16/03/2007
NEWS STORY
Super Aguri commenced its 2007 season challenge today with the inaugural outing of the SA07 at the Albert Park Circuit in Melbourne.
The first day of running got off to a damp and humid start which hindered progress during the morning's Free Practice session. The afternoon saw the blustery weather continue, however the team was able to complete its planned test programme for the day.
Takuma Sato: I think it was a good start for us. We didn't have any issues with the car and everything went well straight away. We had to compromise a bit in the first session due to the mixed weather conditions, but it was good to experience both tyre options. I had a good first running in the SA07 and although I think that we have a lot to do before tomorrow, I am positive and hopefully we'll see more progress tomorrow.
Anthony Davidson: It was a good day and the car was reliable again. We experienced difficult weather conditions, especially in the morning, and it was decided that I would not run the grooved tyres like most other people did. The second session was a bit more difficult for me because of this, but it was a good day nonetheless and I am looking forward to tomorrow.
Graham Taylor, Sporting Director: During the morning we obtained some good information and we feel that we were on the circuit at the right time. We understand the crossover point between the wet and dry tyre now in case the weather is changeable in qualifying or the race. This afternoon we had an excellent session and the two drivers looked very competitive with each other. The car did not have a great balance at the beginning of the afternoon, but both drivers and their Race Engineers worked to find a much better balance by the end of the session. Both cars could do what looks like very competitive times, but I think that we're showing ourselves to be in higher positions than we really are because of the decisions we made to accommodate for the green track. We are, however, very pleased. It feels a lot more cohesive than we did last year; we've got a lot more tools that we're able to employ from an engineering and preparation point of view.
To check out our Melbourne Friday gallery, click here