Super Aguri co-owner Fumio Akita has confirmed that in light of the collapse of their buy-out, the team are on the verge of a financial collapse and a buyer must be found by next week if the team are to survive.
Super Aguri s future is so uncertain that they have also admitted they may not race at next weekend s Grand Prix in Spain. “It s possible,†Akita told Reuters. “We were banking on Magma s buy-out but they turned it down. It feels like being jilted by a lover.
“Even if we have the money to go to Spain, we might not be able to carry on after that. It is impossible to predict what will happen but it could not depend on Honda.â€
However Honda do not appear to be contemplating rescuing Super Aguri. Honda are already believed to have scaled back their support for the small team in recent months and have said that they do not intend change their current support structure for Super Aguri.
Despite the uncertainty, Super Aguri have dispatched the first of their transporters to Barcelona and remain optimistic that a rescues package can be found.
“I don t think there will be a decision until after the weekend,†Akita continued. “It is likely to be Monday or Tuesday until we hear. It will be very, very tight.â€
Super Aguri have been struggling with sponsorship for a while and the Magma deal has compounded the problems. The team was unable to do much pre-season testing, and they also missed this week s test session in Spain. Both Sato and Davidson have also been under orders to protect their cars as the team have very few spare parts available.
