September 27 - 29, 2002

Race Notes

B.A.R look to the future

B.A.R did not have the end to the season they were hoping for in Sunday's Japanese Grand Prix after Jacques Villeneuve and Olivier Panis recorded a double retirement.

Olivier was hoping for a good result in his final race for B.A.R but a mechanical glitch forced him into making an early retirement. He tried to rejoin the race after receiving attention in the pits but was forced to stop after completing only eight laps.

Speaking afterwards, he said: "I felt something tighten just a few laps into the race and I stopped in the pits for the team to check out the car. I did another lap before pulling into the garage and the team did a great job to identify the problem.

"I rejoined the track for another lap but the car was undriveable and there was no way I could continue. It's disappointing because I really wanted to finish well for the team today but it wasn't to be."

Although it's been at times a difficult year for the Frenchman he is still sad to be leaving the team. In typical style Olivier did not forget to say good-bye properly.

He added: "It's always sad when you leave a team, especially when you have worked well together. This year has been tough for me but the team have made good progress and I'm glad I was able to contribute to that. I want to thank everyone - the race team, the test team and the people back at the factory - for all their hard work over the last two seasons.

"I have really enjoyed working with them. I would also like to thank Jacques for being a great team-mate. Our relationship has been very good and I wish him and the team every success for the future. Auf Wiedersehen!"

Jacques Villeneuve also failed to see the chequered flag after an engine failure halted his battle with Jordan's Giancarlo Fisichella.

He said: "I was having a good battle with Fisichella but he's a very tough guy to overtake because his car can be very wide! If we'd carried on like that we could have ended up going off and that's not a very fair way to go about racing. In the end, the engine gave way and that was the end of my race."

"At least we've made progress throughout this season and this is the first time that has happened at B.A.R so that's a positive. Next year will definitely be a lot better so we have to look forward now. I wish Olivier all the best for the future. He has been a great team-mate and we've worked very well together over the past couple of years."

Team chief David Richards is keen to forget this weekend and look to the future. David is confident his plans for the team will begin to bear fruit next year.

"I never underestimated the challenge of transforming B.A.R into a future World Championship contender and the same is true of our partner Honda," said DR. "We have endured some difficult times this season but we have worked together to overcome our problems and make steady but significant progress.

"I would like to thank the team for all their hard work and congratulate them on a job well done. It has been a very tough season but when I look at where we started and where we are now, I am convinced that this level of commitment from everyone at B.A.R Honda bodes well for some very rewarding times ahead.

"Finally, I would like to wish Olivier the very best of luck for the future. He has been a great asset to the team over the last couple of years and has played a significant role in our development."

BAR

Race Results

Warm-Up Times

Qualifying Notes

After the crucial 60-minute session was red-flagged by a huge accident for McNish, Jacques Villeneuve transformed a difficult start to his weekend by placing his BAR004 inside the top 10 for tomorrow's Japanese Grand Prix. Gearbox problems surfaced for Olivier Panis after his first run and the red flag provided the team with a much-needed window of opportunity. The problem returned at the restart however and he was forced to switch to the T-car with only 24 minutes of the session remaining. He lines up in 16th place tomorrow for his final race with Lucky Strike B.A.R Honda.

Jacques Villeneuve
"That was a huge crash for McNish so I'm pleased he was OK. That's the important thing but the red flag obviously disrupted the session. I had to abort my first run after the restart because Montoya completely blocked me, so it's lucky I managed to get a clear lap on my last run. There was still some time left in the car but not enough time left in the session to make the most of it. Top 10 is good for us today and the Suzuka engine had enough power to make a difference. The team have done a great job to salvage the weekend after yesterday's lack of running. We ended up being more competitive than we expected."

Olivier Panis
"What can I say? I'm really frustrated because this isn't what I'd hoped for at my last Grand Prix with B.A.R. The qualifying session was very difficult anyway but when you get technical problems and cannot exploit your runs, you're up against the wall and there's nothing you can do. I hope the team can resolve the problem so it doesn't occur in the race tomorrow and I will do my best to finish the season on a more positive note.

David Richards, Team Principal
"After a difficult start to the weekend, it's gratifying to qualify at least one car in the top 10 today. It's very disappointing that we haven't achieved the same for Olivier however. We were unable to supply him with the same development parts that Jacques has for this race and, on top of that, he's suffered gearbox problems today. Nonetheless, it's very encouraging that three Honda-powered cars qualified in the top 10 today and bodes well for their plans to make a significant step forward in performance next season."

Saturday Practice Times

Friday Practice Notes

Jacques Villeneuve
"The car seemed to lose traction on the exit from Spoon Curve and I hit the kerb, lost control then spun the car into the barrier. It was quite a heavy impact but I'm fine. The car was quite badly damaged though so the guys did a fantastic job to get it ready in time to get any more running today. Having said that, I only managed 4 timed laps and 11 laps in total so we've done very little work on our race set-up. The engineers did a lot of work during the downtime while the car was being repaired using Olivier's data but we're too slow and we have a lot of catching up to do. We have a lot of work ahead of us this evening."

Olivier Panis
"I lost a lot of time in the morning session, unfortunately due to my mistake. I slowed down to pick my way around the debris from Jacques' car and to check he wasn't hurt. I lost concentration and stalled the car so I'm sorry for the team because of that. I can't believe it! We tried many different things this afternoon and we worked towards the race configuration but we were struggling for grip and we're certainly not quick enough. I feel that we still have a lot of potential to improve the car so we have a lot of work to do tonight to get the best from the package."

