London, England - At the end of the 2005 season the fledgling Super Aguri team did not know whether it had a place in Formula 1.
It had no car, little more than a skeleton staff and the governing body had left them off a list of teams accepted for the 2006 season because they had failed to pay a $48-million (R340-million) bond in time.
Now, with drivers Anthony Davidson and Takuma Sato they are dreaming of moving up the grid next year and maybe even winning a race in 2008 when new rules take effect.
Super Aguri cannot be accused of lacking ambition, even if it failed to score a point and finished last of the 11 teams in 2006.
Managing director Daniele Audetto said: "We want to show the world that we are not losers.
"Now that we have the nucleus of the team, the mechanics and engineers, we want to prove we can fight for a better position.
"I think if we are as good as we proved to be with the old car in 2006, maybe in 2008 we can be potential winners of one Grand Prix."
Just competing in 2006 was something of an achievement. It took the approval of all 10 rival teams, as well as the necessary payment, before Aguri's application was finally accepted in late January by the International Automobile Federation (FIA).
It started the season with a revamped, four-year-old Arrows chassis bought in a hurry from departing Minardi owner Paul Stoddart and with the team based in the old Arrows factory in central England.
Sato lined up in Bahrain for the team's first race nearly six seconds off the pace. By the final round in Brazil, he was around 2.5sec off Felipe Massa's pole-position time for Ferrari and finished the race 10th with the seventh fastest lap.
Sato's performance did not go unnoticed, even on a day dominated by Michael Schumacher's farewell and Fernando Alonso's second title with Renault, and 2007 season could see another step up.
Super Aguri tested an interim car in the last week of November 2006 that looked very similar to the 2006 Honda RA106, a machine that took Briton Jenson Button to victory in Hungary in August.
Teams will be allowed to sell complete cars to each other from 2008 but until then they must design and build their own - which means rivals will be looking very closely to make sure Aguri doesn't turn up in Australia in March 2007 with a re-painted Honda.
Audetto said everything would be in order.
"The car that we tested in Barcelona is just an interim car that will gather all the information regarding the new tyres which we will bring to the new SA07, which we will probably present at the beginning of February," he said.
"It will be a Super Aguri 100 percent."
The main aim for 2007 will be to finish among the top 10 teams, although fellow tail-enders Toro Rosso and Spyker have switched to Ferrari engines.
Audetto said: "It's true that the Honda support is very strong and I think we have two very good drivers in Sato and Davidson.
"But to go in the middle of the grid in 2007 is a big, big jump. I think we can achieve that in 2008, when the regulations really change...I think that 2008 will be the year where Super Aguri will really show all its potential.
"The new rules will allow even the small teams to have the same technical support, chassis and aero as the top teams - we can share the same car - and then what will count is the drivers, the racing team, the strategy," he added.
"Potentially a small team with a very good car...with good drivers and strategy and a little luck could eventually win a Grand Prix in 2008."
Super Aguri was founded by former Formula 1 driver Aguri Suzuki as an all-Japanese effort to ensure that Sato remained in F1 after Honda faced a backlash at home for dropping him.
The line-up of Sato and rookie Yuji Ide broke up when the latter was stripped of his super-licence and Frenchman Franck Montagny was drafted in.
Japanese driver Sakon Yamamoto took over towards the end of the 2006 season but Davidson, a long-standing Honda test driver, offers far more experience as well as a broader appeal.
Audetto said: "Super Aguri wants to be more international in the future to attract more international sponsors
"Sato gave Aguri Suzuki the support from Honda to create a team and to allow Sato to remain in F1 - but Super Aguri must be competitive and successful."
Next season will tell just how competitive. - Reuters