Fry ordered Super Aguri lockout?
Less than a week before the Turkish grand prix there, it emerged that officials at the circuit – which is owned by F1 chief executive Bernie Ecclestone – denied Super Aguri access when they arrived to prepare for Sunday's race.
The trucks are therefore parked outside of Istanbul Park, which is located in Akfirat county on the Asian side of the city.
The source confirmed on Monday that Super Aguri team members were told by Otodrom officials that they had been instructed by Formula One Management (FOM) – Ecclestone's company – to restrict their access to the paddock.
Upon contacting FOM, Super Aguri management were then told that Honda's F1 CEO Nick Fry had instructed Ecclestone that the struggling team would not be getting a green light to compete in Turkey.
The source told us that the paddock lock-out is designed to prevent Honda the embarrassment of having Super Aguri on the scene if the manufacturer's executive board rejects the proposed Weigl buyout in Tokyo on Tuesday.
It is understood that Super Aguri chiefs Aguri Suzuki – who is already in Japan – and Daniele Audetto are now pushing hard to have the Tuesday meeting fast-forwarded to Monday.