[More Pictures]

Wednesday, 30th April 2008

I'd love to swap cars, Briton asserts, admitting Super Aguri's '08 machine is a 'botched job'.

Super Aguri was only able to compete in Barcelona last weekend with Honda's help – at a reputed cost of two million Euros to the latter – but Japanese daily publication Sankei Shimbun has quoted a Honda official as saying: “We will not provide relief on a race-by-race basis any longer.”

That means Suzuki must now either find an investor within the next few days, or else accept that the F1 dream is officially over. The problem he faces is that his team boasts little in the way of assets, its Oxfordshire factory is leased and not equipped to design and build a modern grand prix machine, it is in as much as $60 million debt to Honda and even its transporters reportedly belong to another company. It was just such a prospect that ultimately caused potential saviour Dubai International Capital to pull out of the deal that would have rescued the squad a fortnight ago.

“It was never Honda's intention to fully fund two F1 teams,” CEO Nick Fry said. “Aguri need to find funding of their own.”

Advertisement [Go Advertisement Free]

Related Images

[Top of Article]