Aguri Suzuki (鈴木 亜久里, Suzuki Aguri, born 8 September 1960) is a Japanese former racing driver. In Formula One, he participated in 88 Grands Prix between 1988 and 1995, achieving a best result of third at the 1990 Japanese Grand Prix, which made him the first Asian driver to score a podium finish. He also won the Japanese Top Formula Championship in 1988, and later finished third overall at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1998 and won races in the All-Japan GT Championship.
![]() Suzuki in 2008, as the supervisor of ARTA. | |
Born | Tokyo, Japan | 8 September 1960
---|---|
Formula One World Championship career | |
Nationality | ![]() |
Active years | 1988–1995 |
Teams | Larrousse, Zakspeed, Footwork, Jordan, Ligier |
Engines | Ford, Yamaha, Lamborghini, Mugen-Honda, Hart |
Entries | 88 (65 starts) |
Championships | 0 |
Wins | 0 |
Podiums | 1 |
Career points | 8 |
Pole positions | 0 |
Fastest laps | 0 |
First entry | 1988 Japanese Grand Prix |
Last entry | 1995 Japanese Grand Prix |
24 Hours of Le Mans career | |
Years | 1986–1988, 1990, 1996–1999 |
Teams | Nissan Motorsport, Toyota Team Tom's, Nismo (Nismo/TWR) |
Best finish | 3rd (1998) |
Class wins | 0 |
He became involved in team ownership after his Formula One career, first forming Autobacs Racing Team Aguri (ARTA) in 1997 in partnership with Autobacs. ARTA has competed mostly in Super GT, where they have won titles in both the GT500 and GT300 classes. He was the owner of the Super Aguri F1 team, which participated in Formula One from 2006 to 2008. He also formed Team Aguri, which raced in Formula E from 2014 to 2016.
Racing career
editEarly career
editSuzuki began racing karts in 1972, at the age of 12. In 1978 he won the Japanese kart championship and in 1979 made his debut in the Japanese Formula Three (All-Japan F3) championship. He continued in karting and in 1981 was again Japanese Kart Champion. In 1983 he finished second in the All-Japan F3 series, driving a Hayashi-Toyota. He then turned to touring car racing and, driving for the Nissan factory team won the Japanese title in 1986. The same year he made his debut in Japanese F2 and drove in the Le Mans 24 Hours. In 1987 he finished runner-up in the Japanese F3000 series, winning one race (Suzuka). In 1988, driving a March-Yamaha he won the title with three wins (Fuji, Nishi-Nippon and Suzuka).
Formula One career
editIn 1988, Suzuki raced in European F3000 with Footwork, before he debuted in Formula One on October 30 at his home race, replacing the ill Yannick Dalmas in the Larrousse-Lola. Zakspeed, who were using Yamaha engines, hired Suzuki for 1989, but he failed to pre-qualify in all 16 races.
For 1990 and 1991, he drove again for Larrousse. He finished sixth three times, before finishing third at Suzuka – the first ever podium for an Asian driver in F1. He also set the second-fastest lap.[citation needed]
In 1992 and 1993, he was at Footwork alongside Michele Alboreto and then Derek Warwick, but both usually outperformed him. He shared a Ligier with Martin Brundle in 1995, but only scored one point in his races, and was criticised by Mika Salo after the two collided in Buenos Aires. A massive crash in practice for the 1995 Japanese Grand Prix caused a neck injury which saw him miss the race,[1] and he immediately announced his retirement.
Suzuki scored a total of eight championship points in F1. At the time he retired, he was the second most successful Japanese F1 driver after Satoru Nakajima in terms of points scored, but Takuma Sato and Kamui Kobayashi have since passed them both.
After Formula One
editSuzuki later raced in the All Japan Grand Touring Car Championship, and remained involved in Japanese driver development. In 2000, with long-term sponsor Autobacs, he ran Autobacs Racing Team Aguri, which won the GT300 title in 2002, and expanded to Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters a season later. He also launched Super Aguri Fernandez Racing with Adrian Fernandez, running cars in the Indy Racing League.
Team ownership
editFrom 2006 Suzuki ran the Super Aguri F1 Formula One team with the backing of Honda. He put his new team together in four and half months from his initial announcement on 1 November 2005.[2] The team's initial entry was rejected by the FIA after they failed to secure financial guarantees before the entry deadline, and their acceptance was not formally confirmed until 26 January 2006.[3] The team made its debut at the Bahrain Grand Prix on 12 March 2006. In 2007, Takuma Sato scored two top-eight finishes, earning the team its first points, and Super Aguri ended up ninth in the Constructors' World Championship. On 6 May 2008, after competing in the opening four races of the season, the team withdrew from Formula One due to financial problems.[4]
Helmet
editSuzuki's helmet is white with a red line with black sides surrounding the top, a red and black line going from the Rear down the chin (forming an A) and a black circle on the top.
