Suzuki confirms new car underway.

Super Aguri F1 boss Aguri Suzuki has confirmed that his team is already working on the replacement for the SA05 in action in Bahrain, but was not able to pinpoint a debut date.

The former F1 pilot was satisfied with his team's first day on track at a grand prix, with only a minor problem for rookie Yuji Ide spoiling an otherwise reliable outing. Having had to rush its preparations for the season - and suffer the uncertainty of whether the project would get the green light from the FIA - Suzuki was pleased just to be in Bahrain, but admitted that he and the team had already turned their attention to the future.

"It's been very difficult for me to come back into Formula One," he told the media at Friday's press conference, "I started this project last September, with only 150 days build-up to Formula One, so it's been very, very difficult. I found and negotiated some budget and set up a factory with some staff, but I'm very happy to come back here. My two cars are here and I'm here, so I'm very happy, but it's been very difficult."

Asked to report on the progress of the team's first bespoke chassis, Suzuki confirmed that the Leafield base was a hive of activity, but could not give a definite date for the SA06's first outing.

"Right now, our team is using an Arrows monocoque, which has some modified aerodynamics and things like that," he said, "but everybody in the factory is starting the new monocoque and the new car and development.

"Honda has helped a lot - with engine support and some electronic control systems and also engineers helping my team - but it's very difficult to say now [when the car will appear], because my team is very small, only 100 people. Starting the season, it's very difficult to get the new car developed, but it has been started."