July 5 - 7, 2002

Race Notes

Double delight at Silverstone

The BAR team enjoyed a home grand prix to remember at Silverstone on Sunday, with Jacques Villeneuve and Olivier Panis finishing fourth and fifth.

While other outfits came unstuck in the tricky weather conditions, the BAR team held their nerve to bring both cars safely home in the points.

Teamwork was the name of the game - drivers, pit crew and even weather spotters across the Northamptonshire countryside all played a crucial role in a faultless strategy.

Jacques said: "It has been a long time coming but today's result is fantastic for the team. It was a very tricky race and to get both cars home in the points in those conditions is great for everybody. I've had a very good three days here; we just kept improving the car throughout every session.

"For the first time this season, we were confident that for once we didn't have to rely on luck to be in with a chance of a points finish. We were actually competitive enough and the car and circuit really suited each other. We had two great pitstops and made the right tyre choices in very tough conditions.

"Everybody worked incredibly well in the race so this result is a credit to the team."

Olivier added: "I'm very, very happy. This is a fantastic day for me and for the team, especially as this was our home grand prix. I'm really pleased that we were able to put on a good show for all the staff in the grandstands. I could feel them willing us on and this result is exactly what they needed.

"From 13th position it was a hell of a fight because of the weather conditions, but I had a lot of fun along the way. After all the problems I had on Friday and Saturday, the team reacted with great professionalism and determination.

"I would like to take this opportunity to thank Honda for all their hard work because we have great respect for what they are trying to do. Sometimes these things take time but it's like good food - you need to wait. Last but not least, a special "thank you" to Bridgestone, whose continued efforts paid off especially well in today's conditions.

"I consider this a good step forward for the team but let's keep focus and remember that we have a lot of work ahead of us."

Team principal David Richards paid tribute to his entire staff but singled out chief mechanic Alastair Gibson for special praise.

He said: "It just goes to prove that perseverance really pays off and at the end of the day it's all about teamwork. The drivers drove a faultless race but behind this performance are a lot of unsung heroes back at the factory who played such an important part in today's result.

"The strategy for the race was absolutely perfect and it's so pleasing for everybody to do so well in front of our home crowd.

"We have to acknowledge Bridgestone who provided us with the perfect tyre for the conditions today but one individual who really stands out within a great team is Alastair Gibson, our chief mechanic. He left his wife in labour to be with us today and now returns to the hospital for the birth of his first child.

"This is a day I'm sure he'll never forget."

BAR

Race Results

Warm-Up Times

Qualifying Notes

Jacques Villeneuve
"I'm quite pleased with 9th today. The car has been working well all weekend in wet and dry conditions and, generally, it seems to suit Silverstone's high speed-corners. My quick lap wasn't as good as it could have been because the gearbox didn't work properly on some downshifts and I lost a little time. We're usually a little better off in the race so I think we'll be OK tomorrow now we've seen that the car can be good here whatever the conditions. I think we would be slightly more competitive in the wet though."

Olivier Panis
"As was the case yesterday, it's been another difficult day for me. I had two different problems in practice this morning, an electrical problem in the first session and an engine problem in the second. As a result, I was only able to achieve two fast laps and I didn't have the chance to work on a proper dry set-up. During qualifying, I did my utmost to put the car as high as possible but I was missing a lot of track time. I'm not satisfied with 13th position at all, even though I'm only a tenth from Jacques. On the other hand, two positive aspects remain. One is the superb effort from my mechanics throughout today's problems, the other is that - once again - we have at least managed to get one car inside the top 10. Now we have to find a way to achieve that with both cars. As always, we have to put in some hours with the engineers now to see how we can improve things for tomorrow."

David Richards, Team Principal
"Whilst I acknowledge that our objective was to qualify both cars in the top 10, it was still a very respectable performance by both drivers and another small step in the right direction. Jacques has been on the pace all weekend and always looked like qualifying in a strong position but Olivier has had a series of problems and did a great job to record a time so close to Jacques'. Our race performance has always been stronger than qualifying so we have every reason to feel very positive for tomorrow."

Saturday Practice Times

Friday Practice Notes

Jacques Villeneuve
"We had a good first day today. Two very good sessions and the car feels very driveable in the rain which is great. In the past, I've always had a car which has been difficult to drive in the wet but it seems that this car works well here. It's good - it means we can be aggressive. If the rain stays all weekend then it's looking good for us. If it's dry, then I'm not sure where we'll be. The problem with qualifying in the wet is you have to be out at the right time and because you only have 12 laps you never know when the track is going to be at its quickest, so its very difficult."

