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Super Aguri withdraw from F1 championship

Reuters

Latest comment posted at 12:43 PM EST 08/05/08

Struggling team pulls plug due to financial difficulties ...Read the full article

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  1. T. S. from N.S., Canada writes: A shame, but F1 is an expensive sport these days. Super Aguri's highlight would have to be Sato's pass of Alonso last year in Montreal.
  2. lary waldman from qualicum beach, Canada writes: Although the world will survive with or without formula 1 there may be a lesson that can be learned by this latest development. Formula 1 is becoming less accesible even to the richest of the rich. It should be a matter of outmost importance to the two current operators of the series that making it cheaper would only in the long run make it more popular with current fans, and future fans. There are still many countries that have the ambition, tracks, fan base, but not the money to compete. It also might help if they featured the countries more and the origin of the drivers and team owners less. Somewhat like World Class Football (soccer). I enjoy my brief glimpses of Formula 1 on TV, I only wish there was more.

    Lary Waldman
  3. Martyn Whitt from Canada writes: RIP Super Aguri F1. Great team great spirit, formula 1 fans all over the world ignored their partisan team/driver support to give a little cheer when you scored points in Spain and Montreal last year!!! Cool little team, and I hope Ant can get a drive testing or as reserve driver the rest of this year, and get a race seat next year-that guy deserves a break!!!!
  4. Spencer Coulthard from Halifax, Canada writes: RE: T. S. from N.S., Canada writes: A shame, but F1 is an expensive sport these days. Super Aguri's highlight would have to be Sato's pass of Alonso last year in Montreal.

    Yup, complete agreement.

    I wonder if David Richards and Pro Drive may try to build a team with the leftovers from Super Aguri?

    Wishing for the good old days of the privateers like Brabham and Eddie Jordan.
  5. Gabriel Hall from Calgary, Canada writes: Poor Super Best Friends... they'll be missed....
  6. Michael Sharp from Victorious, Canada writes:

    Maybe if Super Aguri has done their cars in Nazi livery, Max might have kept them around for awhile.
  7. Borys Nijinski from Canada writes: Gabriel...they won't be missed; they were mobile chicanes that had no business being in the pinnacle of motorsports. Their presence in F1 removed some of the shine of what F1 is supposed to be. Sad they couldn't make it, but the teams with success have corporate backers.

    Larry...F1 is not supposed to be accessible to less affluent teams. F1 is supposed to be the pinnacle of motorsports. An excellent training ground for engineers and to develop new technologies to filter down into the real world cars that you and I drive. The rules in place now that limit development to aerodynamics (no engine, braking transmission, engine management development allowed) make F1 less appealing to manufacturers who want to develop people and technologies.
  8. Larfing Outloud from Virgin Islands (British) writes: Michael Sharp from Victorious, Canada writes: "Maybe if Super Aguri has done their cars in Nazi livery, Max might have kept them around for awhile."

    Ha ha, post of the day (so far).
  9. Martyn Whitt from Canada writes: Borys Nijinski from Canada writes: Gabriel...they won't be missed; they were mobile chicanes that had no business being in the pinnacle of motorsports. Did you start watching F1 this year? Chicanes don't score points or have races where they compete with past world champions for final places!!! Given that in 2007 they finished ahead of Spyker (we'll ignore McLaren's result) and were within 2 points of Honda F1, and within 5 of Scuderia Torro Roso you've pretty much written off a third of the teams as having "no business being in the pinnacle of motorsports". ha!
    Their presence in F1 removed some of the shine of what F1 is supposed to be. Sad they couldn't make it, but the teams with success have corporate backers. They certainly took NONE of the shine off the sport, what are you watching? Almost everybody who followed formula 1 was routing for them.
    In short your first paragraph was way out there...
  10. Erik Richards from Winnipeg, Canada, writes: Borys Nijinski, your comments have got to be some of the most boorish, elitist nonsense I have ever read regarding Formula 1.

    While I for one won't miss Super Aguri, they certainly had their audience, and good for them. What do you mean "they had no business in F1"? They paid their fee, they raced and they didn't do too badly, relatively speaking. Keep in mind that last year they earned 4 pts - compared to Honda who earned all of 6 pts!!

    Frankly I'd like to see a few less manufacturers involved in F1. Far from raising the game they are turning it into a tedious parade. A typical race's "Pass of the Race" usually has maybe 3 or 4 passes in an entire race to pick from. More often races are won or lost in pit stops. Oooh. Exciting action, that!

    And don't kid yourself, cost-cutting measures have done almost nothing to help smaller teams. So an engine has to last 2 races now, and gearboxes must last 4 races. So what? How do you GET an engine or gearbox that can last that long? By investing a ton of money in R&D. Who do you think that benefits? Super Aguri or Ferrari?

    F1 needs to get back to being a racing sport, rather than simply a display of engineering or manufacturing prowess. The cars as they are now are so hobbled it's impossible to call them the pinnacle of racing. But the limitations imposed upon them are not the fault of teams like Super Aguri - but rather the whims of FIA's president Max Mosley.
  11. El Gran Chico from Etobicoke, Canada writes: Remember the race in Indianapolis a few years ago when only 6 cars started? Maybe all the races will look like that soon.

