All the wishful thinking in the world was going to change the situation and reality set in for me about a week ago – it was confirmed today with the news that Super Aguri were withdrawing from F1 with immediate effect.

It is a sad day for formula one regardless of what team you support. The independent teams that were the lifeblood of grand prix racing are almost extinct in this era of mega corporate budgets, which may please the FIA but it does not please the fans.

EVERYONE around the world cheered when they watched Takuma Sato overtake Ralf Schumacher in Canada (probably Michael too!) – a moment that more fans will remember than who actually won the race – you root for David not Goliath.

Super Aguri were the old school underdog team (a feeling Force India hasn’t been able to capture as it strives to be a “real” challenger) so with the disappearance of the team there is a definite drop in the “fun factor” for F1 fans around the world.

A big thank you to Aguri Suzuki, Taku & Ant and every single member of the team…

Sayonara, Super Best Friends.