Skip to content

2006: A visible upturn

By on

One of the success stories of 2006 is without a doubt Super Aguri. The team had been set up in a few months time and refurbished an old Arrows A23 chassis to compete the season with the SA05. At Hockenheim, things improved considerably with the SA06 as the team reduced the weight of the monocoque and had many aerodynamic developments fitted in the following races. The narrower sidepods, new wings, smaller air inlets and differently fitted exhausts totalled for around 2 seconds a lap, enough to compete with MidlandF1 and later Spyker MF1. We'll be interviewing the team's technical director Mark Preston to get more details about their developments through the year.

Comments

By DaveKillens on 01-12-2006 at 19:00

SA have reason to be very proud of all the hard work put in. At the beginning of the year, I was one of the sceptics who had very little confidence in that team. But they proved me wrong, and considering where they came from, are probably the most improved team from last season.
Well done, everyone at SA.

By Ciro Pabón on 16-12-2006 at 01:17

I would vote for SuperAguri as the \"most improved\" team of the year, with all my heart. First, the acquisition of the Leland factory and some of the Arrow personnel was really lucky. Even if it was more or less reasonable to expect them starting at the back of the grid, using an 4 years old chassis they posted magnificent times having 3 months of preparation. This could only come of the experience of the team, Mr. Preston (and Mr. Audetto) included and the alliance with Honda.

Anyway, it was an immense surprise for me to see them in Brazil, with a magnificent position (and a 7th best lap!). This is more important in view of the competitive year we saw in terms of technical innovations: when all the top guys are fighting for position, the fact that you are able to improve yours (meanwhile you have to design a new car at midseason), proves that Mr. Preston is made of a very special material. I am sure this is a team where is fun to work.

Add comment

Please register or log in with your account to comment on this article