Olivier Panis
"Not a very good day at all today. Generally, the car was very difficult to drive and then I lost a lot of track time in this morning's session due to a traction-control related problem. That's the last thing you need in these track conditions. The problem was fixed for this afternoon but then I struggled all the way through the second session with oversteer. We tried a lot of things to improve it but nothing seemed to make the problem better. This feels like a very different car to the one I had in the Nurburgring; the balance is not good at all. We have to work through everything in the debrief now to try to find a solution for tomorrow morning."

David Richards, Team Principal
"Finding a good balance was no easy task in these track conditions and it's no surprise that the drivers experienced such mixed fortunes today. Jacques had a very good first day's running and was able to put the car in a much-improved position for a Friday. Olivier on the other hand struggled with a less responsive car and that's a problem we will have to be on top of at the end of practice tomorrow. The weather will no doubt have a hand in qualifying but our objective is to put both cars inside the top 10 for the start of our home race on Sunday."

Jacques' Lap of Silverstone

Lucky Strike BAR Honda's Jacques Villeneuve has won twice at Silverstone - once in 1996 and again in 1997, his world championship year.

With the track so close to the team's Brackley base, both Jacques and team mate Olivier have spent a considerable amount of time testing there and here Jacques talks us through a lap of the track:

"The first corner, Copse, is very difficult but exciting - it's almost flat, very fast and good fun. Then you get into another quick section - firstly Maggotts and then the Becketts complex, which is a succession of three corners. The first of these is a right-hander that is almost flat too - a little bit faster than Copse even. After that you have to lift a little for the left-hander. It's difficult to get a good balance for the car here because from travelling very quickly you have to slow for the next corner while trying to stay tight. For the Chapel curve you slow down a little more and drop down a gear.

"That gives you speed for the Hangar straight. There are some overtaking possibilities at the end of the straight as you approach another high-speed corner, Stowe. This is pretty quick, maybe 240 km/h and again, you tap on the brakes as you turn in. The track is off camber here ? that's the opposite of banking, which makes the car go a little bit light so it's a difficult corner to drive correctly.

"After Stowe you come to two corners that are not so nice - Vale and Club - and for me these are the least enjoyable parts of the track. You brake heavily into Vale, a very tight left-hander, which suddenly goes into a right-hander with long acceleration. It's just not that much fun. Next you reach Abbey Curve, which is another annoying section. After a little bit of a straight, you brake heavily for Abbey, but it doesn't have much rhythm or logic.

"Then you get into the very fast Bridge corner. You can take it flat in qualifying, but you have to lift a little in the race. You don't want to lose control through here hough because the wall is not far away! It's quite an exhilarating corner and your line through it is important because it sets you up for the next corner, Priory, a fairly fast left-hander taken at just under 200 km/h. Here it's just a tap on the brakes before you turn in - that's all you need so it's good fun.

"After Priory there are two slow corners - Brooklands and Luffield. Both are long corners taken in second gear, but well designed so they've got a good rhythm. You complete the lap by accelerating through Woodcote and onto the start/finish straight.

"Silverstone isn't a home Grand Prix for me so Monaco and Montreal are more special, but it is important for the rest of the team because a lot of guys that work at the factory can't come to any other race. I do enjoy racing at Silverstone though. There's a huge crowd and the fans are great. They're really into motor racing so it is great to race in front of them, especially as the track is fun to drive."

BAR Race Preview

Round 10 of the 2002 FIA Formula 1 World Championship takes place right on Lucky Strike BAR Honda's doorstep this weekend at Silverstone, the home of British motorsport and located just 8 miles from the team's Operations Centre in Brackley. Like every British-based team, BAR are hoping for a strong performance to reward the tremendous support of their many fans and, of course, the 360-strong team members. For many of the factory-based staff, this is the only chance they get to see the BAR004 in action so they will be heading to Silverstone en masse next Sunday come rain or shine.

The unpredictable British weather always poses the biggest challenge of the Grand Prix weekend and 2001 was no exception. A sudden downpour in Friday's Free Practice sent the teams flying into the pitlane for wet weather tyres at the end of the session and there was more of the same on Saturday. Come Sunday, conditions did a dramatic about-face and the race remained dry, warm and sunny throughout. It was a day to forget for Olivier Panis however. His race was over before the first corner after an unfortunate coming together with his team-mate Jacques Villeneuve, whose car locked up under braking. Jacques was at least able to complete the full race distance, bringing his car home in 8th position.

