sato is a late-comer to motor racing, having started out in bicycle racing when he was 19. By 1997, he had saved enough money to buy a kart and entered Honda's Suzuka Racing School Scholarship program in 1997. Sato won a Honda scholarship and moved to Europe in 1998, first racing in Formula Opel and in 2000 racing in F3. In 2001, his first taste of F1 came from Jordan and British American Racing, who signed him up as a test driver. As the team broke up, Sato was signed by BAR-Honda as a test driver in 2003. In 2004, he was signed as the replacement for Jacques Villeneuve for BAR-Honda and has already scored points in the Bahrain race for his team. Although playing second fiddle to Jenson Button, he managed to score a podium finish at Indianapolis, finishing consistently in the lower points to earn an eighth place in the Drivers’ Championship. 2005 was disappointing as he score just one point for the underperforming team, and was dropped - becoming the obvious 'Japanese' choice for Super Aguri. 2006 saw Sato duelling with tail-enders and frequently retiring with an unreliable car, the highlight of the season being a 10th place at Suzuka in front of their home crowd. He got off to a good 2007 season start with 10th place on the grid at the Australian GP, he went on to score the team’s first points with eight in Spain and sixth in Canada.