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The deal with the Magma Group that would have saved Super Aguri collapsed last week, and since then team owner Aguri Suzuki has been working hard on re-negotiating another, all in attempts to save his little outfit and enable them to continue racing. The squad have turned up in Barcelona ahead of this weekend’s Spanish Grand Prix, but already the deadline for sorting something out has passed, twice. And now Honda Racing CEO Nick Fry has given a strong indication that Honda are no longer willing to help them out. Continue Reading

Struggling Japanese team Super Aguri are apparently on their way to Circuit de Catalunya to take part in this weekend’s Spanish Grand Prix. The immediate future of the team has been put in serious doubt though as potential investors pulled out at the last minute. The Magma Group were looking to take over the small outfit after Honda, who have backed them for the last two years, said the wanted to scale down their operation this year. This has left Aguri with little funds and therefore very few spare parts. As soon as the deal with Magma went wrong, team owner Aguri Suzuki immediately went to Honda and asked for some more time and money, which appears, although not yet confirmed, to have happened.

For the first three races, both Anthony Davidson and Takuma Sato had been ordered to take it easy in the cars, the team being very much aware that they don’t have the money to spend on a re-build should one of them throw it into the scenery. However, while the conservative approach has meant four finishes from the six entered, the Aguri drivers weren’t exactly pushing the cars ahead of them.

Thus, is it worth having Super Aguri on the grid just to make up the numbers? Last year, particularly at races with extraordinary circumstances, Takuma Sato was able to mix it up with the larger teams ahead of him quite well, even passing (at the time) reigning world champion Fernando Alonso in Canada. But to have a team this year just running around at the back of the field, is it really worth it? Is it really what the sport needs?

BMW are making for interesting viewing at the moment, the former Sauber team looking to be on the verge of their maiden win and thinking slightly longer-term, on the verge of their maiden constructor’s title. But this evening, while sitting in The Blogger’s Dog, it struck me that the team have very similar experience to another on the grid. The other team has gone that bit further and taken a victorious drink of Mumm, but in all honesty, that moment is all but a distant memory among the torrid battles with a woefully uncompetitive car. The other team is of course Honda, and the paths each have followed are quite interesting. Continue Reading

Super Aguri owner Aguri Suzuki today announced the collapse of deal that would have seen his team change ownership to the Magma Group. It now turns out Magma’s investors - Middle Eastern company Dubai International Capital - no longer wish to fund the acquisition, thought to be costing around $100m. This now puts the immediate future of Super Aguri in serious doubt and the squad may not be able to participate in the upcoming Spanish Grand Prix. Continue Reading

Formula One cars should be awesome to look at. Yes, motor racing is more about the actual event of cars and drivers racing against one another, but Formula One chargers should also be sculptured to perfection and easy on the eye. It may be a bit of a shallow remark, but when millions of dollars are pumped into the designing and building of a bespoke car that is meant to be streamlined and ultimately fast, it really should be a work of art. But colour schemes aside, do the new breed of 2008 machines meet this criteria of mine? Continue Reading

As the second day of testing got underway in Spain today, Renault and Honda joined in with Ferrari in trying out some interesting new aero parts on their cars. Ferrari yesterday showed off their new nose to the public for the first time, and today Nelson Piquet Jr rolled out of his Renault garage with a Red Bull style fin on the engine cover. Honda got in on the act as well with the re-testing of their Dumbo ears, last seen at a test session in 2007. In fact, it was Rubens Barrichello who went fastest today, driving the updated RA108 and setting a lap time 0.8s quicker than Giancarlo Fisichella in the Force India. Continue Reading

Like fellow competitors Renault, Honda are a Formula One manufacturer team that have had a stop/start relationship with the pinnacle series in international motor sport. The squad had competed for supremacy in the early sixties, the team being one of only three true constructors of the time, insisting on building their own chassis and engine. The only other teams in 1964 to do this were Ferrari and BRM. By 1969 though, Honda withdrew from Formula One due to lack of results, but returned fourteen years later as an engine supplier. With McLaren and Williams, Honda found great success and managed to claim six constructor titles from 71 victories. 1992 saw the marque drop out of the sport again, but this time it wouldn’t be for quite as long. Let’s look at the recent history of the Honda F1 team. Continue Reading

Despite staying away from the Bahrain Grand Prix this weekend at the request of the Bahraini Royal Family, Max Mosley is still hitting the headlines as the Formula One teams break their silence and openly criticise the FIA president over his recent behaviour. German manufacturers BMW and Mercedes issued a joint statement which made it very clear they wished to distance themselves from Mosley. Honda and Toyota have issued statements effectively saying the same. And finally, Max responded to these statements in a manner which I feel inclined to describe as a little cry-babyish. Continue Reading

There is still no official confirmation they’re in. Neither driver has been confirmed and little more has been said about the financial status of Super Aguri. But their freight has arrived in Melbourne, and that is a strong sign they will be taking part. Phew. Team boss Aguri Suzuki has spent much of his winter off-season trying to drum up investment in his plucky team, feeling the force of Honda has they insist Aguri take care of themselves. Continue Reading

Seeing the 2008 Honda preview post go up triggered my mind to think about how the team have fluctuated over the last few years, from the transition from BAR to Honda, the simply awesome 2004 campaign, Button’s win in 2006 and of course, the spectacular disappointment that was their 2007 season. Below are a few paragraphs from my 2006, 2007 and 2008 preview posts. If anything, it shows the downward spiral the team have endured over the last two years. Interestingly though, all three posts end on a positive note. Maybe I should stop doing that… Continue Reading