Yamamoto appreciative,

By Karl King
November 1 2007

After being dropped by Super Aguri during 2006, Sakon Yamamoto was without a drive for 2007. With no other option for a Formula 1 race drive, the Japanese racer headed to F1's feeder series GP2. However, with Christijan Albers being dropped mid-way through 2007 after a series of mistakes and what the team put down to sponsrship issues, a race seat arose at Spyker.

Markus Winkelhock filled in at the memorable Nurburgring race, where he led his debut race in topsy-turvy weather conditions.

However, the Silverstone-based outit announced his successor after just one race - Sakon Yamamoto.

"This year was quite a variable season for me! At the beginning of the season I was a test driver for Aguri, and I raced in GP2 as a way to come back to F1. And I got a chance. The team was different, but it was a good opportunity to join with Spyker, and I really appreciated that they give me a good chance to drive in F1."

It is not expected that Yamamoto will continue with the team in to 2008 as it transforms into Force India F1. It is unfortunate, therefore, that his final race with the team should end with a DNF - but he's not taking the blame: "I was driving through the part from Turn One to Turn Two and I had already accelerated, and suddenly he [Fisichella] was coming back onto the track. He just came onto the racing line, and I couldn’t do anything to avoid the accident. I was very unlucky, and it was very dangerous, when you think about the speed difference."

Race results indicate that Sutil outclassed Yamamoto, and in the races that the both finished, Sutil got the better of him 3 races to 0, including scoring the team's only point of the year.