Per Planet-f1... Ide to race this weekend... http://www.planet-f1.com/News/Story_Page/0,15909,3210_3213_1197239,00.html Well "race" may be an exageration. perhaps "drive"... no that's not quite right either... Ok I have it... Ide will serve as a mobile chicane at this weekends race. well at least for a portion of it. Any bets on how deep he makes it into the race?
To all those wondering who could possibly want Ide's seat, the answer is ANYONE looking to get a foot into F1. Here we go again with comparisons, but Senna got in a slow(er) car and immediately went fast, and Peter Warr noticed it straight away. So whoever gets into the car and goes 2+ seconds a lap faster than Sato will be noticed. Not that 2+ seconds is a lot, but Sato is 5-6 seconds a lap faster than Ide, so that would make an 7-8 second improvement.
Then they had better watch out if Anthony Davidson gets the seat, because I believe he could drive a wheel barrow faster than Sato in a S.A.
It's possible that Sato could drive a wheel barrow faster than a S.A. That Arrows chassis was a pig when it was new. After a stint as a lobby display, what the heck is it doing back on a race track? Anyone wanting to get a foot in F1 would showcase his talents better in GP2 than in that rolling train wreck. I'm pretty sure the S.A. team exists only to provide more advertising space for the Honda sponsors. The more outrageously Ide tanks, the more camera time they get -- so Ide isn't a bad option for the team's mission. But that whole team is a hazard to F1.
I read July a while ago (French Grand Prix I believe), but that date may have been moved up by now. >8^) ER
I just saw the news on formula1.com and was happy to read it. I'm all for Ide getting back on the track...once he learns how to drive safely. Even the other slow teams on the track don't constantly endanger the rest of the field.
if Ide is now the test driver, it will never debut because the new S.A. will be in the repair shop 24/7.... The mark of a great driver is an ability to do good things in bad cars, so Montagny will finally get his chance. I'm not saying he needs a podium finish, but if he could consistently beat some of the other drivers he could merit a look by a better team. First person he needs to beat is Sato.....
