Yuji Ide, born 21 January 1975, is a Japanese racing driver best remembered for his brief and controversial stint in Formula One. A veteran of Japan’s single-seater scene, he was runner-up in the 2005 Formula Nippon championship and later won the 2010 Suzuka 1000km. But it was his whirlwind four-race career with Super Aguri in 2006 that cemented his place in F1 history—for better or worse.
| Nationality | Japanese |
|---|---|
| Born | Yuji Ide 21 January 1975 Saitama, Saitama, Japan |
Formula One Career
Super Aguri: 2006
When Ide lined up on the 2006 Formula One season, he did so as a 31-year-old rookie—making him one of the oldest drivers ever to debut in the modern era. His selection by Super Aguri, a newly formed team led by former F1 driver Aguri Suzuki, was as much about national pride as performance: the goal was to field an all-Japanese driver line-up, pairing Ide with Takuma Sato.
Ide had a longstanding relationship with Suzuki, but despite his domestic success, his move to F1 was fraught from the start. A major hurdle was communication—Ide’s limited English made it difficult to integrate with an international team. According to Suzuki, this contributed to struggles in understanding both the car and the team’s expectations.
His debut at the 2006 Bahrain Grand Prix did little to inspire confidence. Qualifying last, he was significantly off the pace of teammate Sato and failed to finish the race. Malaysia brought no relief, as Ide retired again—this time after 33 laps.
Things took a more public turn in Australia. During qualifying, Ide impeded Rubens Barrichello, who was eliminated in Q1 and left visibly frustrated. In the race itself, Ide finished 13th, two laps down, but his performance was marked by multiple spins and unforced errors. After the weekend, Aguri Suzuki made it clear that Ide’s seat was under serious threat if improvements weren’t immediate.
The next round at Imola proved to be his undoing. On the opening lap, Ide collided with Christijan Albers, launching the Dutchman into a dramatic series of barrel rolls that ended with his car upside down. Though Albers escaped unscathed, Ide was reprimanded by the stewards and warned about his future conduct. Suzuki admitted that Ide’s lack of testing was a serious issue, stating, “He doesn’t understand how to use the car.”
On 4 May 2006, Super Aguri confirmed that Ide would be sidelined for the 2006 European Grand Prix at the Nürburgring. The decision followed advice from the FIA, who suggested that Ide required more experience before continuing in Formula One. He was replaced by third driver Franck Montagny, with Ide demoted to the reserve role.
Less than a week later, on 10 May, the FIA officially revoked Ide’s Super Licence, barring him from further participation in the 2006 season. A team statement expressed hope that they could still find other driving opportunities for Ide, and perhaps a path back into F1—but that never materialised.
In total, Yuji Ide’s Formula One career lasted just four Grand Prix. Of those, he finished only once—13th in Australia. His best qualifying result was 21st (of 22) in Bahrain, and even that was aided by Kimi Räikkönen failing to set a time. Crucially, before his debut, Ide had logged just 200 kilometres in an F1 car—a staggeringly small amount of preparation for the sport’s highest level.
His brief time in the spotlight was not without criticism. In a 2009 issue of F1 Racing Magazine, Ide was labelled one of the five worst drivers in Formula One history. However, time has offered some perspective. In a 2020 retrospective, The Race argued that Ide was “a more capable driver than he was made to appear,” citing a severe lack of testing, language barriers, and being placed in a fundamentally weaker second car as major factors behind his struggles.
Yuji Ide Formula One World Championship career
| F1 Career | 2006 |
|---|---|
| Teams | Super Aguri |
| Entries | 4 (4 starts) |
| Championships | 0 |
| Wins | 0 |
| Podiums | 0 |
| Career points | 0 |
| Pole positions | 0 |
| Fastest laps | 0 |
| First entry | 2006 Bahrain Grand Prix |
| Last entry | 2006 San Marino Grand Prix |
Yuji Ide Teammates
| 1 Driver | Involvement | First Year | Last Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Takuma Sato | 4 | 2006 |
Yuji Ide Complete Formula One Results
| Year | Entrant | Chassis | Engine | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | WDC | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | Super Aguri F1 Team | Super Aguri SA05 | Honda RA806E 2.4 V8 | BHR Ret | MAL Ret | AUS 13 | SMR Ret | EUR * | ESP | MON | GBR | CAN | USA | FRA | GER | HUN | TUR | ITA | CHN | JPN | BRA | 25th | 0 |
