How Can We Save Super Aguri

[paulrandall]

I feel really sad about the financial problems of Super Aguri. It's probably the British underdog mentality, but it sounds like they are having real trouble, not being able to test in Barcelona, and postponing their 08 launch and driver line up.

After Sato's overtaking of Alonso at Canada, it just shows that small teams can humiliate the big ones?

What can we do? Surely they dont have too much trouble getting sponsors?

[RichBeard]

I think they'll be in Melbourne, there just trying to get more money and support from Honda themselves. They've apparently got plenty of sponsors lined up. I know what you saying about the underdogs, we generally see them out drive the stronger teams in bad weather conditions just shows how good the drivers can cope when more skill is put to them. I'm kind of glad Spyker/ Force India found a way of staying in the championship this year, just preferred the Spyker livery .

[anonymous-user]

The problems they are currently facing are down to last year, when their main sponsor stiffed them.

[rubystone]

johnfelstead said:

The problems they are currently facing are down to last year, when their main sponsor stiffed them.

But just how much did SS United owe them? I've read figures of US$20m. That's not a great deal of money in the F1 world - certainly something that Honda could fund out of the spare change down the back of its sofa. There has to be more to the story than that

[kevin ritson]

A similar thing happened to Sauber in 1994 and Mercedes had to bail them out, their rogue sponsor also had prominent advertising space, so it's a believable tale

[anonymous-user]

paulrandall said:

I feel really sad about the financial problems of Super Aguri. It's probably the British underdog mentality, but it sounds like they are having real trouble, not being able to test in Barcelona, and postponing their 08 launch and driver line up.

After Sato's overtaking of Alonso at Canada, it just shows that small teams can humiliate the big ones?

What can we do? Surely they dont have too much trouble getting sponsors?

bernie doesnt want privateers, he wants factory teams and anyway, no one gave a st about coloni, dallara, simtek, pacific, lola, onyx, osella, forti corse, fondmetal, ram, larousse etc etc...

[MG511]

They're hardly privateers, they're the Honda 'B' team. I can't see Honda letting them go under, look at the problems they had in Japan when they dropped Sato, the same would happen again.

[Hut49]

MG511 said:

They're hardly privateers, they're the Honda 'B' team. I can't see Honda letting them go under, look at the problems they had in Japan when they dropped Sato, the same would happen again.

Judging by Honda's practice performance they probably more likely thinking about letting the "A" team go under!

[Jungles]

Someone's bailed them out, according to the rumour mill:
http://formula-1.updatesport.com/news/article/1204...

Hope they get to stay! The team is an F1 version of David among Goliaths.

[thunderbelmont]

Jungles said:

Someone's bailed them out, according to the rumour mill:
http://formula-1.updatesport.com/news/article/1204...

Hope they get to stay! The team is an F1 version of David among Goliaths.

Who does Walkinshaw know in the Middle East?

Hmmm a British company, with a middle east investor....

Got it, Project 4 have taken them over..

OK, I'll get my coat.

[groomi]

Aren't Dave Richards and a bunch of Middle Eastern investors the new owners of Aston Martin? Did Dave Richards recently have the rug pulled from under him while trying to get into F1? Has Dave Richards previously been invovled in F1 with Honda?

[rubystone]

groomi said:

Aren't Dave Richards and a bunch of Middle Eastern investors the new owners of Aston Martin? Did Dave Richards recently have the rug pulled from under him while trying to get into F1? Has Dave Richards previously been invovled in F1 with Honda?

Very interesting - it could even be McLaren couldn't it? Middle East, Brits, Germans....but....

....this still doesn't alter the fact that by 2009 Aguri will have to be a bone fide constructor and I believe that its deal with Menard makes it expensive for engineering work to be undertaken there...

...all that seems to add credence to your theory about DR - the only issues perhaps is that he lost one of his major sponsors (perhaps even his lead sponsor) to Williams only recently...

[stephen300o]

deal fallen through.

[kevin ritson]

I wonder if this is down to the 'Max effect'?

[rubystone]

kevin ritson said:

I wonder if this is down to the 'Max effect'?

I'm sure he'll be blamed, but I wonder whether it's down to the possible losses that the Dubai backers may have made elsewhere. For instance, the ME are heavy investors in investment banks worldwide and as we know, these have taken a bath recently.

It's a shame though and I wonder whether Honda will turn back to any of the other suitors?

[viggen114]

kevin ritson said:

I wonder if this is down to the 'Max effect'?

Rupert Murdoch would make a team good sponsor. MM might not agree, but it would have 'Max effect'

[RichBeard]

The deal was bound to fall through the team have made no progress since last season and look to be well off the pace. There making a half arsed atempt at it, their telling the drivers to take it easy because they can't afford the spares. Never can see them having a stable investor.

[aeropilot]

Deal is rumoured to have fallen through because part of the buy involves paying back Honda for what they have put in to keep it going, which when the investors looked at it found that it left them not much of an asset left, so not exactly making it an attractive buy.......afterall this isn't about going racing, it's about business....

[stephen300o]

aeropilot said:

Deal is rumoured to have fallen through because part of the buy involves paying back Honda for what they have put in to keep it going, which when the investors looked at it found that it left them not much of an asset left, so not exactly making it an attractive buy.......afterall this isn't about going racing, it's about business....

Well, you can't run a team on fresh air.

Allegedly Bernie is pulling some strings to get some people in Germany to buy in, fingers crossed.