Customer F1 regulations rescinded,
funding gets harder to secure
In 2007, its second year, Super Aguri scored its first points and finished ninth in the Constructors’ Championship. In its third, the team continued kept its drivers Takuma Sato and Anthony Davidson, and was expecting to make further progress, but the management side had its problems since the previous season. SS United Group, a team sponsor, had not provided its promised funding, and the team was forced to drastically reduce its activities. As a result, car development slowed down in the second half of 2007. The team restructured its operations and searched for new sponsorship in preparation for the 2008 season, but, as the new year dawned, new sponsors still did not come.
A basic rule of F1 is that teams must develop and manufacture their own cars. However, in order to help teams struggling with financial difficulties, a policy was proposed that in the future smaller teams could race with cars developed and manufactured by factory teams as customer cars. However, some teams opposed the idea, and the use of customer cars was eventually banned, destroying Super Aguri’s business model of competing in F1 with the help of Honda. This also discouraged sponsor interest. Although Super Aguri was allowed to race with customer cars until 2010, it was forced to drastically cut back on funding and canceled the new car launch scheduled for February. It also cancelled pre-season tests, freeing up the funding to make it to the start of the season.
The team, which would begin its 2008 campaign ill-prepared, had technical problems as well as these non-race circumstances. The previous year’ car, based on Honda’s 2006 car with Super Aguri-developed aero parts, was to be replaced by a Honda RA107-based car in 2008. However, gearboxes were mandated to be used for four consecutive rounds to cut costs, which demanded higher durability. The SA08, Super Aguri’s 2008 car, was a Honda RA107 combined with the rear section of the RA108. Its engine was the 2008 RA808E.
Super Aguri technical director Mark Preston, with the cooperation of Honda, had planned to introduce the SA08B from Round 3, Bahrain with both the front and rear sections sharing the same specifications as the RA108. However, the partnership agreement with the British investment company Magma Group, which had been agreed in principle at the beginning of the season, could not be realized due to financial difficulties. At the Bahrain GP, Aguri Suzuki, the team's representative, stated that negotiations for the contract were 99 percent complete, but the negotiations later stalled, and just before Round 4, Spain an announcement was made that the negotiations had broken down.
Super Aguri managed to race in the Spanish GP, but the lack of preparation was undeniable, and Davidson retired with mechanical issues. Sato was able to finish the race, but was 13th, the lowest position among the finishing drivers. This was the last result for Super Aguri in F1. On May 6, eight days after the race, Super Aguri announced its withdrawal from F1 activities. Since it announced its entry into F1 on November 1, 2005, Super Aguri’s F1 adventure lasted 918 days.
Super Aguri’s record in F1 was 39 race entries and two points finishes (2007 Spanish GP, 2007 Canadian GP). Their best qualifying result was 10th (Sato) in the 2007 Australian GP, and the best race result was 6th (Sato) in the 2007 Canadian GP. Super Aguri’s bold challenge to the pinnacle of motorsport impressed F1 fans more than the results, and attracted attention and support not only from Japanese fans but from all over the world.
At the Honda F1 team announcement on March 10, 2008, Suzuki stated that Super Aguri would continue to participate in F1 in 2008. The plan was to strengthen the team’s structure through a takeover by Magma Group, but negotiations broke down and the team’s activities were severely restricted.
SA107B tested in Jerez, Spain at the end of 2007. Although designated “B,” this model is based on the Honda RA107 and will be the basis for the SA08. Due to financial difficulties, the team was unable to participate with the new car in the tests at the beginning of the year. This was the last time the team participated in an official test.
In Round 7, Canada, following the team’s withdrawal from F1, the banner “Thank you for the dream” was shown in gratitude of Super Aguri’s success in the previous year. They had proven that even a small team can compete with the right organization in place, encouraging and inspiring fans around the world.