08/05/2008 07:50

Tokyo - Takuma Sato and Anthony Davidson will be watching this week's Turkish Grand Prix from the sidelines, but they both vowed on Thursday to get themselves back behind the wheel and on the grid.

The Japanese hero and great British hope find themselves out of work after Super Aguri announced its long-expected demise this week following the collapse of emergency talks with dozens of potential sponsors.

Administrators have been appointed to seek a buyer for the all-Japanese team, based at the old Arrows factory in the central England town of Leafield.

They say they plan to sell the business as an ongoing concern to a company or individual aiming to launch a Formula One or other motorsport operation.

"A new team could walk in and take over a fully operational unit from day one," said joint administrator Philip Long in a statement.

In the meantime, Sato and Davidson are looking for a drive, with both desperate to stay in the lucrative sport.

'Incredibly supportive'

"I will be looking at my options with my manager and will make an announcement once it is appropriate. However, I have no intention to retire from F1," said the 31-year-old Sato, who has been in F1 for seven years.

"I feel I am driving at the top of my game and want to give so much more to my fans and supporters in Japan and worldwide who have been so incredibly supportive to me during my whole career."

Davidson admitted he was gutted when Super Aguri pulled out of Formula One, but like Sato vowed to find another drive.

"It wasn't a complete shock as we have all known how difficult things have been, but I'm obviously really disappointed that the team is unable to see out the rest of the season and beyond," the 28-year-old said.

"I'm gutted, not just for myself but for all the guys at the factory who have worked so hard."

Davidson, who failed to score a point with Super Aguri in 21 races with the small Japanese team, believes his days in Formula One are far from over.

"After several years as a test driver in F1 I'm glad that I had the chance to show that I can race and to prove my speed, and I'm grateful to the team and Honda for the opportunity," he said.

Sufficient investment

"Although it's a difficult time of the year to find an alternative option ... I strongly believe that I have unfinished business in Formula One."

On Tuesday, team boss and former Japanese driver Aguri Suzuki announced his team was quitting for good after failing to secure sufficient investment, with main backers Honda refusing to help ahead of the Turkish Grand Prix.

Honda, the Japanese car giant which had supplied engines and technical support, disapproved of Weigl Group's offer to bail out Super Aguri, doubting the German automotive company's financial resources.

The team's disappearance means that Formula One is down to 10 teams this weekend, with the grid originally supposed to have 12 at the start of the season before the collapse of Prodrive's entry.

While speculation is rife in Japan that Sato may replace veteran Brazilian Ruben Barrichello, 36 later this month, as a Honda driver next year, Davidson's future is less certain.