Super Aguri Arrows ?

[j4kwan]

Maybe I'm not understanding this correctly...Super Aguri will be in Leafield using the old Arrows chassis for this years race season.

How does that work? Haven't the regulations changed enough to make that impossible? Or is Supe Aguri using it as a base to modify it quickly and sparringly before Bahrain?

[Scuderia_Russ]

My understanding is that they will use a variation of the Arrows chassis for the fly away races while they work on their own chassis in the mean time.

[johny]

yes, they'll modify a23 chassis till san marino where they're expected to have the new one

[m3_lover]

They were going to use the Honda Chassis (RA106), but rules from the Concorde Agreement prohibit that. Since the team wanted to join for the 2006 season they needed something really quick, hence the A23 Arrows chassis from Minardi.

The chassis is 4 years old but I know the old EJ15 were based on the 2002 or 2003 chassis, they just did a lot of updates on it. So they are not going to get clearly smoked at the start, they will compete against Midland and Toro Rosso.

[manchild]

Since they haven’t even done one meter with that car I think that even if Aguri appears in Bahrain it could find itself banned soon afterwards because such old, undeveloped and untested car will be lapped even by Midland and STR and represent danger and problem for other teams.

[jezzwa]

All this effort just to give Sato a drive....? it does not make sense if they thought about doing F1 properly they would wait till 2007 and do it properly from the start.

[Scuderia_Russ]

Bridgestone have announced they will supply Super Aguri.

[ketanpaul]

why the hell are super aguri so desparate??? cant they just take their time to build a descent chassis and then come in 2007. I was on their site a month ago and they were still looking for people right from truck drivers to engineers. I mean are they just trying to give sato a drive???

[dumrick]

I mean are they just trying to give sato a drive???

Apparently, yeah. Pressure on Honda at Japan to keep Sato in F1 seems to justify such a lousy effort.

[ginsu]

I read a David Richards interview recently and he said that Sato is 'his own worst enemy'. Obviously, Sato has been given alot of support, but he still just hasn't owned up to any of it. The Japanese must be colorblind because Sato is not going to do any better this year, so why give him another seat? I could think of a few more deserving Japanese drivers - wakisaka, oribo. They have tons of drivers in Japan who would die to be in F1.

At least we may get some more great Schumie-Sato moments. That was hilarious at La Source, Spa.

[j4kwan]

i'm sure there are many japanese racers better than sato, but are they as marketable as he is? probably not.

of all the japanese racers in f1 history, he does have that international marketable personality. He does speak english quite well (which is rare for many japanese racers), he has links to a european lifestyle (which many japanese drivers don't) which shows he is capable of attracting more than his nation, and well Honda invested too much in him already!

I'm sure Honda will use the Super Aguri team to launch many more japanese racers as well...i bet Narain's a little jealous!

[ketanpaul]

i dont think one should consider his english standard or his marketable personality as a plus those are add ons. what matters the most is the way one drives and that is a lesson f1 has learnt from experiencing alex yoong.
According to f1 racing magazine, sato has committed a blunder in almost every second gp, practice or qualifying. now i think that is more expensive and i still dunno why somw fools at honda are spending money on him

[Reca]

mean are they just trying to give sato a drive???

Yes.
I’ve heard (and the source is reliable since he works for Honda, although not in F1) that when Barrichello deal was announced leaving Sato was without a drive, Honda received 6 millions email of protest and many seriously menaced to cancel the order of a new Honda car; Honda had to do something and to make up from nothing a brand new team in couple of months is lot cheaper than to face the aftermath of Sato out of F1.
Sounds crazy ? Well, it is.
Apparently we, in Europe or America, just can’t imagine the “power” Sato has in Japan. Probably that’s because we aren’t blind enough to believe Sato is the next One (not even the next Juan, and that says possibly more...) hence we know that there are many young guys who would deserve a seat more than him.
Anyway I should probably stay silent given what’s happening with Valentino Rossi...

[Guest]

Weren't citizens of Japan going to boycott Honda all together

[monkeyboy1976]

Anyway I should probably stay silent given what’s happening with Valentino Rossi...

What a great first lap at Valencia yesterday! At least he didn't get his overalls dirty .
Seriously though, Rossi will be great for Ferrari and Italy if he is any good in a car. I am watching with interest.