    F1 should be the pinnacle of motorsport, not the pinnacle of financing motor sport.
  12. Al Aston from Dallas Fort Worth, United States writes: Last chance to ask this: Steve Matchett on the SpeedTV broadcast always referred to the Super Aguri team as "Super Best Friends". Is one to assume this is a translation of Super Aguri??? What have I missed?
  13. Al Aston from Dallas Fort Worth, United States writes: Re: Indy and 6 cars: I was at that race, and the only person in the whole crowd that was OK with it was my wife, who could now follow it to her satisfaction. It was a genuine mob scene afterwards, though, and we got out as quickly as possible.

    For my money, the best racing these days is the ALMS. Four classes, lots of passing, plus indicator lights on the leaders' cars to show first, second and third places. Very well done. F1 is way over the top, though I still watch it intently.
  14. R C from Canada writes: Al ... they got the nickname as the "super best friends" of Honda due to all of the technical and financial support. The name has stuck around because it just seemed to fit for a number of other reasons.
  15. Haiden MitHand El from Canada writes: Borys Nijinski from Canada writes: "....An excellent training ground for engineers and to develop new technologies to filter down into the real world cars that you and I drive. The rules in place now that limit development to aerodynamics (no engine, braking transmission, engine management development allowed) make F1 less appealing to manufacturers who want to develop people and technologies."

    Borys -- I dunno about your trickle-down theory -- maybe with tire and braking technology (if you can afford a Porsche) but as a friend of mine (who develops wind tunnel technology for some F1 teams) says, F1 cars are just airplanes without wings.
  16. Larfing Outloud from Virgin Islands (British) writes: Al Aston from Dallas Fort Worth, United States: well called Al. ALMS is a thrill to watch. I'd love to see them at Mosport but won't have the chance this year.

    BTW, hope your wife doesn't read that post :)
  17. Martyn Whitt from Canada writes: Al Alston funny post, I was very seriously considering going to Mosport to watch that leg of the AMLS, I started watching last year and am starting to get my head around it. Your post has convinced me to get some tickets for it shortly...I assume and am hoping its a cheaper weekend than the time I took my Dad to Imola (hmmm and to think that that money would have been a down payment for a house, hmmmm).
  18. Howard Young from Canada writes: If you want engineering at its best, remove all resrictions including all budget constraints. If you want competitive racing introduce a maximum budget that is low enough to allow all teams to be competitive.
  19. Al Aston from Dallas Fort Worth, United States writes: The ALMS race weekend at Mosport is really worthwhile. I think I paid around $70 for three days. I'll be back this year. (Canadian ex-pat here who spent a lot of money at the Molson Indy every year. ALMS is much better.) Scheduling conflicts prevent us from going to the Detroit ALMS over Labour Day, unfortunately. Lots of great places to watch from at Mosport, including one spot where they're full-on less than 5 meters from you. I have noticed, though, that the hills have gotten a lot steeper than when I first started going there in '62! Ouch.
    If you want to talk about engineering that ends up in production cars, ALMS is pretty good at it, unlike F1.
  20. K A from Toronto, Canada writes: ...
    What a sad day for motorsport.

    Super Aguri had a spirit not seen since Minardi. I don't think I've genuinely enjoyed a team scoring points as much I did when it was Aguri.

    We all love the technology in F1, but F1 are so prohibitive as to stifle the kind of free-thinking grit that allowed Super Aguri to score the odd point before one of the manufacturers could get it's filthy rich hands on it.

    RIP Super Best Friends
    ...
  21. Michael Sharp from Victorious, Canada writes:

    Isn't it weird that the pinnacle of auto-racing is an absolute bore?

    F1 sucks.

    Robocars.
  22. wayne powers from saskatoon, writes: They were never a constructor, the car was a Honda, as was the engine. Did they have the facilities to build a car or the staff and other resources, I don't think so. Next up is Toro Rosso, they too don't build their cars and who has the deep pockets to buy and construct a whole car all on their own.
    Maybe Max has some friends in Brazil, who can help.
    Oh has anyone heard the latest. FiA VP complained that WRC Sebastien Loeb looked too Scruffy after a race and needs to clean up his appearance. Because he looks scruffy it casts a bad impression on the FiA and this can not be tolerated. The VP is a close personal friend of Max, and can't see Max's conduct as casting a bad impression.
  23. wayne powers from saskatoon, writes: Oh come on Michael SUCKS that's a bit strong maybe hits, slaps, whips, spanks, tortures or perverse would be more correct.
  24. Borys Nijinski from Canada writes: Haiden...Honda's VTEC came from F1. ABS, traction control, stability control...all available on cars you and I drive (not just Porsches). In fact, technologies developed by Honda in F1 allowed them to specify 5W30 oil for the 2nd generation Integra GS-R. The 1st generation GS-R (with VTEC) specified 10W30 and the non-VTEC motors 5W30. Now all use 5W30.

    Semi-automatic paddle shift transmissions...developed in F1 and now available to the masses.

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