BAR began their preparation for the British Grand Prix last month when they completed a Bridgestone tyre test at the Silverstone circuit. Whilst the team know this track practically inside out, the revised BAR004 has yet to run on home asphalt. So, while most of the teams headed to Barcelona for this week's testing, BAR joined Ferrari in Mugello where the series of fast, flowing corners provide similar track characteristics to those at the Northamptonshire circuit. Jacques was joined by test drivers Anthony Davidson and Patrick Lemarie for a positive three-day test where the focus was mainly on set-up and tyre options for this weekend.

Apart from some minor aerodynamic modifications for this race, the car is largely unchanged from the Nürburgring. Following the Mugello test, the team will work closely with Honda to ascertain whether the latest evolution engine will be run throughout the full race weekend at Silverstone.

This year, the team's objective is to secure a top-10 finish for both cars whilst making sure that BAR are in the frame for any points-scoring opportunities which may be thrown up by unknown quantities such as the weather.

Jacques Villeneuve
"Silverstone isn't a home Grand Prix for me but it is important for the rest of the team because a lot of the guys who work at the factory can't come to any other race. I do enjoy racing at Silverstone though. There's a huge crowd and the fans are great. They're really into motor racing so it's great to race in front of them, especially as the track is fun to drive.

"Getting the right set-up here is a challenge. You need a reasonable amount of downforce and high aerodynamic efficiency. It's a very interesting track to drive though. The first corner, Copse, is very difficult but exciting - it's almost flat, very fast and good fun. Bridge is even more exhilarating. You can take it flat in qualifying, but you have to lift a little in the race. You don't want to lose control through here though because the wall isn't far away!

"I have good memories of winning the British Grand Prix in 1996 and 1997 so I know what a great feeling it is to do well in your team's home race. 2002 has been a tough season so far though so we have to be realistic about our expectations for this weekend."

Olivier Panis
"I was pleased to see us taking another step forward at the Nürburgring and I hope we can continue to improve here this weekend, especially as this is the team's home race. Everybody has worked really hard this season, especially with the new car, and they deserve some reward for that.

"I always look forward to the British Grand Prix. I've tested here a lot and it's a very exciting track. The atmosphere at Silverstone is great - really special. English fans are real fans - very enthusiastic and very knowledgeable. You really feel that when you arrive.

"This has never been a particularly lucky track for me since my 4th place in 1995 but it shouldn't be too hard to have a better race than last year! The weather is the biggest challenge here. It can completely change the outcome of qualifying and the race and it makes the set-up choice and strategy a bit of a lottery. A wet race is no bad thing for us though. It means anything can happen and you can easily find yourself in a position to fight for a top-6 finish. Let's hope that's the case on Sunday!"

David Richards, Team Principal
"A race finish for both cars at the Nürburgring was another step in the right direction, so the next logical step is a regular place in the top-10. A home Grand Prix creates a great deal of expectation and, while a point or two would be the most desirable outcome this weekend, signs of further steady improvement should still be considered a success.

"The whole team have been eagerly anticipating this race - and rightly so. Everyone has worked extremely hard over the last few months - particularly those who work out of sight at the factory. They'll be given a rare opportunity to see the fruits of their labour this weekend and we'll be doing the best job we can to reward their efforts - and the commitment of our partners and fans."

The Circuit

Race Distance - 60 Laps. 191.604 miles (308.356 km)
Circuit Length - 3.194 miles (5.141 km)

Located 3 miles away from the town of Towcester, this former World War II airfield provides a venue where Formula One cars can really be unleashed and as a result it remains one of the highlights of the calendar. The circuit itself is still a great circuit, although there is some criticism over a lack of passing places. Overtaking moves are possible into Copse, Stowe and Abbey, but cars tend to lose downforce following each other closely through the preceding fast corners. The entry to Becketts is now the quickest corner on the track, a 7th gear 155mph bend. The slowest section is the 55mph, 2nd gear Vale left-hander that leads directly into Club corner. Silverstone has been heavily censured in the past because of the traffic problems that arise each year on the small access roads around the circuit. However, it is hoped that the new road system around the circuit has rectified this issue once and for all.