Japanese launch for Aguri.

The Super Aguri F1 team has finally confirmed details of its pre-season launch and, unsurprisingly, it will take place in the team's 'real' home, Japan, in the build-up to the season-opening Australian Grand Prix.

The team, which operates out of the former Arrows base in Leafield, England, has confirmed that the wraps will come off its all-new SA07 chassis in Tokyo on Monday 12 March, before being shipped off to Melbourne for that weekend's opening round.

The launch is expected to attract a lot of attention, not only because it marks Aguri's first real unveiling after a rush to make the grid in 2006, but also because, like Scuderia Toro Rosso, the team has become embroiled in a row over the use of customer cars. Aguri's close ties with Honda - which helped create the F1 operation as a means of keeping Takuma Sato in F1 - have led to speculation that the SA07 will bear close resemblance to the 'works' cars, possibly going as far as actually being based on last year's RA106.

If that is the case, the week leading up to Melbourne could get the season off to a fiery start.