 The SA05 ofTakuma Sato | |||||||||
| Category | Formula One | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Constructor | Super Aguri | ||||||||
| Designers | Mike Coughlan(Technical Director) Mark Preston (Engineering director) Sergio Rinland(Chief Designer) | ||||||||
| Predecessor | Arrows A23,Minardi PS04,Minardi PS04B | ||||||||
| Successor | SA06 | ||||||||
| Technical specifications[citation needed] | |||||||||
| Chassis | Carbon-fibremonocoque with honeycomb structure | ||||||||
| Suspension (front) | Wishbones, pushrod-operated torsion bars and dampers. Mechanical anti-roll bar | ||||||||
| Suspension (rear) | Wishbones, pushrod-operated torsion bars and dampers. Mechanical anti-roll bar | ||||||||
| Length | 4,666 mm (184 in) | ||||||||
| Width | 1,800 mm (71 in) | ||||||||
| Height | 950 mm (37 in) | ||||||||
| Axle track | Front: 1,472 mm (58 in) Rear: 1,422 mm (56 in) | ||||||||
| Wheelbase | 3,100 mm (122 in) | ||||||||
| Engine | HondaRA806-E 2.4 L (146 cu in)V8naturally aspirated, 19000 rpm limitedmid-mounted | ||||||||
| Transmission | SAF1 carbon composite material main case 7-speed semi-automatic paddle shift | ||||||||
| Power | 650–750 hp (485–559 kW) @ 19,500 rpm[1] | ||||||||
| Weight | 600 kg (1,323 lb) including driver | ||||||||
| Fuel | Elf | ||||||||
| Lubricants | ENEOS | ||||||||
| Tyres | Bridgestone | ||||||||
| Competition history | |||||||||
| Notable entrants | Super Aguri F1 Team | ||||||||
| Notable drivers | 22. Takuma Sato23. Yuji Ide23.  Franck Montagny | ||||||||
| Debut | 2006 Bahrain Grand Prix | ||||||||
| Last event | 2006 French Grand Prix | ||||||||
| |||||||||
| Constructors' Championships | 0 | ||||||||
| Drivers' Championships | 0 | ||||||||
TheSuper Aguri SA05 was the car with which theSuper Aguri team competed in the first half of the2006Formula One season. It originally was developed from theArrows A23 designed in 2002 byMike Coughlan andSergio Rinland. The project was overseen by former Arrows engineer Mark Preston, who brought several other ex Arrows employees back with him.[2]
This was the first non-Brackley Honda-powered Formula One car since theJordan EJ12 in 2002.
The decision to use the A23 as the base chassis for the team's debut car was in part because the team was disallowed from usingBAR's 2005 F1 car (BAR being Honda's predecessor team).[3]
From the A23, the car used a new monocoque, new aerodynamic package and rear end engine parts. The original A23 used a V10Cosworth engine, and thanks to the new engine regulations for 2006, the engine installation had to be redesigned to accept the smaller Honda V8.[4]
The SA05 was driven byTakuma Sato, whose firing by the worksHonda team had played a significant role in creating the team, and also was driven by inexperiencedJapanese rookieYuji Ide and long-termRenault test driverFranck Montagny.
The team was created at short notice, partly due to Honda's unwillingness to leave the popular Sato without an F1 drive. The team, led by former F1 driverAguri Suzuki, was funded by Honda and used Honda engines. The chassis, however, was based on theArrows A23 from2002, which the team purchased fromPaul Stoddart,[3] who had in turn bought these cars after the Arrows team collapsed and used them for developing a new Minardi known as the "PS04".[5] The gearbox was also fromArrows, as was the suspension design, which was unchanged from 2002.[6]
The year was one of exploration and learning for the team. The car was predictably the slowest during pre-season testing, but a new aerodynamic package was introduced before the first race in Bahrain which brought the team closer to the others.[7] Although the car was on average the slowest, it was not by a big margin, and Sato impressed by racing with faster cars. Ide, however, was out of his depth, and hisSuper Licence was taken away[8] in part after a spectacular collision withChristijan Albers'Midland at the2006 San Marino Grand Prix.[9][10] He was subsequently replaced by Montagny, who was much closer to Sato's pace.
The team's increase in personnel and support from Honda allowed them to prepare theSA06, which was used from theGerman GP onwards. At that stage of the season, the team were 11th in the Constructors' Championship, with no points.
(key) (results inbold indicate pole position)
| Year | Team | Engine | Tyres | Drivers | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | Points | WCC |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | Super Aguri | HondaV8 | B | BHR | MAL | AUS | SMR | EUR | ESP | MON | GBR | CAN | USA | FRA | GER | HUN | TUR | ITA | CHN | JPN | BRA | 0 | NC | |
| Takuma Sato | 18 | 14 | 12 | Ret | Ret | 17 | Ret | 17 | 15† | Ret | Ret | |||||||||||||
| Yuji Ide | Ret | Ret | 13 | Ret | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Franck Montagny | Ret | Ret | 16 | 18 | Ret | Ret | 16 |
