The Super Aguri F1 Team has shuttered its doors, finally succumbing to the financial pressures that have buffeted the team since last season.
New F1 rules meant that Super Best Friends could no longer buy chassis from Honda F1, and meant that the team needed a big infusion of capital to continue.
After a buyout from Dubai fell through, a last-ditch effort to secure funding from the German Weigl Group failed to come through. Honda was unwilling to continue to support Super Aguri, as it needs to focus its efforts and funding on its factory team. And so it ends.
The team was built around Honda's support for Takuma Sato, after he was released by BAR. He was joined by Anthony Davidson, a highly-regarded driver who's yet to get a chance to show what he can do in a competitive ride. They're both now looking for work. Expect to see someone scoop up Davidson quickly. Maybe even Honda F1, who has to be thinking about how to replace Rubens Barrichello. Sato may end up in the US's IRL series, where Honda supplies the power plants.
A sad day. Super Aguri always did well with a budget that was probably smaller than McLaren's catering budget, or Max Mosely's hooker allowance. They will be missed.
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