Double DNF for SA

It was a disappointing end to a promising race weekend for the SUPER AGURI F1 TEAM. Following an early collision with Christian Albers which damaged his front-left suspension, Yuji Ide later suffered a mechanical failure ending his race on lap 23. Takuma Sato drove a solid race once again and the team executed his pitstops with rapid precision. Unfortunately, his race ended prematurely at turn 15 on lap 44 resulting in the team’s first double DNF of the season.

Takuma Sato “It is disappointing not to finish the race as we have had no reliability issues all weekend. I had a reasonable start to the race and I was able to make up a position, but the car was lacking in pace so I could not improve any further. The boys have done a really great job all weekend and we have made good progress so we shall just keep working hard to improve our performance.”

Yuji Ide "I didn't think I was pushing too hard at the start, but when I was exiting the second chicane Albers was the one on the racing line and I could not avoid contacting his car. After the contact the car was not stable in the corners and my front-left suspension was damaged. I later had a rear suspension problem and had to retire from the race. My lap times were a little faster this weekend, so I want to keep my rhythm and do better in the next race."

Aguri Suzuki, Team Principal "I knew that this would be a tough race as the circuit here makes conditions difficult for us. The team was very excited coming to Italy and has tried its best to get a good result for the first European grand prix. I know that our performance level is not high at the moment, but I see the team and drivers working very hard, so I regret that we have not been able to provide them with a new car as yet. Until we introduce the SA06 we will face a hard time, but we have very high spirits and I believe that the team will continue to do its best.”