Super Aguri confirm Sato, Ide for 2006

The announcement finally confirms the long-held speculation that Sato would drive for the team since the Super Aguri venture was announced late last year, whilst also confirming recent speculation by autosport.com that Ide would be his teammate.

Sato, who drove for Honda-powered Jordan in 2002 and BAR in 2004 and 2005 as well as a one-off appearance for BAR in 2003, will once again be powered by Honda in Super Aguri's debut season.

With his drive now confirmed, Sato is looking forward to the work ahead: "Everyone at Super Aguri has done a great job to make the team happen in such a short period of time. I am extremely excited to be working with the team and especially with Aguri-san who has achieved huge success in motorsport.

"Yesterday I was delighted to shakedown the car for the very first time with all of the boys who have done such a great job. We know that there is a lot of hard work to do, but we are up for the challenge and I am really looking forward to it."

Sato's teammate for 2006, Yuji Ide, is making his Formula One debut alongside the Super Aguri team, following a runner-up result in last year's Formula Nippon series, the premier open-wheel racing series in Japan. Ide also has previous experience in GT and other open-wheel series.

"This year will be very exciting and challenging," said Ide. "I would like to thank Suzuki-san for giving me the opportunity to drive in Formula One.

"I drove an F1 car for the first time yesterday and I was nervous, but very excited. The car is powerful! I would also like to thank the whole team for working so hard to get the car ready for yesterday's shakedown. We had no problems and now I am very much looking forward to testing in Barcelona next week."

With his driving line-up confirmed, Super Aguri team principal Aguri Suzuki is glad to have a pair of experienced racing drivers driving his cars as the team makes its Formula One debut: "I am grateful that these highly experienced drivers are joining my team. Although I expect a tough year as it is our first in Formula One, with these two drivers I will put all my efforts into creating a positive outcome."