After two seasons, and four races of hard fought competition Aguri Suzuki has decided to throw in the racing towel and withdraw the Super Aguri F1 Team from the 2008 FIA Formula One World Championship with immediate effect. With the rules changing and effectively forbidding the entry of teams running cars developed by their competitors, it seems that the days of the small time team drawing on the strengths of the world’s automotive industry are all but over. Does this mean that the Eddie Jordans, Paul Stoddarts and even Aguri Suzukis of the world will never again rise to the peak that is Formula One?
Honda certainly seem to think so.
After leaving team boss Suzuki with no other choice than to offer his withdrawal, the bosses in Japan maintained that the collapse of the team was inevitable if there was no private support to be found, and although they were willing to fund the team further, Suzuki appeared to capitulate. He admitted that the strain of trying to keep the team afloat had got to him, he wanted out and he would not be rejoining the Formula One circus again any time soon.
This for one was sad, to see a man who had embodied the underdog fighter spirit that had become the raison d’etre for his team simply lose his will to continue. Takuma Sato fought as ever to the last minute, releasing a press release late on Monday calling on Honda to provide the necessary support to let the team fight it’s corner in Turkey this weekend.
Upsetting it may have been, but no less so than the loss of the likes of Jordan, Minardi, Arrows, Stewart and Tyrell in the last 10 years. There is simply no room for the small team in the US$500 million a year world of Formula One. One could argue that Ron Dennis and Frank Williams have maintained stability in recent years, but their true success came from the late eighties and early nineties. They were already big teams by the time the major car manufacturers like Renault, Toyota, Honda and BMW all muscled in with their own teams in more recent years.
The next question for me is who is next? If this rule bans the existence of customer teams, then are there storms on the horizon for Scudeira Toro Rosso? Owner Dieter Mateschitz made a rare appearance at the Spanish Grand Prix just over a week ago, only to see Sebastian Vettel crash on the first lap, and Sebastien Bourdais be literally pushed out of the race by manufacturer Renault, in the form of Nelsinho Piquet on a charge. Team boss Gerhard Berger has a large stake in the Austro/Italian outfit, but without the use of last year’s Ferrari engines, and without the support of millionaire Red Bull magnate Mateschitz, there can not be a viable future for the team.
For now, Toro Rosso continue to stand and fight, unlike poor Super Aguri whose fate has now been decided. As sad as it is to see the likes of Aguri Suzuki disappear from the world of Formula One, if it means that Honda can make that long awaited rise up the grid, few will say they made the wrong decision. Will it be quality before quantity for the Japanese corporate machine? Only time will tell…
…the small man at the bottom.
May 6, 2008After two seasons, and four races of hard fought competition Aguri Suzuki has decided to throw in the racing towel and withdraw the Super Aguri F1 Team from the 2008 FIA Formula One World Championship with immediate effect. With the rules changing and effectively forbidding the entry of teams running cars developed by their competitors, it seems that the days of the small time team drawing on the strengths of the world’s automotive industry are all but over. Does this mean that the Eddie Jordans, Paul Stoddarts and even Aguri Suzukis of the world will never again rise to the peak that is Formula One?
Honda certainly seem to think so.
After leaving team boss Suzuki with no other choice than to offer his withdrawal, the bosses in Japan maintained that the collapse of the team was inevitable if there was no private support to be found, and although they were willing to fund the team further, Suzuki appeared to capitulate. He admitted that the strain of trying to keep the team afloat had got to him, he wanted out and he would not be rejoining the Formula One circus again any time soon.
This for one was sad, to see a man who had embodied the underdog fighter spirit that had become the raison d’etre for his team simply lose his will to continue. Takuma Sato fought as ever to the last minute, releasing a press release late on Monday calling on Honda to provide the necessary support to let the team fight it’s corner in Turkey this weekend.
Upsetting it may have been, but no less so than the loss of the likes of Jordan, Minardi, Arrows, Stewart and Tyrell in the last 10 years. There is simply no room for the small team in the US$500 million a year world of Formula One. One could argue that Ron Dennis and Frank Williams have maintained stability in recent years, but their true success came from the late eighties and early nineties. They were already big teams by the time the major car manufacturers like Renault, Toyota, Honda and BMW all muscled in with their own teams in more recent years.
The next question for me is who is next? If this rule bans the existence of customer teams, then are there storms on the horizon for Scudeira Toro Rosso? Owner Dieter Mateschitz made a rare appearance at the Spanish Grand Prix just over a week ago, only to see Sebastian Vettel crash on the first lap, and Sebastien Bourdais be literally pushed out of the race by manufacturer Renault, in the form of Nelsinho Piquet on a charge. Team boss Gerhard Berger has a large stake in the Austro/Italian outfit, but without the use of last year’s Ferrari engines, and without the support of millionaire Red Bull magnate Mateschitz, there can not be a viable future for the team.
For now, Toro Rosso continue to stand and fight, unlike poor Super Aguri whose fate has now been decided. As sad as it is to see the likes of Aguri Suzuki disappear from the world of Formula One, if it means that Honda can make that long awaited rise up the grid, few will say they made the wrong decision. Will it be quality before quantity for the Japanese corporate machine? Only time will tell…
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