David Richards, Team Principal
"What can one say about a weekend that starts like this? It can only get better. The fact that neither driver got much running clearly reflects in the times and I'm quite confident that, given a clear run tomorrow morning, things will improve significantly."

BAR Race Preview

The final round of the Formula One World Championship takes Lucky Strike B.A.R Honda to the home of its Japanese partners Honda and Bridgestone this weekend for one final push before bidding farewell to a challenging 2002 season. Built as a test track for Honda in 1962, the Suzuka Circuit is located 30 miles from Japan's third largest city, Nagoya. Originally part of a motorcycle theme park, Suzuka Circuitland was the first full-scale racetrack in Japan and also houses the Honda racing museum, hotels, restaurants, an exhibition centre and an amusement park. A ride on the famous Big Wheel is the best way to see the characteristic figure-of-eight track, which is one of only a few ever built.

The team will be pulling out all the stops to give its legions of local fans something to celebrate at the end of what will be an emotional weekend for Olivier Panis, who will compete in his final Grand Prix for B.A.R. After 2 years together, there is nothing that the team would like more than to see Olivier depart on a high note.

This year the final race of the season also has greater significance for Bridgestone, as the tyre manufacturer's home race will also be its 100th Grand Prix since entering the World Championship in 1997. B.A.R has enjoyed a productive partnership with Bridgestone since 1999 and will be aiming to produce a good result for the company's many employees who are travelling from Tokyo to watch this race.

Following a good result at the United States Grand Prix, B.A.R brought its 2002 season test programme to a close with a productive 3-day test in Barcelona (1-3 October). The team's objective at the Circuit de Catalunya was to put some more mileage on the latest evolution of the Honda engine in preparation for the Japanese Grand Prix, together with a tyre test for Bridgestone, an aerodynamic assessment and a software evaluation. Test drivers Anthony Davidson and Ryo Fukuda between them covered over 1000km and both the car and the engine proved to be reliable.

With 6th place in the Constructors' Championship only two points away, the team is determined to put in a strong performance this weekend.

Jacques on the Japanese Grand Prix
"The Japanese GP is a special race for the team but it is also one of my personal favourites. I have lots of good memories of Japan from when I lived here for a year early in my career and it is always great to come back."

"Indianapolis was a good weekend for us and it would be nice to finish with a positive result in Suzuka. The Honda engine felt good during the US Grand Prix and it looks like we could be quite competitive here also. It's important for us to finish the season on a high. It's also my last race with Olivier as my team mate. Olivier and I have had a great working relationship together at B.A.R."

"Suzuka is one of the most beautiful circuits that we have on the GP calendar. It's quite technical, very challenging and the high-speed corners are a lot of fun to drive. It would be nice to get a good result for the team here."

Olivier Panis on the Japanese Grand Prix
"The Japanese Grand Prix is my last race with Lucky Strike B.A.R Honda so it's a very important race for me. It would be fantastic to finish in the points here and leave on a positive note. For me, that would be the best way of thanking the team for all their hard work over the last couple of years."

"This is also a big race for our partners and it would be great to do well on their home turf. Honda have done a very good job to continue improving until the end of the season and I'm optimistic that we can be competitive here at Suzuka."

"I love coming to Japan. Suzuka is my second favourite circuit after Spa because it has a great rhythm and is very enjoyable to drive. It's very distinctive because of the figure-of-eight and my favourite part is the first chicane after the first corner into the S-curve."

David Richards, Team Principal
"The Japanese Grand Prix is a very important race for us, not least because of our partnerships with Honda and Bridgestone. We will have a lot of support from our many Japanese fans and I hope we can reward them with a good result by the team here."

"Honda have continued their development programme right through to the last race and were working hard in testing last week to deliver a further step forward for Suzuka. After a strong weekend in Indianapolis two weeks ago, we are optimistic that we can repeat that performance this weekend."

"This is also Olivier's last race for B.A.R and while we are sad to see him go I have no doubt that we will see an extra push from the team to give him the best possible send off."

The Circuit

Race Distance - 53 Laps. 191.588 miles (308.317 km)
Circuit Length - 3.617 miles (5.821 km)

Built by Honda as a test circuit in 1962, Suzuka was designed by John Hugenholz, a Dutchman who also produced Zandvoort and Jarama. The circuit is situated on Honshu, by far the largest of the Japanese islands, which is also home to Tokyo, Yokohama and Osaka and is just one component of a giant amusement park and other facilities.

Suzuka itself has an 18-turn figure-of-eight course that is unique in F1. It begins with a fast 5th gear bend that tightens to lead into a series of fast S-bends. The tricky, tightening, Spoon curve and the flat-out 130R are the other great challenges on this popular drivers circuit, the latter corner being the fastest on the track and taken at around 185mph.

Overtaking is normally done into the slowest corner on the track, the 40mph Casio Triangle chicane at the end of the lap. More difficult passing moves can be performed in the 140mph First Corner and very occasionally at the Turn 11 Hairpin.

For 2002, the circuit has been reduced to 3.617 miles in length, courtesy of the re-profiling of several key corners on the lap in order to provide greater areas of run off. Retaining walls have also been moved back and the track alignment altered at the S-curves and Dunlop Curves. However, it is thought the changes will not significantly effect lap times.