Honda’s chief executive won’t be sad to see back of Suzuki’s team

Nick Fry (above left, with Jenson Button) never hid his scepticism towards Super Aguri. He said at the Spanish GP:

“Honda have given Super Aguri every available bit of support over and above what was anticipated… We tried to help as much as possible and Honda never intended to fund two F1 teams. We’ve gone way beyond what was ever originally anticipated. Now Aguri [Suzuki, the team’s owner] has got to find some money.”

F1 also-rans call it a day

We knew things were bad when Super Aguri sent driver Anthony Davidson out on a tandem. Now comes the news that the under-powered, under-financed team has withdrawn from F1 with immediate effect; an 11th-hour rescue package by German auto company Weigl Group was not enough to keep them racing at the back of the grid.

Troubled Japanese team not certain to line up on grid this weekend

Despite sending a full team to Barcelona, Super Aguri have not yet decided if they will run in Sunday’s Spanish GP. The future of the Japanese team is in doubt after potential investors pulled out last week. Britain’s Magma Group were expected to buy-out Aguri Suzuki’s team of no-good backmarkers at the end of March, with the financial assistance of Dubai International Capital. But DIC reportedly has cold feet – its head has been turned instead by the shiny red cash machine that is Liverpool Football Club.

Today’s top news stories from F1 and beyond

Super Aguri may be forced out of Formula One after a potential investor pulled the plug on a multi-million pound deal. The struggling Japanese team (look in the dictionary under “backmarker” and you’ll see a Super Aguri car, probably being lifted from a track), which has been absent from testing in Barcelona this week, could miss next week’s Spanish Grand Prix after owner Aguri Suzuki admitted he will have to “consider the future of the team”. Without Aguri, who will Fernando Alonso have to overtake? [Telegraph]

More news coming up…