Racing record
editCareer summary
editJapanese Top Formula Championship results
edit(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap)
Year | Entrant | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | DC | Points |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1985 | NC Speed | SUZ | FUJ | MIN | SUZ | SUZ | FUJ DNS |
SUZ 8 |
SUZ 10 |
16th | 4 | |
1986 | Yura Takuya Racing Team | SUZ | FUJ | MIN | SUZ | SUZ | FUJ | SUZ | SUZ 6 |
13th | 6 | |
1987 | Footwork Sports Racing Team | SUZ 2 |
FUJ 2 |
MIN 4 |
SUZ 3 |
SUZ 2 |
SUG Ret |
FUJ Ret |
SUZ 1 |
SUZ 1 |
2nd | 107 |
1988 | Footwork Sports Racing Team | SUZ 2 |
FUJ 1 |
MIN 1 |
SUZ 1 |
SUG Ret |
FUJ 2 |
SUZ 2 |
SUZ Ret |
1st | 45 |
Complete Macau Grand Prix results
editYear | Team | Chassis/Engine | Qualifying | Race1 | Race2 | Overall ranking |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1985 | Nismo | Ralt・Nissan | 28th | 19 | DNF | DNF |
Complete 24 Hours of Le Mans results
editYear | Team | Co-Drivers | Car | Class | Laps | Pos. | Class Pos. |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1986 | Nissan Motorsports | Kazuyoshi Hoshino Keiji Matsumoto |
Nissan R86V | C1 | 64 | DNF | DNF |
1987 | Nissan Motorsports | Masahiro Hasemi Takao Wada |
Nissan 87E | C1 | 117 | DNF | DNF |
1988 | Nissan Motorsports | Kazuyoshi Hoshino Takao Wada |
Nissan (March) R88C | C1 | 286 | DNF | DNF |
1990 | Toyota Team TOM'S | Johnny Dumfries Roberto Ravaglia |
Toyota 90C-V | C1 | 64 | DNF | DNF |
1996 | NISMO | Masahiko Kageyama Masahiko Kondo |
Nissan Skyline GT-R LM | GT1 | 209 | DNF | DNF |
1997 | Nissan Motorsports TWR |
Riccardo Patrese Eric van de Poele |
Nissan R390 GT1 | GT1 | 121 | DNF | DNF |
1998 | Nissan Motorsports TWR |
Kazuyoshi Hoshino Masahiko Kageyama |
Nissan R390 GT1 | GT1 | 347 | 3rd | 3rd |
1999 | Nissan Motorsports | Masami Kageyama Eric van de Poele |
Nissan R391 | LMP | 0 | DNS | DNS |
Complete International Formula 3000 results
edit(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position; races in italics indicate fastest lap.)
Year | Entrant | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | DC | Points |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1988 | Footwork | JER | VAL | PAU 11 |
SIL DNQ |
MNZ | PER | BRH Ret |
BIR | BUG | ZOL | DIJ | NC | 0 |
Complete Formula One results
editKey | |
---|---|
Colour | Result |
Gold | Winner |
Silver | Second place |
Bronze | Third place |
Green | Other points position |
Blue | Other classified position |
Not classified, finished (NC) | |
Purple | Not classified, retired (Ret) |
Red | Did not qualify (DNQ) |
Did not pre-qualify (DNPQ) | |
Black | Disqualified (DSQ) |
White | Did not start (DNS) |
Race cancelled (C) | |
Light blue | Practiced only (PO) |
Thursday/Friday test driver (TD) (from 2003 onwards) | |
Blank | Did not practice (DNP) |
Excluded (EX) | |
Did not arrive (DNA) | |
Withdrawn (WD) | |
Text formatting | Meaning |
Bold | Pole position |
Italics | Fastest lap |
Superscript | Sprint race result |
Abbreviation | Meaning |
WDC | World Drivers' Championship position |
WCC | World Constructors' Championship position |
NC | Not classified |
Complete Japanese Touring Car Championship (1994-) results
editYear | Team | Car | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | DC | pts |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1994 | Toyota Team Tom's | Toyota Corona | AUT 1 9 |
AUT 2 5 |
SUG 1 |
SUG 2 |
TOK 1 3 |
TOK 2 2 |
SUZ 1 5 |
SUZ 2 4 |
MIN 1 Ret |
MIN 2 3 |
AID 1 2 |
AID 2 2 |
TSU 1 3 |
TSU 2 DNS |
SEN 1 3 |
SEN 2 Ret |
FUJ 1 5 |
FUJ 2 8 |
5th | 102 |
Complete JGTC results
edit(key)
Year | Team | Car | Class | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | DC | Pts |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1996 | Nismo Team Zexel | Nissan Skyline GT-R | GT500 | SUZ 4 |
FUJ Ret |
SEN 7 |
FUJ 3 |
SUG 5 |
MIN 3 |
6th | 46 | |
1997 | Nismo | Nissan Skyline GT-R | GT500 | SUZ 1 |
FUJ 4 |
SEN 2 |
FUJ 10 |
MIN 9 |
SUG 3 |
4th | 60 | |
1998 | Nismo | Nissan Skyline GT-R | GT500 | SUZ Ret |
FUJ C |
SEN 2 |
FUJ 7 |
MOT 11 |
MIN 5 |
SUG 9 |
8th | 29 |
1999 | Nismo | Nissan Skyline GT-R | GT500 | SUZ 5 |
FUJ 11 |
SUG 9 |
MIN 12 |
FUJ 12 |
TAI 2 |
MOT 2 |
6th | 40 |
2000 | Autobacs Racing Team Aguri | Honda NSX | GT500 | MOT 7 |
FUJ Ret |
SUG 15 |
FUJ 1 |
TAI Ret |
MIN Ret |
SUZ DSQ |
13th | 24 |
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ Tremayne, David. "Schumacher asserts his authority". The Independent, 30 October 1995. Retrieved on 30 June 2013.
- ^ BBC. "New team bidding for F1 status". 1 November 2005. Retrieved on 30 June 2013.
- ^ BBC. "Super Aguri handed F1 green light". 26 January 2006. Retrieved on 30 June 2013.
- ^ BBC. "Struggling Super Aguri out of F1". 6 May 2008. Retrieved on 30 June 2013.