Super Aguri F1 team boss Aguri Suzuki has admitted that Franck Montagny may be given a stay of execution as team-mate to
Takuma Sato this season, despite the recent arrival of Sakon Yamamoto at the squad.
Yamamoto was drafted in as third driver when Yuji Ide proved unable to meet F1 standards, and paddock wisdom insists that the Japanese driver will soon be lining up alongside Sato as Suzuki bows to his desire for an all-Japanese team. Montagny's current deal lasts only until the end of this weekend's US Grand Prix at Indianapolis, despite the fact that his home race comes up next.
Speaking at the second of the weekend's official press conferences in America, Suzuki hinted that, with the team's all-new SA06 not now due to appear until Hockenheim later this month, the Frenchman could be handed an extension.
"His basic contract is until this race, but I'm very happy to use Franck," Suzuki admitted, "Franck gives a lot of information. He has a lot of experience, and I'm quite happy to continue use him, yeah. It is very difficult say now [whether he will race at Magny-Cours], but everybody is happy to keep using Franck, I'm sure."
The SA06 had been due to replace the venerable Arrows-based SA05 on
Formula One's return to Europe, but production delays have pushed its debut back a couple of weeks. Suzuki admitted that the delay was regrettable, but insisted that there would be two new cars on the grid, as opposed to one, for Sato, as has been rumoured.
"Normally, if I bring a new car, it's two cars I bring," he stressed, "Three weeks ago our wind tunnel was broken, [causing a] one week delay in schedule, so our new car is in Germany. But, if we bring one new car, I'm sure we will bring two for that grand prix."
Suzuki also confirmed that the entire car would be different to its predecessor.
"It's a new concept car - aerodynamics, suspension and everything," he revealed, before insisting that the delays would not necessarily prevent the car from running before Hockenheim.
