Super Aguri SA05

The Super Aguri SA05 was the car with which the Super Aguri team competed in the first half of the Formula One season. It originally was developed from the Arrows A23 designed in 2002 by Mike Coughlan.

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 using Honda's 2005 F1 car.

From the A23, the car used a new monocoque, new aerodynamic package and rear end engine parts.

The SA05 was driven by Takuma Sato, whose firing by the works Honda team had played a significant role in creating the team, and also was driven by inexperienced Japanese rookie Yuji Ide and long-term Renault test driver Franck 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 driver Aguri Suzuki, was funded by Honda and used Honda engines. The chassis, however, was based on the Arrows A23 from , which the team purchased from Paul Stoddart . The gearbox was also from the Arrows.

The year was one of exploration and learning for the team. Although the car was slowest, it was not by a big margin, and Sato impressed by racing with faster cars. Ide,...
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