SUPER AGURI LEAVE F1
British F1 driver Anthony Davidson is without a team after Super Aguri withdrew from the championship due to financial problems.
The Japanese team confirmed yesterday that they have wound up all racing activity with immediate effect and they will not compete at this weekend's Turkish Grand Prix.
Team founder Aguri Suzuki, who broke the news in Japan,
said: "Regretfully I must inform you that the team will be ceasing racing
activities.
"The loss of financial backing put the team into
financial difficulties.
"With the help of Honda, we somehow managed to keep the
team going, but we find it difficult to establish a way to continue the
activities in the future so I have concluded to withdraw.
"I have been very happy that I was able to achieve a miracle and become a team owner."
The team has been struggling financially all season and their future looked bleak with FIA officials refused to grant entry to the circuit in Istanbul whilst talks about their survival were ongoing.
Honda currently provides the majority of Super Aguri's parts, including the chassis, engine and gearbox, and it is believed that Honda had started demanding payment for these parts.
New regulations which come into force in 2010 also mean that F1 teams will no longer be able to make custom cars for other outfits meaning that Honda, who operates its own factory team, would not be able to provide parts for Super Aguri.
And driver Anthony Davidson, who is now without a drive this
season, belives that the financial commitments required in the sport will make
it almost impossible for privately-run teams to survive in the sport.
"It was pretty unexpected for everyone to lose this
team so early in the year," he told BBC Radio 5 Live.
"F1 is a strong sport and teams will come and go but
they'll be missed - especially the smaller ones.
"It's maybe a sign of the times that privateer teams just can't survive now."
Super Aguri's best ever finish since joining F1 was Takuma Sato's 6th at the 2007 Canadian Grand Prix. Sato also earned the team's only other top-ten finish - an 8th place at the Spanish Grand Prix in the same year.
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