Super Aguri F1 team leader, Takuma Sato had a disappointing end to the French Grand Prix weekend, his final outing in the SA05, after he suffered a clutch related problem at the start of the race. That issue meant he had to retire on the very first lap.

　 "Obviously I'd like to say big thanks to the SA05! The car has done a great job since the beginning of the season, but this was not the end to the weekend that we wanted. I had a clutch problem on the formation lap and so at the start I really struggled to pull away. When I finally moved everyone was already in the distance, but I rapidly caught up with the group on the straight and I overtook one Midland into the hairpin! But then I couldn't select the gears and there was nothing else I could do. It is a great shame for the boys who have worked so hard. We split the strategy between Franck and me and I should have had a really strong package. I am very pleased for the team and for Franck that he had a fantastic race today."

　 Takuma Sato had his qualifying performance hindered, after a mechanical problem during the third free practice session. Despite that though he ended qualifying just two tenths off his team-mate, Franck Montagny - and both were only a second or so off their nearest competitor, Midland's Tiago Monteiro, proof the team is closing in on their rivals.

For the record, it was the first time this season Taku has been beaten by his team-mate and Montagny had the 'home' advantage - even if he did only go quicker late on.

　 "We had a difficult start as we suffered with a mechanical problem this morning which meant that I lost a lot of time during the practice session and I was unable to run the prepared set-up from yesterday. In Qualifying I think that we came back well, but I suffered a little bit with low grip, but I believe that I have a strong overall package for the race tomorrow."

　 Super Aguri F1 made an encouraging start to the French Grand Prix weekend at the Circuit de Nevers in Magny-Cours, completing the majority of its planned running, with Takuma Sato posting a best lap that put him ahead of both Red Bull regulars, plus Jacques Villeneuve and Scott Speed.

　 "The weather is extremely hot and we had very low grip here at the beginning of the day. With every outing the car set-up progressed, so I am reasonably happy with the final set-up that we have found. We worked through our usual tyre programme today and the car seems to be working well considering the high temperatures. The track should continue to improve over the next two days, so we shall work further on improving the set-up tomorrow morning and hope for another good Qualifying session tomorrow."