Takuma Sato
Takuma Sato believes Super Aguri will be ready for the start of the Formula One season despite the financial crisis which has forced the team to forgo any testing in 2008.
The Honda-backed Japanese team is actively looking for investors to take a financial stake in the team and several groups - one in India and one in Spain - have been mentioned.
"It has been a tough winter for the team because of the financial difficulties," Sato writes on his personal website.
"Normally at this time we’d be in the middle of our testing schedule, but we haven’t even run properly this year. We did a few tests at the end of last year, but that was like a case study to get to learn the new standard ECU system.
"I know how hard Aguri-san and the team have been working to get financial support from sponsors and investors. We’ve always had great support from Honda and of course without them nothing would have been possible."
Sato says the team cancelled a planned test at Valencia last week but will be on hand in Jerez next week and back-to-back three days tests in Barcelona before heading off to Australia.
"Because of the financial situation, last year we had to stop our development in the middle of the season," adds Sato. "But this time I believe that, after a tough start, we can get to a point where we’ll be more competitive than we were in either of the last two years.
"I really want to be able to fight for positions to the very last race."
Despite the fact Super Aguri have made no official announcement, both Sato and Anthony Davidson were listed on the official FIA entry list as being the drivers of record. However, teams have until just before the first race of the season to make any lineup changes.