Caught up in the fall-out from Aguri Suzuki's decision to pull the plug on his eponymous Formula One team,
Anthony Davidson finds himself back on the sidelines just four races into his second full season.
The Briton proved instrumental in helping
Super Aguri F1 to move up the pecking order in 2007, but both he and team-mate
Takuma Sato have been hampered by the team's ongoing financial concerns this season, not testing before the opening grand prix and fighting to bring the Honda-inspired SA08 onto the tails of the teams ahead.
Now, however, Davidson's F1 dream is on hold, stymied by
Honda's apparent intransigence in trying to save its technical partner despite bids from potential saviours in the run-up to the Turkish Grand Prix. The Briton insists that he wants to remain in Formula One, even though he recognises that opportunities are limited.
"After several years as a test driver in
F1, I'm glad that I had the chance to show that I can race and to prove my speed, and I'm grateful to the team and Honda for the opportunity," he stressed, "Although it's a difficult time of the year to find an alternative option as most plans are finalised and the season is well underway, I'm glad I took the opportunity to compete again this year and strongly believe that I have unfinished business in
Formula One."
The former Honda tester and occasional Minardi racer admitted that he had been preparing himself for the worst when Super Aguri struggled through the Spanish GP weekend and was then prevented from entering the paddock in Istanbul ahead of this weekend's Turkish Grand Prix.
"It wasn't a complete shock as we have all known how difficult things have been, but I'm obviously really disappointed that the team is unable to see out the rest of the season and beyond - and gutted not just for myself but for all the guys at the factory who have worked so hard.
